麻豆影院

Spring 2025

LING 1000: Language in U.S. Society
滨苍蝉迟谤耻肠迟辞谤:听罢叠础

Humans use language as part of almost everything we do in social life. Whether it鈥檚 an everyday activity such as chit-chatting with a friend or family member over dinner, or something as globally significant as a presidential election or UN Summit, language provides us with many of the tools we use to make it happen. And yet, while we live our lives through language (or perhaps because of that fact), most of us rarely take the time to critically examine its influence on us, nor our influence on it. This course provides an occasion for this sort of critical thinking by offering an introduction to language in U.S. society. As such, our aims are as much sociological as they are linguistic. We begin with some foundational topics, including language acquisition, regional and dialectal variation, register and style (including shifting between them), prescriptivism and descriptivism, and some pervasive ideologies about the nature of language and how language 鈥榮hould鈥� be. We then explore the relationship between language and some specific social phenomena and institutions, taking as cases-in-point race/ethnicity, Deaf/Hearing communication, criminal justice systems, politics, and various forms of media. Next, we discuss language in everyday interaction鈥攕pecifically how, in and through our use of language, we consistently go about categorizing, labeling, and evaluating the world, and how we use language in our everyday lives to construct our identities and build relationships. We then conclude by exploring a few phenomena in which we see some interesting similarities as we compare language use in the U.S. with language use across the globe. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own personal experiences with regard to each of these topics as we proceed through the course.

This course can be applied toward fulfillment of either the Arts & Sciences Distribution Requirement (for Social Science), or the Arts & Sciences Diversity Requirement (for U.S. Perspective).

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LING 1020: Languages of the World
Instructor: Aous Mansouri

This course offers a general introduction to the world's languages. It covers topics such as the origins of language, the origins of individual languages and language families, and the relationships between the world's languages (did you know that English is related to Hindi?). It provides a brief introduction to the major languages and language groups of the world, and the interesting features of these languages, many of which are radically different from English. It also discusses the processes of historical change in languages, the origins and development of writing systems, and the ways that certain languages have spread around the world and the reasons why, as well as the fact that many smaller languages are now endangered. Finally, we'll also look some at artificial languages (Klingon, Esperanto, Lord of the Rings), and the future of the world's languages.

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LING 1900:听Community-Based Learning Practicum: Literacy and Language Learning鈥�
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

Students enrolled in the community-based learning Literacy Practicum earn an extra hour of credit while working with literacy and language learners in the 麻豆影院 community. Undergraduate volunteers, or 鈥淏uff Buddies,鈥� may choose to work with children, teenagers, or adults in programs sponsored by one of our four community partners: University Hill Elementary School, 麻豆影院 Public Library, Student-Worker Alliance Program, and Family Learning Center. The program is open to students co-enrolled in one of the department's sociolinguistic or TESOL courses, or previously enrolled in Ling 1900. Students will be contacted early in the semester by the Literacy Practicum team regarding the dates and times of each program and the required orientation.

For more information about this rewarding learning experience, visit the Literacy Practicum website at听/linguistics/literacy-practicum. We hope you will consider joining the Practicum!

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LING 2000: Introduction to Linguistics
Instructor: Alexis Palmer

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. In this course you will learn about structures of human language(s) and their functions. The central question in linguistics is 鈥渉ow does language work,鈥� in all of its variation and complexity? You will learn what one needs to 鈥渒now鈥� to speak a language, and how language is used in social contexts. You will learn that all languages vary and change - languages are not static, and linguistic varieties differ from each other in a myriad of ways. However, there are systematic methods that we can use to analyze linguistic data in every language and linguistic variety. All languages rely on the human body and cognitive system鈥檚 capacity to make and perceive sounds or signs, the study of phonetics. All languages have a specific inventory of sounds or signs, and the study of how they systematically behave is called phonology. All languages have words, and the study of their internal structure in each language is called morphology. All languages have particular rules and patterns for how words combine, which is the study of syntax. Crucially, the function of all languages is to communicate meaning. The study of meaning conventionally encoded in lexical items is called semantics, and the study of inferential meaning in context is called pragmatics. In addition, language is always used within a dynamic sociocultural context, and thus language use informs identity construction and social meaning, the study of sociocultural linguistics. At the end of the semester you should be able to: use the basic tools of linguistic analysis to understand the fundamental properties of language(s), reason about the issues involved in the social use of language, draw generalizations based on accurate and concise observations about linguistic data, and provide explanations for observed linguistic patterns.

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LING 2030: The Ancient Roots of Modern Medicine
Instructor: Jackie Elliot

Students learn the meaning and use of the Greek and Latin roots in modern medical terminology; they gain an appreciation of ancient Roman and Greek medicine history and culture in their relation to the modern practice of Western medicine and the sciences; they become familiar with common ancient bioethical principles that govern the ancient practice of medicine and the sciences and learn to appreciate how these principles inform and influence modern medicine and the sciences. Same as听听and听.
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LING 2500: Race, Ethnicity, and Language
Instructor: J听Calder

This course serves as an undergraduate introduction to the study of race, ethnicity, and language. We explore the ways that speakers of different racial and ethnic groups use language differently, as well as the social implications of the use of different racialized linguistic varieties. How does speaking a racialized variety contribute to the construction of stereotypes and ideas of race and ethnicity more broadly? What are the social consequences of speaking in a racialized way, e.g. in matters of education, the media, access to capital, and the law?

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LING 3005: Cognitive Science
Instructor: Rosemary Cowell

Introduces cognitive science, drawing from psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and linguistics. Studies the linguistic relativity hypothesis, consciousness, categorization, linguistic rules, the mind-body problem, nature versus nurture, conceptual structure and metaphor, logic/problem solving and judgment. Emphasizes the nature, implications and limitations of the computational model of mind. Recommended prerequisites: two of the following听听or听听or听听or听. Same as听听and听听and听听and听听and听.
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LING 3100: Language Sound Structures
Instructor: TBA

This course is about sounds in language, introducing the areas of linguistic study called phonetics and phonology. We will consider such fundamental questions as:

• What are the sounds that people use in languages?
• How do we produce those sounds?
• What are the physical properties of those sounds?
• How are these sounds used in human languages?

Along the way, we will acquire practical skills in perceiving and transcribing speech sounds, and we will learn some basic analytical techniques that enable us to address these (and other) questions.

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LING 3200: Academic Oral Communication in English
Instructor: Matthew Morley

Designed for undergraduate students who speak English as an additional language, this course improves students' oral communication skills for effective academic interactions in the classroom and within their academic discipline. Specific attention is given to presentation skills; developing, explaining and clarifying ideas; and discussion skills such as interrupting, hedging, and responding to questions. Students deliver formal presentations and impromptu speeches, and lead and participate in group discussions. Students improve active listening skills, non-verbal communication and English pronunciation. This course does not count toward the Linguistics major or minor. Recommended restriction: this course is restricted to course is restricted to speakers of English as an additional language.

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LING 3251: Language in Arab Society
Instructor: Mona Attwa

This course introduces the multilingual situation of Arab societies and presents fundamental concepts in sociolinguistics. Students study the major theories and frameworks of language variation and change and the influence of variables such as gender, social class, religion, and colonization on language choice. Students will understand the relationship between language, identity and ideology revealing power dynamics in Arab communities. The course is taught in English and no prior knowledge of Arabic language is required. Same as听.

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LING 3430: Semantics
Instructor: Bhuvana Narasimhan

In this course we will explore how we use language to convey meaning. This enterprise raises a number of interesting questions: What are the kinds of meanings conveyed by the lexical and grammatical devices available in a language? Do languages differ in how they convey meaning? How much does context contribute to our understanding of meaning? What methods can we use to study meaning? We will investigate these and a range of other issues in semantics and pragmatics, focusing on both data and theory.

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LING 3545: World Language Policies
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

World Language Policies provides an introduction to language rights, language policies, and language planning from a national and international perspective. The course will cover areas such as the legal status of languages and language rights; the interrelations between globalization, nationalism, ethnicity, identity and language policy; linguistic ecology; multilingualism as a problem or resource as well as issues on language minoritization and endangerment.听We will examine a number of case studies of language policy implementation, both historical and current, through the lens of different theoretical frameworks.

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LING 3832: Computational Linguistics
Instructor: TBA

Surveys the fundamental problems, models, and algorithms found and used in the processing of natural language. Computational linguistics is a large field and we will only be able to cover a selection of the vast range of methods employed to solve tasks involving natural language. However, arguably there exists a "core vocabulary" of techniques shared by most practitioners and researchers in the field, which we will focus on. Recommended prerequisite or corequisite:听.

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LING 4220/5300: Language & Mind
Instructor:听Bhuvana Narasimhan

Does the language we speak influence how we think? Some people believe that this position鈥搕he linguistic relativity hypothesis鈥搃s "wrong, all wrong" (Pinker 1994). For many researchers, language is just a tool for expressing concepts that all humans largely share. Others are convinced that our thoughts are deeply influenced by the language we speak, influencing how we perceive, categorize, remember, and reason about the world.

In this course we will evaluate empirical research that supports or refutes the linguistic relativity hypothesis in different conceptual domains, such as color, space, motion, objects, and time. Some of the questions we will ask are: Do the color distinctions encoded in our language influence how we categorize color? Does our writing system influence how we conceptualize time? How do speakers of a language without a number system construe quantity? Can we disentangle cultural versus linguistic influences on thinking?

We will discuss different theories about the relationship between language and mind during weekly discussions, and you will learn to run your own experiments to test different versions of the linguistic relativity hypothesis

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LING 4420:听Morphology & Syntax
Instructor:听Ambrocio Guti茅rrez Lorenzo

This course provides a general introduction to the linguistic subfields of morphology and syntax. Our general focus is thus on the principles of word formation (morphology) and the structures used to construct larger utterances (syntax). Over the semester we will develop skills for analyzing and describing the morphological and syntactic characteristics of grammar and will explore how these phenomena vary in the world鈥檚 languages.

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LING 4560: Language Development
Instructor: Christina Meyers

How do children develop language? In a relatively short span of time, children acquire all aspects of language. This class explores the development of phonology, syntax, morphology, semantics, and pragmatics in the context of children from infant to school-age. This multi-disciplinary class highlights language acquisition theories, cognition and its relation to language, and theory of mind. Students are asked to apply knowledge learned in this course to analyze children's language development through videos and language transcripts. Beyond typical development of language, language differences, bilingual language development, and a few disorders associated with language development such as autism and hearing loss are also explored.

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LING 4610/5610:听Pedagogical Grammar for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

Provides an introduction to the study of English grammar from the perspective of the nonnative learner and user of English. The focus is on understanding the form, meaning, and use of grammatical constructions and on how to teach these constructions in an ESL/EFL context.

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LING 4800: Language and Culture
Instructor: TBA

In this course, we will examine language as a form of action through which social, cultural and political relations are constituted. We will cover several key ideas and topics studied by linguistic anthropologists, such as the impact of language on thought and reality, language as a form of social action, language and identity, the dialogic emergence of culture, language ideologies, and language varieties. We will also examine several case studies and ethnographies that focus on language practices within particular communities. By the end of the course, you will understand key ideas in the study of language and culture (e.g., ideology, dialogism, identity, and indexicality), gain a critical awareness of the role language plays in social, cultural and political interaction, and examine the potential of ethnography for informing听analyses of language and discourse.

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LING 4910/5910: TESOL Practicum
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

The TESOL practicum provides a carefully mentored teaching experience to help novice teachers develop and enhance the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to enact effective instructional practices with English language learners. The TESOL practicum provides the opportunity for student teachers to theorize practice as they engage with language learners in the classroom alongside a cooperating teacher who serves as a model, mentor and source of critical feedback. Students will demonstrate their pedagogical and professional knowledge through reflections on classroom observations, instructional design elements (e.g., lesson plans), delivery of original activities in the classroom, and post-teaching reflections in writing, video and face-to-face consultations with the practicum supervisor. A culminating deliverable from this course is an online teaching portfolio comprising a teaching philosophy statement, a complete unit plan, reflections on teaching, and a narrative on professional responsibility.

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LING 5140: CLASIC Capstone
Instructor: Susan Brown

In this capstone to the Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search and Informatics (CLASIC) professional master's program, we will review each student's internship project and prepare presentations and technical reports based on those internships. Students will present their work on the annual Industry Day or at an Advisory Board meeting to industry representatives. They will also submit a paper to a relevant conference or workshop. Previously offered as a special topics course.

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LING 5300/4220:听Research in Psycholinguistics
Instructor: Bhuvana Narasimhan

How does our mind construct meaning from language? Do we store abstract concepts that are completely detached from our physical experiences? Or can meaning be 鈥渆mbodied鈥� 鈥� that is, do we mentally activate the experiences of our body interacting with the environment when we use language? Some research suggests that when we process language, we mentally simulate the bodily movements associated with many linguistic meanings. For instance, when we process verbs such as 鈥済rasp鈥� or 鈥減ush鈥�, we may re-enact grasping or pushing movements in our minds. And these mental re-enactments of physical events can happen even when we comprehend metaphorical expressions such as 鈥済rasp an idea鈥�.听

Many researchers have embraced the view that meaning is embodied and have gone on to investigate questions听such as:听Do听people with different kinds of bodies think differently? Is meaning embodied differently in one's first language versus a second language?听Others have pushed back against the embodiment hypothesis, at least in its strong version, with critics arguing that it is "unacceptably vague" and "offering no scientifically valuable insight" (Goldinger et al., 2016).

In this course, we will critically examine different accounts of the relationship between language, mind, and body during weekly discussions. And during in-class lab sessions, you will learn to design and conduct your own experiment to explore this relationship. This course is open to undergraduate students as well as graduate (MA or PhD) students and can be used to meet the requirements for the Cognitive Science Certificate.听There are no prerequisites. Please contact the instructor if you would like more information about the course.

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LING 5410: Phonology
Instructor: Rebecca Scarborough

Studies sound systems of language. Introduces both principles of organization of sound systems and major kinds of phonological structures found worldwide. Provides extensive practice in applying phonological principles to data analysis.

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LING 5430: Semantics and Pragmatics
Instructor: Laura Michaelis

Explores fundamental concepts of semantics and pragmatics, including theories of communication and meaning, representation, conversational implications, speech acts, and discourse structure.

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LING 5610/4910:听Pedagogical Grammar for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

Provides an introduction to the study of English grammar from the perspective of the nonnative learner and user of English. The focus is on understanding the form, meaning, and use of grammatical constructions and on how to teach these constructions in an ESL/EFL context.

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LING 5832: Natural Language Processing
Instructor: Maria Pacheco Gonzalez

Explores the field of natural language processing as it is concerned with the theoretical and practical issues that arise in getting computers to perform useful and interesting tasks with natural language. Covers the problems of understanding complex language phenomena and building practical programs.

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LING 5910/4910: TESOL Practicum
Instructor: Rai Farrelly

The TESOL practicum provides a carefully mentored teaching experience to help novice teachers develop and enhance the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to enact effective instructional practices with English language learners. The TESOL practicum provides the opportunity for student teachers to theorize practice as they engage with language learners in the classroom alongside a cooperating teacher who serves as a model, mentor and source of critical feedback. Students will demonstrate their pedagogical and professional knowledge through reflections on classroom observations, instructional design elements (e.g., lesson plans), delivery of original activities in the classroom, and post-teaching reflections in writing, video and face-to-face consultations with the practicum supervisor. A culminating deliverable from this course is an online teaching portfolio comprising a teaching philosophy statement, a complete unit plan, reflections on teaching, and a narrative on professional responsibility.

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LING 6200: Issues & Methods in Cognitive Science Instructor: Roland Benoit & Theodora Chaspari

Interdisciplinary introduction to cognitive science, examining ideas from cognitive psychology, philosophy, education, and linguistics via computational modeling and psychological experimentation. Includes philosophy of mind; learning; categorization; vision and mental imagery; consciousness; problem solving; decision making, and game-theory; language processing; connectionism. No background in computer science will be presumed. Recommended prerequisite: at least one course at the 3000-level or higher in CSCI, LING, PHIL, or PSYC. Same as听听and听听and听听and听听and听.

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LING 6300: Topics in Language Use: Research Design in Linguistics
Instructor: Chase Raymond

Linguistics is a diverse and highly interdisciplinary field鈥攐ne that which brings together a wide array of theories, frameworks, and methodologies, and which examines a range of types and sources of language data. This graduate-level seminar aims to expose students to this diversity through the lens of research design. We begin with some practical considerations鈥攂oth for academic researchers in general, as well as for linguists in particular (e.g., time management, ethics, the role of the researcher). We then use code-switching and language-alternation phenomena as a brief case-in-point to illustrate how diverse approaches can be brought to bear to in analyzing a 鈥榮ingle鈥� substantive phenomenon (which turns out, in fact, to be many phenomena!). This paves the way for more detailed discussions about data more broadly in Linguistics, focusing on the various different forms that language data may take and where they may be found (e.g., researcher-generated, naturally-occurring; spoken, textual, embodied; existing corpora, data mining, data collection). We also discuss different means of visually representing language data for analysis (e.g., different systems of transcription), and how these may intersect with methods of analysis. Across these conversations, emphasis is given to the 鈥榝it鈥� between research questions, on the one hand, and the data and approaches used to investigate them, on the other. The final unit of our course will be dedicated to research output, including journal article submission, conference presentations, and the peer-review process. As opposed to providing a comprehensive overview of a single theory or method, then, this course rather aims to offer a designedly 鈥榩anoramic鈥� view of the field, where students can 鈥榞et their feet wet鈥� with a range of different ways that research is done in Linguistics. The course is ideal for incoming graduate students, as well as those continuing graduate students who are interested in learning more about research processes in Linguistics.

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LING 6320: Linguistic Anthropology
Instructor: Kira Hall

Linguistic anthropology, one of the four classic subfields of anthropology, seeks to analyze culture and society ethnographically, semiotically, and theoretically as emergent in language and discourse. This graduate-level introduction to the field examines language as a form of action through which social relations and cultural forms are constituted. The seminar is organized around recently published ethnographies that deeply engage key ideas in contemporary linguistic anthropology, such as (in order on the syllabus): voice, connection, translation, image, raciolinguistics, script, mediatization, authenticity, neoliberalism, neurodiversity, and language death. Because social subjectivity is produced, challenged, and affirmed through linguistic practice, the readings required for the course view speakers and hearers as embedded within complex relations of nation, race, class, gender, and sexuality. This seminar has several goals: (1) to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the historical development of theory and practice in the field of linguistic anthropology; (2) to equip students with the analytic tools necessary to understand, evaluate, and engage contemporary research in linguistic anthropology; (3) to explore the potential of ethnography for sociocultural linguistic analysis more generally; and (4) to bring students to a critical awareness of the place of language in the constitution of social, cultural, and political relations.

Students may register for this course through either Anthropology or Linguistics. The course may also be taken a second time for credit; the readings and topics shift each time it is taught to reflect current developments and publications in the field. This semester, we will read nine full-length ethnographies on language and society published in the last five years to 鈥済et to know鈥� recent developments in the field on an intimate level. These texts have been chosen to represent a diversity of ways that one can forge a sustained argument in linguistic anthropology.听

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LING 7310: Social Semiotic听Theory
Instructor: J Calder

Semiotics is the study of signs, how they are used, and how they are interpreted. What is a sign? What are the components of a sign? How do people use signs in social, cultural, and linguistic practice and what purpose do these signs serve? What are the connections between objects and social meanings and how do these connections arise and transform? How do social meanings of signs stem from and transform social and cultural practice more broadly? This course engages with key topics and concepts in the study of semiotic theory鈥攅.g., indexicality, iconicity, enregisterment, embodiment, agency鈥� and how these topics bear on research in sociocultural linguistics and linguistic anthropology. We read key works in the field and engage in critical discussions.

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LING 7415: Cognitive Science Research Practicum
Instrucotr: Sidney D'Mello

Independent, interdisciplinary research project in cognitive science for advanced graduate students pursuing a joint PhD in an approved core discipline and cognitive science. Research projects integrate at least two areas within the cognitive sciences: psychology, computer science, linguistics, education, philosophy. Students need commitments from two mentors for their project. Department enforced prerequisites:听听or听听or听听or听听or听. Recommended prerequisite:听. Same as听听and听听and听听and听听and听

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LING 7425: Cognitive Science Research Practicum 2
鈥婭nstrucotr: Sidney D'Mello

Independent, interdisciplinary research project in cognitive science for advanced graduate students pursuing a joint PhD in an approved core discipline and cognitive science. Research projects integrate at least two areas within the cognitive sciences: psychology, computer science, linguistics, education, philosophy. Students need commitments from two mentors for their project. Recommended prerequisite:听听or听听or听听or听. Same as听听and听听and听听and听听and听.

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LING 7800: Open Topics in Linguistics: Computational Lexical Semantics
Instructor: Alexis Palmer

Various topics not normally covered in the curriculum; offered intermittently depending on student demand and availability of instructors. Contact the department office for information.