Courses & Programs of Study

Undergraduate Adviser: Jason Merchant, Cl 305, 702-8523,
merchant@uchicago.edu

Departmental Secretary: Vanessa Wright, Cl 304, 702-8522, vwright@midway.uchicago.edu

Web: www.humanities.uchicago.edu/depts/linguistics/

Program of Study

The purpose of the B.A. program in linguistics is to provide a solid, integrated introduction to the core subdisciplines of linguistics, as well as to ensure that the student has a language background sufficient to provide a database for the theoretical parts of the program and for an understanding of the complexities of human language. This introduction provides students with a general orientation and overview of the field and prepares them for productive advanced study in linguistics.

Program Requirements

The B.A. in linguistics requires thirteen courses. These courses fall into two categories: departmental courses in linguistics and language requirements. The following departmental courses must be taken by all linguistics majors: (1) Introduction to Linguistics (LING 20100-20200-20300), usually taken during the second year; and (2) the four linguistics core courses: Syntax I (LING 20400), Phonetics (LING 20600), Semantics I (LING 20700), and Phonology I (LING 20800), which are usually divided between the third and fourth years.

The language requirement is designed to ensure breadth of study in a non-Indo-European language and can be met in four different ways: (1) registration in a three-quarter course in a non-Indo-European language on campus; (2) examination credit in a non-Indo-European language for which the University offers placement examinations; (3) registration for an intensive one-quarter course in the structure of a non-Indo-European language offered by a member of the linguistics faculty (or by another faculty member upon approval by the linguistics undergraduate adviser); or (4) completion of an approved intensive language program taken elsewhere for languages not offered or tested for at the University of Chicago. Students who fulfill the language requirement with fewer than three quarters must substitute elective courses offered in linguistics for the language quarters not taken.

The first three electives for the major must be courses offered by the department. For any further electives, a student may petition the department to substitute a related course in another department. In no case can a total of fewer than thirteen quarters of study fulfill the requirements for the B.A.

Summary of Requirements

3 LING 20100-20200-20300 (introductory courses)

4 LING 20400, 20600, 20700, and 20800
(core courses)

0-3 courses in a non-Indo-European language*

3-6 linguistics major electives, depending on

__ how the language requirement is satisfied**

* Credit may be granted by examination. When the language requirement is met by examination, three electives in linguistics
must be substituted.

** At least three courses must be taken in the linguistics department.

With prior approval of the undergraduate adviser, up to three of the remaining electives may be taken in other departments.

Honors. Fourth-year students who have maintained a 3.0 or higher overall GPA and a 3.5 or higher GPA in linguistics courses may consult with the departmental undergraduate adviser about submitting an honors essay. Consultation should take place at the beginning of the student's senior year. The honors essay must be submitted by fifth week of the quarter in which the student plans to graduate.

This program may accept a B.A. paper or project used to satisfy the same requirement in another major if certain conditions are met and with the consent of the other program chair. Approval from both program chairs is required. Students should consult with the chairs by the earliest B.A. proposal deadline (or by the end of their third year, when neither program publishes a deadline). A consent form, to be signed by both chairs, is available from the College adviser. It must be completed and returned to the College adviser by the end of Autumn Quarter of the student's year of graduation.

Grading. Students majoring or minoring in linguistics take requirements for the program for quality grades. With consent of the instructor, other studens have the option of taking linguistics courses on a P/F basis.

Minor Program in Linguistics

Students in other fields of study may complete a minor in linguistics. The minor in linguistics requires a total of seven courses: the three courses in the introductory sequence (LING 20100-20200-20300) and any four additional courses in linguistics.

Students who elect the minor program in linguistics must meet with the Undergraduate adviser in linguistics before the end of Spring Quarter of their third year to declare their intention to complete the minor. The advisers approval for the minor program should be submitted to a student's College adviser by the deadline above on a form obtained from the College adviser. Courses in the minor (1) may not be doule counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors and (2) may not be counted toward general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality grades, and more than half of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Faculty

A. Dahlstrom, B. Darden, V. Friedman, S. Gal, A. Giannakidou, J. Goldsmith,
J. Merchant, S. Mufwene, J. Sadock, M. Silverstein, A. Yu

Courses

Linguistics (ling)

11100. Biological and Cultural Evolution. (=BIOS 29286, BPRO 23900, CHSS 37900, HIPS 23900, NCDV 27400, PHIL 22500/32500) PQ: Third- or fourth-year standing or consent of instructor. Core background in evolution and genetics strongly recommended. This course draws on readings and examples from linguistics, evolutionary genetics, and the history and philosophy of science. We elaborate theory to understand and model cultural evolution, as well as to explore analogies, differences, and relations to biological evolution. We also consider basic biological, cultural, and linguistic topics and case studies from an evolutionary perspective. Time is spent both on what we do know, and on determining what we don't. W. Wimsatt, S. Mufwene. Winter.

20100-20200-20300/30100-30200-30300. Introduction to Linguistics I, II, III. (=ANTH 27001-27002-27003/37001-37002-37003, SOSC 21700-21800-21900) Must be taken in sequence. This course is an introductory survey of methods, findings, and problems in areas of major interest within linguistics and of the relationship of linguistics to other disciplines. Topics include the biological basis of language, basic notions of syntax, semantics, pragmatics, basic syntactic typology of language, phonetics, phonology, morphology, language acquisition, linguistic variation, and linguistic change. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

20400/30400. Syntax I. (=ANTH 37801) PQ: LING 20100-20200-20300/30100-30200-30300 or equivalent. 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. Autumn.

20500/30500. Syntax II. (=ANTH 37802) PQ: LING 20400/30400 or consent of instructor. This course is a continuation of LING 20400/30400. Major topics include wh-movement in questions, relative clauses, clefts, and comparatives. We also cover islands, crossover, parasitic gaps, superiority, resumptivity, wh-in-situ, multiple wh-fronting, reconstruction, and anaphora. Special attention is given to understanding their properties and distribution cross-linguistically. Winter.

20600/30600. Phonetics. (=ANTH 37700) PQ: LING 20100-20200-20300/30100-30200-30300 or consent of instructor. This course is an introduction to the study of speech sounds. 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. Autumn.

20700/30700. Semantics I. This course is an introduction to natural language semantics and to formal, model-theoretic approaches to aspects of truth-conditional meaning. Topics include quantification, modality, polarity, tense and aspect, event structure, and the semantics of noun phrases. Tools from classical logic (propositional and predicate logic; type theory) are covered. Further topics include non-truth-conditional aspects of meaning, such as presupposition and implicature. Autumn.

20800/30800. Phonology I. (=ANTH 37301) PQ: LING 20100-20200-20300/30100-30200-30300 or 20600/30600, or equivalent. This course is an introduction to the general principles of phonology as a discipline. The emphasis is 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). We focus on generative phonology, both "classical" and autosegmental models, with brief discussion of optimality theory. Winter.

20900/30900. Phonology II. (=ANTH 37302) PQ: LING 20800/30800. This course deals with the interfaces between phonology, morphology, and phonetics. Topics vary, but generally include issues in prosodic morphology and optimality theory. Spring.

21000/31000. Morphology. (=ANTH 37500) 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). Spring.

21100-21200/31100-31200. Language in Culture I, II. (=ANTH 37201-37202, PSYC 47001) PQ: Consent of instructor. Must be taken in sequence. This two-quarter course presents the major issues in linguistics of anthropological interest. Among topics discussed in the first half of the sequence are the formal structure of semiotic systems, the ethnographically crucial incorporation of linguistic forms into cultural systems, and the methods for empirical investigation of "functional" semiotic structure and history. The second half of the sequence takes up basic concepts in sociolinguistics and their critique. We then discuss topics such as the linguistic analysis of publics, performance and ritual, and language ideologies. M. Silverstein. Autumn, Winter.

21300/31300. Introduction to Language Change and Comparative Linguistics. PQ: LING 20600/30600 or 20800/30800, or consent of instructor. This course deals with the issue of variation and change in language. Topics include types, rates, and explanations of change; the differentiation of dialects and languages over time; determination and classification of historical relationships among languages, and reconstruction of ancestral stages; parallels with cultural and genetic evolutionary theory; and implications for the description and explanation of language in general. Spring.

21600/31600. Introduction to Language Development. (=HUDV 23900, PSYC 23200/33200) 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). S. Goldin-Meadow, Staff. Winter.

21700/31700. Experimental Phonetics and Phonology. PQ: LING 20600/30600 or consent of instructor. This course provides students with hands-on experience in learning methods in experimental phonetic research, including the acoustic analysis and synthesis of speech, recording and interpreting aerodynamic parameters during speech (air flow, air pressure), and recording place of articulation information using palatography. The design of perception tests and reaction time tests is also covered, along with simple statistics and methods of presenting results graphically. The course is suitable for students planning future research and study in phonetics and phonology, especially in linguistics but also in speech technology and communication disorders. Winter.

22100/32100. Semantics II. PQ: LING 20700/30700. This course is a continuation of LING 20700/30700 with emphasis on the interfaces with syntax and pragmatics. Topics include temporal and aspectual operators in an event semantics with times, as well as type-shifting, partitivity, and crosslinguistic variation in NP-quantification. We also discuss negative polarity, scalarity, and free choice phenomena with modality, as well as scope, indefinites, choice functions, and the semantics of questions. Winter.

23900/33900. Languages of the World. This course is a nontechnical general survey of human languages, examining their diversity and uniformity across space and time. Major topics include language families and historical relationships, linguistic typology and language universals, language and population distribution, sprachbund effects, sound and structural features of the world's languages, and writing systems. Winter.

24500/34500. Dialect Voices in Literature. (=AFAM 24500, ENGL 14600/34600) In this course we use linguistic techniques to analyze literary texts, especially to assess how adequately and successfully dialect is represented, whether it matches the characters and cultural contexts in which it is used, and what effects it produces. Authors may include Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, and Richard Wright. S. Mufwene. Autumn.

27200/37200. Language, Power, and Identity in Southeastern Europe: A Linguistics View of the Balkan Crisis. (=ANTH 27400/37400, HUMA 27400, SLAV 23000/33000) This course familiarizes students with the linguistic histories and structures that have served as bases for the formation of modern Balkan ethnic identities and that are being manipulated to shape current and future events. The course is informed by the instructor's thirty years of linguistic research in the Balkans as well as his experience as an adviser for the United Nations Protection Forces in Former Yugoslavia and as a consultant to the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Crisis Group, and other organizations. Course content may vary in response to ongoing current events. V. Friedman. Winter.

27250/37250. Comparative East South Linguistics. (=SOSL 24500/34500) PQ: Knowledge of Bulgarian or Macedonian. By means of the examination of bilingual texts in Modern Standard Bulgarian and Modern Standard Macedonian, this course familiarizes students with the differentiation of the two languages at all levels of grammar. V. Friedman. Spring.

28350/38350. Structure of Bantu Languages. In this course we discuss some structural aspects of Bantu languages that make them typologically interesting, or peculiar, compared to other languages. We focus especially on the noun class and the agreement system it governs within the noun phrase and the verb phrase, the significance of the verb extension system relative to its argument structure, Pro-Drop, word order and movement rules (and their implications for verb agreement), and one important question: do Bantu languages have serial verb constructions or not? S. Mufwene. Spring.

29100/39100. Survey of Industrial Linguistics. This course introduces computer science students to concepts of linguistics, and it introduces linguistics students to basic approaches in language processing. The goal is that the unique problems involved in processing natural human language and speech can be better grasped in relation to software development. Spring.

29700. Reading and Research Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and undergraduate adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

29900. B.A. Paper Preparation Course. PQ: Consent of instructor and undergraduate adviser. Students are required to submit the College Reading and Research Course Form. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Languages in Linguistics (lgln)

20100-20200-20300/30100-30200-30300. Introductory Modern Hebrew I, II, III. (=HEBR 10501-10502-10503, JWSC 25000-25100-25200, JWSG 35000-35100-35200) This course introduces students to reading, writing, and speaking modern Hebrew. All four language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of nondiacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; and speaking. Students learn the Hebrew root pattern system and the seven basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses, as well as simple future. At the end of the year, students can conduct short conversations in Hebrew, read materials designed to their level, and write short essays. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

20400-20500-20600/30400-30500-30600. Intermediate Modern Hebrew I, II, III. (=HEBR 20501-20502-20503, JWSC 25300-25400-25500, JWSG 35300-35400-35500) PQ: LGLN 20300 or equivalent. This course is devised for students who have previously taken either modern or biblical Hebrew courses. The main objective is to provide students with the skills necessary to approach modern Hebrew prose, both fiction and nonfiction. In order to achieve this task, students are provided with a systematic examination of the complete verb structure. Many syntactic structures are introduced (e.g., simple clauses, and coordinate and compound sentences). At this level, students not only write and speak extensively but are also required to analyze grammatically and contextually all of the material assigned. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

22900-23000-23100/32900-33000-33100. Advanced Modern Hebrew I, II, III. (=HEBR 30501-30502-30503, JWSC 25600-25700-25800, JWSG 35600-35700-35800) PQ: LGLN 20600 or equivalent. This course assumes that students have full mastery of the grammatical and lexical content at the intermediate level. However, there is a shift from a reliance on the cognitive approach to an emphasis on the expansion of various grammatical and vocabulary-related subjects. Students are introduced to sophisticated and more complex syntactic constructions, and instructed how to transform simple sentences into more complicated ones. The exercises address the creative effort on the part of the student, and the reading segments are longer and more challenging in both style and content. The language of the texts reflects the literary written medium rather than the more informal spoken style, which often dominates the introductory and intermediate texts. A. Finkelstein. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

25100/35100. Old Church Slavonic. (=SLAV 22000/32000) PQ: Knowledge of another Slavic language or good knowledge of one or two other old Indo-European languages required; SLAV 20100/30100 recommended. This course is an introduction to 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 in Cyrillic or Cyrillic transcription of the original Glagolitic. V. Friedman. Winter.

26700/36700. Human Being, Language, and Mind: An Introduction to Cognitive Linguistics. (=SLAV 21700/31700) This course explores the relatively new framework of cognitive linguistics. Topics include metaphor and metonymy, prototypes, polysemy, categorization and conceptualization, blends, constructions, the embodiment of meaning, construal, grammaticalization, and language pedagogy. Readings are drawn from the work of Croft, Janda, Fillmore, Lakoff and Johnson, Langacker, Sweetser, Talmy, Turner, Wierzbicka, and others. S. Clancy. Winter.

27250/37250. Comparative East South Linguistics. (=SOSL 24500/34500) PQ: Knowledge of Macedonian or Bulgarian. By means of the examination of bilingual texts in Modern Standard Bulgarian and Modern Standard Macedonian, this course familiarizes students with the differentiation of the two languages at all levels of grammar. V. Friedman. Spring.

28202/38202. History of Bulgarian. (=BULG 21200/31200, HUMA 21201) PQ: BULG 21000/31000 (Bulgarian for Reading Knowledge), BULG 21100/31100 (Structure of Bulgarian), or knowledge of another Slavic language recommended but not presupposed. This course is an introduction to the history of Bulgarian. D. Hristova. Spring.

29700/39700. Structure of Albanian. (=SLAV 20900/30900) This is a rare opportunity to get a functional grasp of one of the least-studied national languages of Europe. Albanian is of relevance for Indo-Europeanists, Balkanists, Classicists, Islamicists, and any social scientist with an interest in Southeastern Europe. In addition to being the majority language in Albania, it is spoken by compact populations in all neighboring countries, as well as by old enclaves in Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Romania, and Ukraine, and by more recent émigré groups in Western Europe, North America, and Australia. The course focuses on giving students an understanding of the grammatical structure of Albanian as well as sufficient reading knowledge for the independent development of the ability to pursue research. V. Friedman. Spring.

Modern Greek

11100-11200. Accelerated Elementary Modern Greek I, II. (=GREK 19000-19100/39000-39100) This course is designed to help students acquire communicative competence in the Greek spoken today in Greece and Cyprus, as well as to reach a basic mastery of its structures. Through a variety of exercises and readings, students develop all skill sets. Autumn, Winter.

15001. Modern Greek in Athens. (=GREK 19200) Spring.

American Sign Language (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. D. Ronchen. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

10400-10500-10600. Intermediate American Sign Language I, II, III. PQ: LGLN 10300. In this course we continue to increase grammatical structure, receptive and expressive skills, conversational skills, basic linguistic convergence, and knowledge of idioms. Field trip required. D. Ronchen. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

Swahili (swah)

25200-25300-25400/35200-35300-35400. 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. Autumn, Winter, Spring.

26800-26900-27000/36800-36900-37000. Intermediate Swahili I, II, III. This course is a continuation of SWAH 25200-25300-25400. Autumn, Winter, Spring.