Linguistics

The course explores the broad topic of phonetics by employing phonetic transcription to look at spoken English of various varieties and possibly also other languages around the world. Readings and homework assignments provide an extensive survey of speech sounds in English, and a course project in phonetic description provides hands-on application of the topics discussed in class. The pronunciation practicum offers a recitation period for students to apply what they have learned from lectures to actual pronunciations Text: Ladefoged, P. & Johnson, K. 2011. A COURSE IN PHONETICS. Assessment: participation (5%), homework (15%), quizzes (10%), midterms (20%), final (15%), practicum (10%), journal (10%), project (15%).

This course covers spectrographic analysis of vowel formants and the plotting of these in acoustic vowel space; spectrographic analysis of plosives and fricatives; the use of nasometry, static and dynamic palatography, and ultrasound; normal swallowing mechanism and swallowing problems in the pediatric population.

This course focuses on words in Japanese and English -- how these words are made, where new words come from, how the meanings and sounds of words change over time, and how individual words fit into the overall system of a language. This course introduces the basics of morphology-- the way words are built from parts such as roots and affixes. It also considers some of the other interesting aspects of words, including etymology (the history of words); patterns of semantic change; phonological aspects of words (such as stress in English and pitch accent and rendaku in Japanese), and recent trends in word creation, including the rise of blends, acronyms and use of characters in electronic communication.

Building on in-depth examinations of theoretical perspectives about children's development of a first language, this course helps students understand the nature of first language acquisition. The course focuses on where language comes from, the stages children pass through to read adult-like speech, as well as attempts to teach non-human animals to use language. Topics covered include specific aspects of language (e.g., phonology, morphology, lexicon), the role of the "input," the relation between cognition and language, neurological development, and learning to read. Focus is primarily on informal learning situations such as home and playgrounds. However, there are occasion to discuss more formal opportunities for learning.

This course focuses on language rights as legal benchmarks for managing linguistic diversity, particularly in contexts marked by a high and unfair multilingualism. From a human rights perspective, it highlights how use of language or language preferences by government authorities, individuals, and other entities impacts protected individuals or minority groups who would otherwise be discriminated against or marginalized by the respective majorities.

This is a special studies course with projects arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific topics of study vary each term and are described on a special study project form for each student. The number of units varies with the student's project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student's special study project form.

The course is an introduction to the central topics of the philosophy of language seen from a global, multilingual perspective. It focuses on the commonalities of the natural languages that allow them to generate meaningful expressions, to be about things in the world, and to influence and be influenced by what we think. Topics addressed in the course include the nature of meaning and reference, whether there is a universal language of thought, how language influences thought, if translation is really possible, whether we can have private languages, and how the languages of animals and machines relate to ours.