Program Overview

Linguistics Major

The Linguistics Department offers courses on many aspects of the scientific study of language and an interdisciplinary major leading to a Bachelor of Arts.

Overview

Research in linguistics aims to discover how a person's linguistic capacity is represented in the mind, how that knowledge is acquired, what aspects are innate, and how language is processed in the mind and brain. Students learn how to address these questions through various sources of evidence, such as descriptions of individual languages, patterns of grammatical variation and invariance, the development of language in children, the mental processes of language in use, computational models of acquisition and processing, and patterns of physiological activity in the brain.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Department of Linguistics B.A. program seeks to expose majors to fundamental questions about the nature of the human mind, using Language as a vehicle for examining this issue. The program aims to cultivate strong empirical research skills, data analysis, application of scientific methodology, and the ability to communicate clear, logical arguments. Through their coursework, students are exposed to data from a broad range of languages and dialects, leading to an understanding that all varieties are equally complex and rule-governed. By the time students complete the requirements for the major, they can expect to have mastered the following measurable learning outcomes:

1. Students demonstrate the ability to apply scientific methodology to data analysis and to develop effective argumentation skills.
2. Students demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate proposals in the field.
3. Students incorporate scientific writing style in essays, review papers, and research papers.
4. Students effectively and persuasively defend an analysis of (Western and non-Western as well as prestigious and marginalized varieties of) a language’s phonological system
5. Students effectively and persuasively defend an analysis of (Western and non-Western as well as prestigious and marginalized varieties of) a language’s syntactic system
6. Students recognize how the values, practices and policies of a society may privilege some dialects over others (without linguistic justification and often with discriminatory and harmful results) and recognize that one’s version of a language reflects both their personal and social identities.

Requirements

A grade of at least "C-" is required in all major courses. An overall GPA of 2.0 in the major is required for graduation. The Linguistics major consists of 39 credits: 24 credits of Linguistics Core classes plus 12 credits from one of the Tracks, as specified below.

Course List

• Core Required of All Majors:
  • LING200: Introductory Linguistics (3 credits)
  • LING240: Language and Mind (3 credits)
  • LING311: Syntax I (3 credits)
  • LING321: Phonology I (3 credits)
• Select two of the following:
  • LING312: Syntax II
  • LING322: Phonology II
  • LING320: Phonetics
  • LING410: Grammar and Meaning
  • LING440: Grammars and Cognition
  • LING444: Child Language Acquisition
• Three 3xx-4xx level LING electives (9 credits)

Tracks

• Select one of the following tracks:
  • Grammars and Cognition Track
  • Language Track

Grammars and Cognition Track

• PHIL170: Introduction to Symbolic Logic (3 credits)
• LING350: Philosophy of Language (3 credits)
• or PHIL360: Philosophy of Language
• Select two approved electives in LING, PSYC, HESP, PHIL, or CMSC (6 credits)

Language Track

• 12 credits of a single chosen language (at least 3 of the 12 credits must be at or above the 2xx level)

Other Requirements for the Major

• LING200 followed by LING240 must be taken before any other courses in the major.
• A grade of "C-" or better is required in prerequisite courses.
• After LING240, students should take LING311 (Syntax I) and LING321 (Phonology I), as they are prerequisites for other required courses.
• No more than 1 independent study or lab course (3 credits) can be used towards the three 3xx-4xx level LING electives (part of the LING core).
• 3xx-4xx courses beyond LING311 and LING321 are generally offered just once per year.
• Optional courses for the major are not necessarily offered on a regular basis.
• For the Language Track, the "12 credits of a single chosen language" must be courses that focus on language (and not, for example, history, literature or culture taught in the language).
• Electives for the Cognition Track must be approved by the linguistics advisor.