Introduction to how sounds pattern in grammars-why they vary, how they combine, etc. Emphasis is on developing theories to explain the patterns. Topics include distinctive feature theory, phonemic analysis, autosegmental phonology, and principles of syllabification and stress.
Instructor
The Staff, Amanda Rysling
General Education Code
MF
Quarter offered
Winter, Spring
Advanced phonological theory. Topics include markedness; underspecification theories; advanced topics in feature geometry, syllable theory, and stress theory; and optimality theory. Readings include published articles. Emphasis on theory construction and argumentation based on data.
Advanced topics in phonology, with an emphasis on reading both classic and contemporary research articles and book chapters. Prerequisite(s): course 102 and enrollment by interview.
Study of the principles of word formation: derivation, inflection, and compounding; cross-linguistic study of morphological processes, morphological investigation and analysis.
An introduction to the linguistic aspects of poetry, e.g., rhyme, meter, and larger-scale organization of poetic form. The emphasis is on English poetry, complemented by brief sketches of other poetic traditions.
General Education Code
TA
Provides a basic introduction to the methods and results of generative grammar. It simultaneously provides an overview of the major syntactic constructions of English.
General Education Code
MF
An introduction to syntactic investigation, developed through the study of central aspects of English syntax. A major purpose is to introduce students to the study of language as an empirical science.
General Education Code
MF
Further aspects of English syntax; universal and language-particular constraints on syntactic structures and rules. Further developments and extensions of generative theory.
Advanced topics in syntax. Prerequisite(s): course 113, satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements and permission of instructor.
Instructor
Jorge Hankamer
Introduces reading the primary literature in syntax. Readings will vary. Emphasis is on how to read technically difficult works, evaluate arguments, and appreciate competing views. Coursework includes readings, presentations, and short response papers. Enrollment by permission of instructor. Prerequisite: course 113.
Advanced undergraduate course devoted to a topic in syntax. Topics vary and may include ellipsis, binding, agreement phenomena, alternative frameworks. Coursework includes problem sets, readings, presentations, and a term paper. Enrollment by permission of instructor. Prerequisite: course 113.
Major issues in natural language semantics: nature of lexical entries, thematic relations, propositional representation or logical form; relation between semantic interpretation and syntactic representations, quantification and scope relations, reference and presupposition, coreference and anaphoric relations.
Covers topics central in the study of pragmatics, the interpretation of language use. Topics include conversational implicature, speech acts and discourse understanding, and social deixis.
Uses the tools learned in courses 53 and 116 (Semantics I and Semantics II), giving students the opportunity to explore important topics with heavy emphasis placed on reading primary-source literature. Readings form the basis for weekly lectures and the discussion section. Prerequisite(s): course 116 and permission of instructor.
Survey of grammatical structure of English and terminology of grammatical description. Covers phonological, morphological, and syntactic structure of English and contrasts it with other languages.
Introduces the branch of linguistics whose goal is to describe and explain the structural diversity of the world's languages. Focuses on what is known about variation in particular domains (e.g., syllable structure, word order, evidentiality), and how it might be explained.
Survey of some of the history and foundational assumptions of generative grammar; also looks at some of the influence of generative linguistic theorizing on disciplines outside linguistics, notably psychology and philosophy.
Topics in the history of linguistics, with a special focus on the 20th century.
Methods and problems in the study of change in linguistic systems. Reconstruction of proto-languages; the comparative method. Theories of change and implications for the theory of grammar.
Introduction to and survey of the ellipsis in natural language, including the typology of ellipsis processes, cross-linguistic uniformity and variation in ellipsis, and theoretical approaches and issues.
Introduction to computational methods for linguists with little background in computer programming. Possible topics include: regular expressions, annotation, databases, and search. Students learn contemporary techniques in team-based programming and annotation.
General Education Code
PR-E
Selective survey of the indigenous languages of North America, including a formal/structural component and an historical/social component. Topics include typological properties of these languages, current status, and revitalization efforts.
Introduces quantitative methods for linguistics. Focuses on categorical data and continuous data, and using R. Students learn the basics of probability, statistics, and experimental design, and use R to apply them to linguistic data sets.
General Education Code
SR
Introduction to instrumental phonetic analysis—analysis using experimental methods. Emphasis is on the acoustics and perception of speech.
Examines areas in which phonetic analysis and experimentation are used in practice. Emphasizes problem-solving, experiments, and analytical tasks.
Introduction to sociolinguistics exploring the relationship between language and such social parameters as social status, ethnicity, race, gender, etc., including the role of language differences in the creation of social stereotypes. Emphasis on gathering, examining, and reporting data.
Introduces and examines some of the foundational assumptions, practices, and methods of generative grammar in comparison to those of other areas of cognitive science, notably psychology and philosophy.
Theory and methods in psycholinguistics, covering perception, production, and acquisition of language and linguistic structure. A hands-on, laboratory-style introduction to the topic, focusing on the relation between experimental findings and linguistic theory. Students cannot receive credit for this course and course 257.
Instructor
Adrian Brasoveanu
General Education Code
SR
Advanced topics in psycholinguistics and experimental linguistics, contemporary memory models, computational models of comprehension and production, and neurolinguistic findings and methodologies. Student work revolves around an extended research project in which students learn to apply advanced analytical techniques.
Addresses a particular problem in language engineering, chosen for its practical and theoretical interest and its tractability. The entire course focuses on a team project to design a solution to the problem. Permission of instructor required.
Introduction to computational linguistics for engineers with a focus on providing background and skills in linguistics. Students are expected to already have programming skills and basic computer science. Knowledge of shell scripting or a scripting language suggested.
Topics in the phonology, morphology, syntax, or semantics of a language that is the research interest of the instructor. The language investigated changes with each offering of the course.
Discusses topics in the phonology, syntax, and semantics of Romance languages, with emphasis left to the discretion of the instructor. Students read original research articles and pursue empirical investigation of Romance languages by collecting data from scholarly publications, fieldwork, and/or corpus analysis. Some knowledge of Italian, French, or Spanish is required.
The phonology and syntax of Spanish, studied from a modern linguistic perspective. Some knowledge of Spanish is required.
The phonology, morphology, and syntax aspects of French. Some knowledge of French is helpful.
The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Russian. Some knowledge of Russian is helpful.
Phonological, morphological, and syntactic aspects of the structure of the German language. Some knowledge of German is required.
The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Japanese.
The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Turkish.
The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Arabic. (Mainly modern standard, but also some regional dialects.) No knowledge of Arabic is required.
Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.
Deadline for submission of thesis proposal is one year in advance of proposed completion. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.
Quarter offered
Fall, Winter, Spring
Provides for department-sponsored individual study programs off campus for which faculty supervision is not in person (e.g., supervision by correspondence). Preparation and approval must be completed by the fifth day of instruction of any given quarter. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.
Quarter offered
Fall, Winter, Spring
Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.
Quarter offered
Fall, Winter, Spring
Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.
Quarter offered
Fall, Winter, Spring