ASLG 10100-10200-10300. American Sign Language I-II-III.

American Sign Language is the language of the deaf in the United States and much of Canada. It is a full-fledged autonomous language, unrelated to English or other spoken languages. This introductory course teaches the student basic vocabulary and grammatical structure, as well as aspects of deaf culture.

ASLG 10400-10500-10600. Intermediate American Sign Language I-II-III.

This course continues to increase grammatical structure, receptive and expressive skills, conversational skills, basic linguistic convergence, and knowledge of idioms. Field trip required.

BASQ 12000-12100-12200. Elementary Basque I-II-III.

LGLN 10101-10102-10103. Elementary Modern Armenian I-II-III.

This three-quarter sequence utilizes the most advanced computer technology and audio-visual aids enabling the students to master a core vocabulary, the alphabet and basic grammatical structures and to achieve a reasonable level of proficiency in modern formal and spoken Armenian (one of the oldest Indo-European languages). A considerable amount of historical-political and social-cultural issues about Armenia are skillfully built into the course for students who have intention to conduct research in Armenian Studies or to pursue work in Armenia.

LGLN 10115-10215-10315. First-Year Tamil I-II-III.

The grammar of modern Tamil, in its manifestation both in colloquial and formal styles, and a good amount of vocabulary needed for referring to the immediate environment and using in day today transactions will be acquired. The four language skills acquired will be at different levels of proficiency with listening and speaking at the top followed by reading of formal texts and ending with basic writing skills in the formal style. The gradual progression in listening will be from teacher–student to speaker-speaker; in speaking it will be from articulation of sounds and intonation to expressing personal needs and interests, performing practical tasks, narrating experience and expressing emotions; in reading it will be from alphabet and spelling in the two styles to sign boards, controlled texts, factual news stories, interpretive reports and jokes; in writing from conversion of colloquial style into conventional style to personal letters, paraphrasing and translation of sentences.  The tools used are classroom conversations, conversational tapes, videos, graded print materials, select materials from the print media including tales, which are complemented by exercises and quizzes.

LGLN 11100-11200. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek I-II.

This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Modern Greek and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, students develop all skill sets.

LGLN 12000-12100-12200. Elementary Basque I-II-III.

LGLN 18711-18712-18713. Elementary Turkish I-II-III.

This sequence features proficiency-based instruction emphasizing grammar in modern Turkish. This sequence consists of reading and listening comprehension, as well as grammar exercises and basic writing in Turkish. Modern stories and contemporary articles are read at the end of the courses.

LGLN 20101-20102-20103. Intermediate Modern Armenian I-II-III.

The goal of this three-quarter sequence is to enable students to reach an advanced level of proficiency in the Armenian language. This sequence covers a rich vocabulary and complex grammatical structures in modern formal and colloquial Armenian. Reading assignments include a selection of original Armenian literature and excerpts from mass media.

LGLN 20115-20215-20315. Second-Year Tamil I-II-III.

This sequence is structured in a similar fashion as in the first year to develop  the higher order of the four language skills. All materials, aural and visual, will be uncontrolled and unedited. The student will be introduced to web sources and dictionaries for self-reference and to using Unicode for writing. The student also will be exposed to dialects to have a taste of them. At the end of the course, the student will be able to converse in Tamil about specific topics of interest, to understand programs in the visual media including lyrics, to ask questions in field work situations, to read and understand texts on current events in newspapers and magazines, to understand and appreciate modern fiction and poetry, to read and understand public communications such as pamphlets, invitations, announcements, advertisements, and public speeches, and to write short essays and reports. If there is interest, web pages will be added to printed pages for reading and email and chat groups will be added for practicing writing.

LGLN 22001. From Proto-Indo-European to Old Church Slavonic. 100 Units.

This course covers essentials of Slavic historical grammar with emphasis on the evolution of Proto-Slavic verbal and nominal morphology.

Instructor(s): Y. Gorbachov     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Some familiarity with either Old Church Slavonic or Indo-European.
Equivalent Course(s): SLAV 22001

LGLN 22100-22200-22300. Elementary Georgian I-II-III.

This course introduces students to modern Georgian grammar, primarily through reading exercises that relate to Georgian historical, social, and literary traditions. Supplemental activities that encourage writing, speaking, and listening skills are also included.

LGLN 22700-22800-22900. Advanced Georgian I-II-III.

This course emphasizes advanced language skills and vocabulary building through independent reading and writing projects as well as class exercises involving media such as newspaper and magazine articles, videoclips, radio programs, movies, and additional sound recordings and online materials.

LGLN 24600-24700-24800. Elementary Hittite I-II-III.

This three-quarter sequence covers the basic grammar and cuneiform writing system of the Hittite language. It also familiarizes students with the field’s tools (i.e., dictionaries, lexica, sign list). Readings come from all periods of Hittite history (1650 to 1180 BC).

LGLN 25100. Old Church Slavonic. 100 Units.

This course introduces the language of the oldest Slavic texts. It begins with a brief historical overview of the relationship of Old Church Slavonic to Common Slavic and the other Slavic languages. This is followed by a short outline of Old Church Slavonic inflectional morphology. The remainder of the course is spent in the reading and grammatical analysis of original texts. Texts in Cyrillic or Cyrillic transcription of the original Glagolitic.

Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): Knowledge of another Slavic language or good knowledge of another one or two old Indo-European languages. SLAV 20100 recommended.
Equivalent Course(s): SLAV 22000,LGLN 35100,SLAV 32000

LGLN 27800. Romani Language and Linguistics. 100 Units.

This is a beginning course on the language of the Roms (Gypsies) that is based on the Arli dialect currently in official use in the Republic of Macedonia, with attention also given to dialects of Europe and the United States. An introduction to Romani linguistic history is followed by an outline of Romani grammar based on Macedonian Arli, which serves as the basis of comparison with other dialects. We then read authentic texts and discuss questions of grammar, standardization, and Romani language in society.

Instructor(s): V. Friedman     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 27700,ANTH 47900,EEUR 21000,EEUR 31000,LGLN 37800

LGLN 29700. Structure of Albanian. 100 Units.

Equivalent Course(s): EEUR 20900,EEUR 30900,LGLN 39700

LING 18712. Introduction to Old Turkic II. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Arik     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): TURK 10105
Equivalent Course(s): TURK 10106

LING 18713. Introduction to Old Turkic III. 100 Units.

Instructor(s): K. Arik     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): TURK 10106
Equivalent Course(s): TURK 10107

LING 20001. Introduction to Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course offers a brief survey of how linguists analyze the structure and the use of language. Looking at the structure of language means understanding what phonemes, words, and sentences are, and how each language establishes principles for the combinations of these things and for their use; looking at the use of language means understanding the ways in which individuals and groups use language to declare their social identities and the ways in which languages can change over time. The overarching theme is understanding what varieties of language structure and use are found across the world's languages and cultures, and what limitations on this variety exist.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring

LING 20101. Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to the study of speech sounds and their patterning in the world's languages. The first half of the course focuses on how speech sounds are described with respect to their articulatory, acoustic, and perceptual structures. There are lab exercises both in phonetic transcription and in the acoustic analysis of speech sounds. The second half focuses on fundamental notions that have always been central to phonological analysis and that transcend differences between theoretical approaches: contrast, neutralization, natural classes, distinctive features, and basic phonological processes (e.g., assimilation).

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Quarter varies
Prerequisite(s): LING 20001

LING 20201. Introduction to Syntax. 100 Units.

This course is an introduction to basic goals and methods of current syntactic theory through a detailed analysis of a range of phenomena, with emphasis on argumentation and empirical justification. Major topics include phrase structure and constituency, selection and subcategorization, argument structure, case, voice, expletives, and raising and control structures.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Quarter varies
Prerequisite(s): LING 20001

LING 20301. Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. 100 Units.

This course familiarizes students with what it means to study meaning and use in natural language. By “meaning” we refer to the (for the most part, logical) content of words, constituents, and sentences (semantics), and by “use” we intend to capture how this content is implemented in discourse and what kinds of additional dimensions of meaning may then arise (pragmatics). Some of the core empirical phenomena that have to do with meaning are introduced: lexical (i.e., word) meaning, reference, quantification, logical inferencing, presupposition, implicature, context sensitivity, cross-linguistic variation, speech acts. Main course goals are not only to familiarize students with the basic topics in semantics and pragmatics but also to help them develop basic skills in semantic analysis and argumentation.

Instructor(s): Staff     Terms Offered: Quarter varies
Prerequisite(s): LING 20001

LING 21000. Morphology. 100 Units.

This course deals with linguistic structure and patterning beyond the phonological level. We focus on analysis of grammatical and formal oppositions, as well as their structural relationships and interrelationships (morphophonology).

Instructor(s): Staff

LING 21600. Introduction to Language Development. 100 Units.

This course addresses the major issues involved in first-language acquisition. We deal with the child’s production and perception of speech sounds (phonology), the acquisition of the lexicon (semantics), the comprehension and production of structured word combinations (syntax), and the ability to use language to communicate (pragmatics).

Instructor(s): S. Goldin-Meadow     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 23200,CHDV 23900

LING 25160. Themes in the Development of 20th Century Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course will be based on Goldsmith and Laks (2014): “Battle in the Mind Fields.”  The subject is the development of linguistics in the 20^th century, and the parallel evolution of ideas in psychology and philosophy.  Topics will include:  Bloomfield and Sapir; Harris and Hockett; Chomsky and the rise of generative grammar; Carnap and how Chomsky 1955 was intended to integrate linguistics into Carnap’s scientific worldview; behaviorism and neo-behaviorism (Watson, Hull, Tolman), and the rise of cognitive psychology (George Miller, Ulric Neisser.  See http://hum.uchicago.edu/jagoldsm/battle/battle-toc.pdf for more detail. 

Instructor(s): John Goldsmith     Terms Offered: Autumn
Equivalent Course(s): LING 35160

LING 27010. Psycholinguistics. 100 Units.

This is a survey course in the psychology of language. We will focus on issues related to language comprehension, language production, and language acquisition. The course will also train students on how to read primary literature and conduct original research studies.

Instructor(s): Ming Xiang     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): PSYC 27010

LING 27130. America: Society, Polity, and Speech Community. 100 Units.

We explore the place of languages and of discourses about languages in the history and present condition of how American mass society stands in relation to the political structures of the North American (nation-) states and to American speech communities. We address plurilingualisms of several different origins (i.e., indigenous, immigrant) that have been incorporated into the contemporary American speech community, the social stratification of English in a regime of standardization that draws speakers up into a system of linguistic "register," and how language itself has become an issue-focus of American political struggles in the past and contemporaneously.

Instructor(s): M. Silverstein     Terms Offered: Not offered 2013-14; will be offered 2014-15
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 27130

LING 27220. Professional Persuasions: The Rhetoric of Expertise in Modern Life. 100 Units.

This course dissects the linguistic forms and semiotics processes by which experts (often called professionals) persuade their clients, competitors, and the public to trust them and rely on their forms of knowledge. We consider the discursive aspects of professional training (e.g., lawyers, economists, accountants) and take a close look at how professions (e.g., social work, psychology, medicine) stage interactions with clients. We examine a central feature of modern life—the reliance on experts—by analyzing the rhetoric and linguistic form of expert knowledge.

Instructor(s): S. Gal     Terms Offered: Not offered 2013-14; will be offered 2014-15
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 27505

LING 27910. Sign Language Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course, intended for upper level undergraduates and graduate students, will cover a wide range of analyses of different sign languages, and from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives.  The focus will be on how sign language linguistics has contributed to broadening general approaches to the study of language and to linguistic theory as a whole. Questions to be addressed include: “What impact does communication modality have on grammar?”, “What is the relationship between sign language and gesture?”, “How does the cross-linguistic study of sign languages help us understand the emergence of language?”, and “How do phenomena in sign languages broaden our understanding of what is universal in language?” Previous knowledge of sign language is not assumed.

Instructor(s): Diane Brentari     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): LING 20101/30101 and LING 20201/30201 or permission of instructor
Equivalent Course(s): LING 37910

LING 28600. Computational Linguistics. 100 Units.

This course introduces the problems of computational linguistics and the techniques used to deal with them, focusing primarily on probabilistic models and techniques.  Topics are drawn primarily from phonology, morphology, and syntax.  Special topics include automatic learning of grammatical structure and the treatment of languages other than English.

Instructor(s): J. Goldsmith     Terms Offered: Winter
Prerequisite(s): CMSC 12200, 15200 or 16200, or competence in a programming language
Equivalent Course(s): CMSC 25020,CMSC 35050,LING 38600

LING 29405. Pornography and Language. 100 Units.

The course explores the place and role of language in pornographic films. Why does language occur in filmed pornography at all? What kind of language occurs? What role does it play? How is it gendered? How does it frame the narrative or drive it forward? How does language subvert or undermine the visual representation of sex? What does any of this tell us about gender, sexuality and erotics in non-pornographic contexts? Course readings focus on theories of pornographic representation, theories of language, gender and erotics, and methods of transcribing and analyzing dialogue. The course requires students to watch a wide range of pornography, including different varieties of straight, gay and trans porn, so anyone enrolling in the course must be interested in pornography as a social and cultural phenomenon and must also have experience watching porn and thinking about it. (M, C)

Instructor(s): D. Kulick     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): Upper-level undergrad course.
Note(s): Not offered 2013-14.
Equivalent Course(s): ANTH 27305,CHDV 20405

LING 29601. East Asian Languages, Acquisition and Pedagogy. 100 Units.

This course will address significant issues in teaching and learning an East Asian language through identification and analysis of specific sociolinguisitic and linguistic characteristics of Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. The course will begin with the introduction of linguistic structures of the three East Asian languages to begin discussing the interaction between language acquisition and society. Then, we will explore sociolinguistic issues common to the three languages that underlie the linguistic diversity (and similarities) of East Asia, such as the following topic: (i) the use of Chinese characters, the history of writing reform, and its relation to literacy in East Asian languages; (ii) loan words in East Asian languages, in particular, the use of Chinese characters in modern Japanese and Korean in age of colonialism; (iii) the development and use of honorifics in China, Japan, and Korea, etc. For a comparative approach and perspective to these topics, students will read academic papers for each language on a given topic and discuss the unique sociolinguistic features of each language. Such an approach will allow us to analyze the language influence and interaction among the three languages and how that shapes the culture, society, and language acquisition. Finally, this course will also introduce the field of second language acquisition focusing on how social factors influence L2 learning and acquisition.

Instructor(s): H. Kim     Terms Offered: Winter
Equivalent Course(s): EALC 36601,LING 39601,EALC 26601

LING 29700. Reading and Research Course. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and linguistics undergraduate adviser.
Note(s): Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

LING 29900. BA Paper Preparation Course. 100 Units.

Terms Offered: Autumn, Winter, Spring
Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor and linguistics undergraduate adviser.
Note(s): Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form.

SWAH 25200-25300-25400. Swahili I-II-III.

This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in Swahili and a basic understanding of its structures. Through a variety of exercises, students develop both oral and writing skills.

SWAH 26800-26900-27000. Intermediate Swahili I-II-III.

Students focus on broadening their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in this course. They learn to use sophisticated sentence structures and expression of complex ideas in Swahili. Advanced readings and essay writing are based on student interests.

SWAH 28377. Advanced Reading in Swahili-3. 100 Units.

This course emphasizes analysis and discussion about various literary and audiovisual works in Swahili.  The presentations in class will cover novels and short stories as well as popular movies.  The students also will be assigned short literary works and other authentic texts or audiovisual materials for written homework and in class discussion.  In the end, the students will be able to express an informed appreciation in Swahili on original works and formal discourse in Swahili. Fidele Mpiranya. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Instructor(s): F. Mpiranya     Terms Offered: Spring
Prerequisite(s): PQ SWAH 27400 or 37400, or Instructor’s consent
Equivalent Course(s): SWAH 38377