Program Overview

Linguistics Program

The Linguistics Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, offers a comprehensive curriculum that explores the formal study of language, its structure, and its use in society. The program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of linguistic principles, theories, and methods, as well as their applications in various fields.

Course Descriptions

The program includes a range of courses that cover various aspects of linguistics, including:

• Linguistics 200: A broad introduction to the formal study of language, covering topics such as phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
• Linguistics 371: Foundations of the English language, including phonology, morphology, and syntax.
• Linguistics 372: The structure of modern English, with emphasis on phrase, clause, and sentence structure.
• Linguistics 423: The development of diachronic and synchronic linguistics, covering the history of linguistic thought from ancient times to the present.
• Linguistics 425: Introduction to descriptive linguistics, covering the theory and practice of linguistic analysis.
• Linguistics 426: Methods of historical linguistics, including phonetics, distinctive feature analysis, and sound change.

Major Requirements

The Linguistics major requires 30 hours of coursework, including:

• Phonetics and Sound: Choose one course from AUSP 305, AUSP 320, FREN 421, or SPAN 421.
• Major Core Course Requirements: Complete LING 371, LING 372, LING 423, LING 425, and LING 426.
• Linguistics Elective Hours: Complete 9 hours of elective courses from a list of approved courses, including AUSP 302, AUSP 320, CHIN 471, CMST 412, FREN 421, FREN 422, LING 321, LING 400, LING 411, LING 431, LING 435, LING 436, LING 471, LING 472, LING 474, LING 476, LING 477, LING 485, LING 490, LING 491, LING 492, LING 493, PSYC 400, SPAN 420, SPAN 421, SPAN 422, and WLEL 455.

Corequisites

The program requires completion of a third year (two semesters) of foreign language study, as well as a two-semester sequence of another language. Non-Indo-European languages may be selected from a list of approved courses, including ASL 111-112, ARAB 121-122, ASST 141-142, CHIN 131-132, JAPANESE 151-152, and REST 121-122.

Statistics

The program requires completion of one semester of statistics, which may be fulfilled by STAT 201 or STAT 207.

About the Linguistics Program

The Linguistics Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, is part of the College of Arts & Sciences. The program is chaired by Yen-Chen Hao. The university is the flagship campus of the University of Tennessee System and is a partner in the Tennessee Transfer Pathway.