The ability to acquire and use language is a biological trait of the human species. This capacity for language manifests itself as thousands of particular languages spoken around the world in communities large and small. But what is language? What does it mean for a human to ?know? a particular language? How do children acquire this knowledge? How do we use language to communicate? These are some of the important questions addressed by the field of linguistics, the scientific study of the human capacity for language in its physiological, cognitive, historical, and social manifestations. This course introduces some of the essential findings of linguistics: first and foremost, that all varieties of all languages are intricately structured at multiple distinct but related levels. Second, that this intricate structure can be described in terms that are not only precise, but which apply to all human languages. We will work to replicate some of these findings by deploying simple analytical methods on data from a variety of languages. These methods allow us to answer questions about the different structural components of language: phonology (how do speech sounds pattern?), morphology (what are possible words and how are they built?), and syntax (what is the hierarchical structure underlying sequences of words?). In all instances these methods require that we pay attention to basic notions of semantics, from which more complex conceptions of meaning will emerge. Having characterized language as an intricately-structured system of knowledge, we will then possess the tools to ask a number of additional questions about language and cognition. How does such complex knowledge play into the actual task of sentence production or comprehension? What do we know about the neural implementation of this knowledge in human brains? How does child language acquisition proceed, and what makes it so much more robust than language acquisition later in life? Do animals have languages of their own? Can they learn human languages? Finally, we will turn our attention to variation in language patterns observed over the passage of time, across geographical space, and within social systems. How and why do languages change over historical time? What can we know about languages spoken before the invention of writing? What distinctions exist between languages spoken in different places, and how can we tell whether similarities are due to genealogical relationships? How do new languages emerge? How do languages disappear? How does language use vary between individuals from the same place or the same community? How do socioeconomic class, ethnicity, and gender relate to the linguistic behavior of individuals? How does language policy affect educational outcomes? What about social cohesion and conflict? Although we will find that most of these questions lack definitive answers, we will develop an understanding of what it takes to ask them meaningfully and precisely. In particular, we will be able to eliminate false or misleading answers, especially when they fail to take into account the observable and describable properties of the human capacity for language.

Scientific study of human language. Methods, questions, findings, and perspectives of modern linguistics. Components of the language system (phonetics/phonology, syntax, semantics/pragmatics); language acquisition; language and social variables; language and cognition; language change; language processing; language and public policy. prereq: Honors student or instr consent

Scientific study of human language. Methods, questions, findings, and perspectives of modern linguistics. Components of the language system (phonetics/phonology, syntax, semantics/pragmatics); language acquisition; language and social variables; language and cognition; language change; language processing; language and public policy; language and cognition.

How words are organized into phrases/sentences. Basic units of a sentence. How these units are structured. How languages may be the same, or different, in syntax. prereq: 3001 or 3001H or 5001 or instr consent

How sounds are organized/patterned in human languages. Foundation in phonological theory/problem-solving for advanced work in phonology and other fields in linguistics. Analyzing data, presenting written solutions. prereq: 3001 or 3001H or 5001 or instr consent

Analysis of sentence meaning. Semantic properties. Relations such as analyticity, entailment, quantification, and genericity. Philosophical background, formal techniques of semantic analysis, how sentence meaning depends on word meaning, syntax, and context. The role of semantics in grammatical theory. prereq: [4201 or 5201] or instr consent

Syntactic theory. Principles and Parameters (P&P) approach to grammar. Focuses on Minimalist Program (MP). prereq: 4201 or 5201

Continues work of LING 4302W with emphasis on critical reading of current phonological literature. Phonological phenomena in the context of new developments in the field. Optimality Theory and the phonology-morphology interface. prereq: Ling 4302W

Revision/expansion of a paper completed for a linguistics course. prereq: Ling major, [jr or sr]

Supervised planning and research for thesis under direction of Linguistics advisor. Students enrolling in this directed study/research course will complete the University's common Directed Study/Research contract with the faculty mentor/evaluator. The Faculty member will ensure academic standards are upheld, including: - the work proposed is at the appropriate level for the course, academic in nature, and the student will be involved intellectually in the project. - the project scope is reasonable for one semester and the number of credits specified (42 hours of work per credit) - the faculty mentor is qualified to serve in this role - assessment of student learning and grading criteria are clear and appropriate - the student will be working in a respectful, inclusive environment prereq: Linguistics honors candidate, instr consent.

Supervised research, writing, and revision for honors thesis begun in LING 3093 or through work with the individual advisor. Completion of LING 3093 or instructor permission is required.

How sounds are organized/patterned in human languages. Foundation in phonological theory/problem-solving for advanced work in phonology and other fields in linguistics. Analyzing data, presenting written solutions. prereq: 3001 or 3001H or 5001 or instr consent

Revision/expansion of a paper completed for a linguistics course. prereq: Ling major, [jr or sr]

Supervised research, writing, and revision for honors thesis begun in LING 3093 or through work with the individual advisor. Completion of LING 3093 or instructor permission is required.