Linguistics

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.

This course is an introduction to the scientific study of language sounds from a common language and individual language point of view. Students must acquire basic knowledge of phonetic analysis of speech sounds, with emphasis on articulatory and acoustic analysis. The course covers the transcription system of The International Phonetic Association (IPA) and the acoustic analysis program PRAAT. The course discusses basic phonological theory, and uses this in phonological analysis. Emphasis is placed on practical skills in both phonetics and phonology. The course recommends students have taken a previous course in linguistics as a prerequisite.

This course provides an introduction to linguistics. The theoretical focus is on the core areas of the discipline: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics. Students apply theoretical concepts when analyzing concrete linguistic data, primarily from English, with a focus on North American varieties.