Linguistics

This course introduces five core areas of grammar: Phonetics/phonology investigates the sounds of English and how are they used to distinguish meanings. Morphology describes the structure of words and syntax, with the structure of sentences. Finally, semantics is about the way in which linguistic expressions (in particular, words and sentences) can be interpreted, and pragmatics deals with the way in which language is used to perform concrete actions.

This course examines important historical, cultural, and social influences on language in the United States. We begin with an historical introduction to the English language in the United States, and then turn to other language varieties, such as Native American languages and languages of major immigrant communities (e.g., Spanish, Asian languages). We will also survey major forms of language variation, including regional dialects (e.g., Southern American English), social dialects, and other forms of socially patterned variation (e.g., youth language and slang). Furthermore, we will examine important controversies such as bilingual education and African American Vernacular English, as well as discuss topics such as language policy, language rights, and recent efforts to restrict and revitalize minority languages. Throughout the course, we will try to not only study language in the United States, but will also explore what this particular setting can reveal about issues of language and society in other contexts around the world.

This course will require students to engage in critical thinking, synthesizing information from a wide range of sources (e.g., textbook, academic journals, videos) on a wide range of topics pertaining to the language situation in the United States and participate actively in class activities (e.g., discussions, debates). Students will also engage in an independent research project, the results of which they will present both orally and in written form.

This course is designed to guide students through a fascinating and fast journey from Middle Ages to current times to show and let them understand the extraordinary peculiarity of a language which was born many centuries before the effective geopolitical birth of the Italian nation in 1861. The focus of this course it to show through a selection of short popular Italian texts how all this affected the current use of written and oral Italian. 

This course examines the problems, methods, and results of semantics and pragmatics, with an emphasis on how they complement one another. It explores the development of semantics and pragmatics and contextualizes them in the development of general linguistics theory. Finally, this courses uses an organic assembly of theoretical concepts and methodologies for semantic and pragmatic analysis of the Spanish language.

This course provides an overview of the principles regulating the internal structure of complex words, focusing on English and how it compares with other languages. We will learn basic methods of determining this internal structure, and introduce the different strategies that language users may apply in forming new words. In particular, we will discuss processes like derivation, inflection, and compounding, and the rules that govern their application.

This course extends the concept "language" within a variety of perspectives, and applies the concept to human life and the universe. Thus, the course explores the universality of "information" and "communication" in many academic fields. It provides the basic understanding of human language - its structure in form and meaning, its nature, its way of existence, and its generative principles. It also explores the key concepts in more general contexts such as natural language vs. artificial language; symbolic systems and tools for encoding world information; [information structures in art/music and design; the patterns of communication in these "languages"; and the roles of human participants in the communication.

This course explores field methods in linguistics by working with speakers of less-studied languages. It introduces various methods of investigating linguistic questions using theoretical inquiries. Students are encouraged, but not required, to have completed at least one 200-level course.

The course instructs on how to collect data from speakers of other languages, using main linguistic concepts, including but not limited to phonetics, phonology, syntax and semantics. Students will then apply acquired skills to design field documentation sessions that can be used to test linguistic hypotheses. Furthermore, these skills will be used to investigate less-studied languages in an objective, scientific manner.

In this course, students apply their background in linguistics to the field of machine learning. The course provides an overview of the machine learning sub-field of natural language processing. Students delve into mathematical/computer science aspects of the topic and learn about different types of machine learning, neural networks, how to work with data, and specific implementations to the field of linguistics. Students may complete a final coding project that relates to the field of linguistics. The course also covers philosophical/ethical aspects of the field, and students discuss issues like ChatGPT and its implications on higher education, the job market, and more. Because this course is in the linguistics department, there will be a heavy emphasis on syntax/semantics, and students should have a strong linguistic knowledge.  

This course studies English phonetics and phonology, dealing with segmental and prosodic aspects of the language. Lectures will focus on the typical characteristics of the sound systems of English in relation to phonetic and phonological theories. This course focuses mainly on theory, but practical pronunciation training is included, whenever appropriate, in order to help understanding of the theories. The course is aimed at students who are interested in teaching English as a foreign language. Participation is highly encouraged.

This course explores different aspects of the relationship between language and economy, looking at the economic value of language; the linguistic side of the economy, and how the relationship between economic and linguistic forces help shapes today's global world.