/College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Linguistics

Undergraduate Courses Schedule (Spring 2025)

[This course has recitations. Check SOLAR for recitation schedule.]

An introduction to the fundamental areas and concepts of modern linguistics. Sounds and their structure, word structure, and sentence structure are discussed. Other topics may include historical linguistics (how languages change over time), dialects, writing systems, language and the brain, and psycholinguistics (especially the question of how children acquire a language).

An introduction to the analysis of complex words in English, especially those based on Latin and Greek models that comprise the majority of the vocabulary in the written language. Students will be introduced to Latin and Greek roots and the processes by which complex words are built by affixing material to these roots and modifying their structure. Students will acquire general analytical tools that will allow them to understand complex words that they may not have previously encountered. The course will introduce students to principles of linguistic morphology that extend beyond English to all human languages.

Survey of the languages and language-related issues in the United States. Topics include Native American languages; immigrant languages; dialectal variations (e.g., Black English); the domains in which these languages were and are used; maintenance and loss of minority languages; language contact and its effects; the use of Spanish; language attitudes and politics is including bilingual education; and official language movements. Particular attention is paid to the evolution of American English from colonial times to its present world-wide status; the use and impact of Spanish; language attitudes and politics including bilingual education; and official language movements.

[This course has recitations. Check SOLAR for recitation schedule.]

Introduction to the sounds used in human language. Topics include articulatory phonetics, phonetic transcription, the sound structure of English, sounds and sound patterns in languages of the world, the acoustic properties of sounds, speech perception, and speech technology. Includes work in the phonetics laboratory on computer analysis of speech.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 101

An introduction to the diversity and common properties of the more than six thousand languages spoken in the world today. This course will discuss how the languages of each family are related to each other, and what these relationships say about human origins and the peopling of the globe. The course will also analyze the world's languages in terms of the structures of their sentences, sounds, and words, and will discuss a number of global questions: Does your language affect your thought? What is the relation between politics and languages? What is writing? How do completely new languages emerge?

Advisory Prerequisite: LIN 101

[This course has recitations. Check SOLAR for recitation schedule.]

An introduction to the sound systems of languages focusing on the mental representation of sound structure: how speakers use knowledge of their language to assign meaning to different combinations of sounds. We will examine data from a number of languages to explore the differences and similarities among the sound patterns of different languages, and will consider the question of whether there are universal preferences for specific types of sounds and sound sequences.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 201

[This course has recitations. Check SOLAR for recitation schedule.]

An introduction to generative grammar: the formal theory of sentence structure.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 101

The internal structure of complex words. A variety of analytical methods is introduced, together with examples from English and many other languages. Previously offered as LIN 464. Not for credit in addition to LIN 464.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 101

Introduction to the field of language acquisition. Topics include cognitive processes, role of innate ability and environment, developmental stages, individual variation, universal tendencies, interaction of language and cognition, bilingualism, similarities and differences between first- and second-language acquisition, and language disorders.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 101; and C or better in LIN 201 or LIN 311

An introduction to computational linguistics for students with previous programming experience. This course explores the models, algorithms, and techniques that dominate modern-day language technology, and it evaluates them from a linguistically informed perspective. Topics include corpus-based methods, finite-state approaches, machine learning, and model evaluation techniques. Great emphasis is put on discussing the limitations of existing techniques and how they might benefit from linguistic insights. Students will also hone their programming skills and develop familiarity with state-of-the-art software packages for computational linguistics. Formerly offered as LIN 220; not for credit in addition to LIN 220.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 120 or CSE 110 or CSE 114 or ISE 108 or MAT 331; or permission of instructor

An introduction to the theories of literacy and their application in education. Students acquire knowledge about the complex nature of academic literacy; how literacy skills can be taught and assessed across all disciplines, and how literacy and language skills develop among diverse learners, including students with special needs and English Language Learners. Attention is given to the integration of technology into the development of literacy skills. Not for major credit.

Prerequisite: Admission to a teacher education program

A survey of the major types of writing including (but not limited to) alphabetic, syllabic, and logographic systems; the invention of writing; changes in writing systems over time and the decipherment of ancient writing. Special attention is given to modern English spelling, including both its regular, systematic properties and the historical background of its irregularities.

Introduction to common experimental methods for studying the sounds used in human language. Topics include basic speech acoustics, acoustic analysis, oral and nasal airflow, static palatography, linguography and electroglottography, as well as design of perception experiments. Students will learn the physical processes affecting each experimental variable and common methods of analyzing each kind of data. Students will get hands-on experience with each analysis method and will use two or more types of data to explore a hypothesis about sound structure in English or some other language of interest. Students will learn how to use software for making measurements and analyzing data. Students will learn to assess the validity of claims about language based on their understanding of the scientific method as applied to speech. The course will give students a solid foundation for further courses in laboratory skills relevant to assessment of normal and disordered speech and for pursuing research, either as undergraduate researchers, or in the early stages of graduate work.

Introduction to language and literacy development across disciplines and to assessment, cooperative learning, and reflective practices. Students will develop standard-based interdisciplinary thematic units, integrate technologies, and explore collaborative practices.

Prerequisite: LIN 375 and LIN 449

Corequisite: LIN 450

Majors in linguistics refine their skills in writing for the discipline by critiquing successive revisions of previously written work. Formerly offered as LIN 300. Not for credit in addition to LIN 300.

Prerequisites: permission of department; major in linguistics; U3 or U4 standing

Study of the systematic errors made by foreign language learners and the potential of various linguistic theories to predict and account for these errors.

[This course has recitations. Check SOLAR for recitation schedule.]

An investigation of the phonology and syntax of either a language or a family of languages. May be repeated if a different language is covered.

Prerequisite: C or better in LIN 301 and LIN 311

Examination of effective practices, assessments, and technologies for developing language and literacy across content areas in multi-level classrooms. Collaboration with colleagues, parents, and communities is explored.

Prerequisite: C or higher in LIN 378; permission of department