Linguistics

This course examines the nature and scope of semantics and pragmatics and their place within linguistics. Topics in semantics include: the nature and analysis of lexical meanings, the relationship between meaning and cognition, the relationship between semantics and grammar, and semantic change. Topics in pragmatics include: speech act theory, politeness theory, implicature and presupposition. 

This course explores various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of language as a resource for social actors and communities, and as a resource to produce anthropological knowledge. The course analyzes how language emerges in the interactions between people and how it reflects and creates society and culture.  

Understanding these dynamics, however, requires more than just an impressionistic, commonsensical understanding of how language works. For example, what is important about language is not so much the literal meaning of words, but the connotation of accents, the channels through which people choose to communicate, and the silences and elisions. This course develops skills that enable one to investigate these dynamics in a sophisticated manner, yet one that remains solidly grounded in social and cultural theory.  

This course introduce students from the major Modern Languages and Literature (English, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese) to fundamental concepts, strategies, and procedures of translation and translation studies, to initiate a process of reflection and practice.

Multilingualism can be investigated from many perspectives such as language acquisition, sociolinguistics, cognitive linguistics and so forth. This course examines multilingualism mainly from the perspective of applied linguistics, focusing on the distinction between societal multilingualism and individual multilingualism (sometimes described as plurilingualism). It looks at some important definitions and distinctions and the idea of language choice, both at the individual level and in society, and how those choices are shaped (e.g. through official policy and planning decisions). The course touches on topics such as code-switching, heritage languages and language attrition, as well as multilingual pedagogies and assessment. This course introduces students to issues and concepts in individual and societal multilingualism and to examine situations where several languages are present in an individual’s language repertoire or speech community. The course takes as its point of departure multilingual individuals and the process of becoming multilingual throughout life. It examines global, critical and interdisciplinary perspectives on the topic of multilingualism, addressing decolonization and multilingualism in the Global South amongst other topics.

This linguistics course covers the following topics: form and meaning; meaning and truth; and meaning and praxis. The course covers major themes and questions in the field of theories of meaning: universality, figurativeness, immanence, and compositionality. The course uses presentation, discussion, and practice of metalanguage relevant to accounting for meaning on various levels of language.

In this course students take a scientific approach to literature by applying ideas from linguistics and cognitive science to the analysis of literary texts. The course explores the textual and cognitive foundations for literary interpretations and aesthetic effects, and the underlying ideological and psychological implications of particular linguistic choices.

This course explores the history and evolution of the Spanish language. It discusses dialect and speech, where Spanish is spoken, semantics and pragmatics, and changes in the language.

This course explores basic concepts of cognitive linguistics and their application to the analysis of the English language. It examines the structure of English through the study of linguistic conceptualization and basic results of cognitive science.

This course explores translation theories and their practical applications. Each session focuses on a specific theory or approach to translation, followed by an analysis of a translated text. The course aims to understand the crucial role of translation as a cultural and social practice and to become familiar with the major issues in translation theory and comparative literature.

This course conveys insight into the cognitive mechanisms and representations underpinning human meaning-making. The course presents an overview of the cognitive processes and mechanisms involved in human meaning-making, including conceptual metaphor theory, image schemas, framing, and blending. The theories employed stem from cognitive science, cognitive psychology, cognitive linguistics, and semiotics. The course also provides insight into the relationship between meaning-making and perception, as well as sensory-motor experience. Additionally, it seeks to give students a general understanding of what meaning is, regardless of whether it is expressed in language, images, or speech, or manifests itself through perception. Finally, this course provides the general theoretical tools required to analyze specific cognitive and cultural phenomena. The course is adapted to accommodate the diverse backgrounds of the students.