This course introduces how language is used and perceived to mark social  characteristics of an individual or group of individuals. We will examine how social identity is constructed linguistically, which linguistic cues are used consciously to denote different social identities, and how most linguistic cues delineating social groups are below conscious awareness. Topics include: prescriptive and descriptive perspectives of language, dialects, accents, language standardization, language and dialect contact, and linguistic profiling. 

Location

Meliora Room 205 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This course introduces students to the study of the structure of human language. We will cover the six core areas of linguistic investigation: Phonetics (articulation, acoustics, and perception of speech sounds), Phonology (sound patterns), Morphology (internal structure of words and their organization in the mental lexicon), Syntax (internal structure of phrases and sentences), Semantics (word and sentence meaning), and Pragmatics (language use in context). The course focuses on developing skills in the areas of linguistic data analysis and interpretation of linguistic data in ways that aim to address theoretical and empirical issues in the study of language. In addition to the lecture students will need to register for a peer-led workshop.

Location

Morey Room 525 (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Peer led workshop for LING 110-2.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 321 (M 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Peer led workshop for LING 110-2.

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (R 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Peer led workshop for LING 110-2.

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (F 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Peer-led workshop for 110-2

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (F 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Peer led workshop for LING 110-2

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (F 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This course introduces students to the study of the structure of human language. We will cover the six core areas of linguistic investigation: Phonetics (articulation, acoustics, and perception of speech sounds), Phonology (sound patterns), Morphology (internal structure of words and their organization in the mental lexicon), Syntax (internal structure of phrases and sentences), Semantics (word and sentence meaning), and Pragmatics (language use in context). The course focuses on developing skills in the areas of linguistic data analysis and interpretation of linguistic data in ways that aim to address theoretical and empirical issues in the study of language. In addition to the lecture students will need to register for a peer-led workshop.

Location

Lattimore Room 210 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (W 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

(R 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

Todd Union Room 202 (TR 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

Dewey Room 1160A (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

Wegmans Room 1005 (F 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-1.

Location

Lechase Room 184 (F 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 110-2.

Location

Dewey Room 1160A (M 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This course is a comprehensive review of the grammar of Modern Standard English. The course will be of interest to those who wish to sharpen their language skills, or to know more about the workings of the English language whether for practical, cognitive or creative ends. Drawing on work in mostly pre-theoretical, descriptive linguistics this course reveals the mechanics of Standard English structure, with occasional detours into the finesse of usage across registers (dialect to slang). Students will learn to develop the ability to see patterns in grammar, as well as its structural possibilities and limits. Assignments will regularly involve reflection on form, usage and speaker judgments. Through a final project, students will investigate some aspect of an English variety available to them. Throughout, students will be working with their data samples of English to explore how speaker choices lead to particular grammatical structures or yield ungrammaticality. Background in linguistics or grammar not needed.

Location

Hylan Building Room 203 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Some of us know the apocryphal story where King Alfred, hiding in the marshes from the Danes, burned the peasant woman’s cakes and apologized humbly. It’s probably not true, but a cult of Alfred, King of Wessex, developed long after his death. This course teaches Old English Literature and Language through the lens of a popular TV series called "The Last Kingdom," about how King Alfred, with the help of a fictional character, Uhtred, defended Wessex from the aggressive Danes. As one of the best of four major film series on Alfred, it introduces students not only to this brilliant 9th-century monarch who prevented Englalond from becoming Denalond, but the historical and poetic literature that his educational reform promoted in the 10th and 11th centuries—contemplative poetry, ghosts, saints’ lives, riddles, charms, medical remedies, philosophy, foreign races, monsters, eventually Beowulf. In both its cleverness and its errors, the first season of The Last Kingdom offers a re-imagining of Alfred’s England, based on the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles and Alfred’s biography by Bishop Asser. Uhtred is an Englishman brought up by the Danes and hence caught between worlds, and he competes with Alfred for fame and fortune. The show takes liberties; we will sort them out. Why have this swashbuckling hero when the story of Alfred is exciting enough? For me his all-too-modern characterization reflects ourselves as scholars learning to read this inscrutable king and England’s exotic literature prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066. For me, his character helps us understand that the term “Anglo-Saxon” deceives one into thinking it is ethnically pure, not culturally influenced as it was by the Norse, the Irish, the Welsh, and the Continent. The central figure will be Alfred and his intellectual legacy, but also the diversity of early England. Introduction to the language: texts read in the original with translations and linguistic help, and an extra weekly hour for students who want a better grasp of it. This course is an excellent extension of History of the English Language, but an introductory one for any student.

Location

Lechase Room 141 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Introduces children's language development, including the acquisition of phonology, syntax, and semantics. Focuses on the acquisition of a first language by young children, comparing the acquisition of a variety of spoken and signed languages to find possible universal principles of language learning.

Prerequisites: BCSC 152 or LING 110

Location

Harkness Room 115 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This introductory course examines the grammatical structure of sentences from the standpoint of transformational grammar. The course develops the basic techniques of syntactic analysis in order to develop a working theory of a (fragment of) English. The theory is then tested against data from other languages and revised accordingly. LIN 220W partially satisfies the Upper-Level Writing requirement for the Linguistics major. Linguistics majors should take the W version of the course. In addition to the lecture students will need to register for a peer-led workshop. Prerequisite: LING 110.

Location

Gavett Hall Room 202 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (R 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (W 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 308 (R 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (R 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220.

Location

Hopeman Hall Room 335 (F 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This introductory course examines the grammatical structure of sentences from the standpoint of transformational grammar. The course develops the basic techniques of syntactic analysis in order to develop a working theory of a (fragment of) English. The theory is then tested against data from other languages and revised accordingly. LIN 220W partially satisfies the Upper-Level Writing requirement for the Linguistics major. Linguistics majors should take the W version of the course. In addition to the lecture students will need to register for a peer-led workshop. Prerequisite: LING 110.

Location

Gavett Hall Room 202 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (R 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (W 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 308 (R 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (R 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 220W.

Location

Hopeman Hall Room 335 (F 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This course covers foundational concepts in computational linguistics and is designed for students with a strong background in formal linguistic methods but only rudimentary programming experience. Major focus is placed on the use of formal languages as a tool for understanding natural language as well as on developing students' ability to implement foundational algorithms pertaining to those formal languages. Topics include basic formal language theory, finite state phonological and morphological parsing, and syntactic parsing for context free grammars and mildly context sensitive formalisms.

Students who have taken the CSC17X series should consult with the instructor prior to enrollment, since there is overlap with a subset of the technical material covered in those courses. Conversely, while it is possible to enter this course with no programming experience and do well, students new to programming may wish to take CSC161 or to attend a CIRC programming bootcamp prior to taking this course.

Prerequisite: LING 110

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Required peer-led workshop for LING 224.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 309 (F 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

The course examines the structure and definition of the linguistic unit "word'" its typology and the relationship of the morphological component to other levels in the grammar. The course includes an introduction to analytical techniques with emphasis placed on an examination of data from a range of languages. The building blocks of words will be analyzed and topics such as affixation, reduplication and inflectional and derivational morphology will be covered. We will examine the properties of words and how they fit into the larger structure of linguistic knowledge, including the relationship between words and syntactic structure (ex., phrases and sentences) and the relationship between words and phonological structure (ex., phonological rules and prosodic structure). Prerequisites: LING 110.

Location

Morey Room 504 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This course is intended to provide participants with an overview of research in an area of phonetics and phonology. Issues vary from term to term but may cover areas in segmental, metrical and intonational phonology and the phonology/phonetics interface. Prerequisites: LING 110, LING 210

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

An examination of signed languages and the cognitive constraints that shape them, through a detailed consideration of the structure of American Sign Language and other natural signed languages of the world. Includes training in sign language notation and analysis. Prerequisites: ASL 106 in the immediately preceding semester or permission of the instructor. B or better in ASL 106.

Location

Lechase Room 104 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

issues of understanding language in context using commonsense knowledge of the world. Topics will include a survey of English phrase structure and parsing, semantic representation (e.g., events, semantic roles, time, causality and speech acts), and theories and techniques for understanding language in context, including intention recognition, text understanding using knowledge of scripts and plans, and models of spoken dialogue systems (e.g., conversational agents such as Siri). CSC447, the graduate level version of the course, requires a substantial individual project. Prerequisite: CSC 242

Location

Hylan Building Room 201 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This course addresses linguistic research questions through data science techniques. The course will focus on developing skills to (i) acquire and process a variety of language data, from using established corpora to capturing data in the wild, and (ii) to investigate language use, particularly syntactic and semantic phenomena, through descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. A significant part of the course will be devoted to hands-on projects and will include developing familiarity with using the programming languages Python and R to acquire and explore linguistic data. Familiarity with statistics and/or computational linguistics is advantageous, but not necessary. Prerequisites: LING 110, and either LING 210, LING 220 or LING 225.

Location

Hylan Building Room 203 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

This course is an in-depth introduction to the formal analysis of natural language meaning, employing techniques that have been developed in language and formal philosophy over the last century. Issues include intensionality, quantification, tense, presupposition, plurality, the analysis of discourse, and other current issues. Familiarity with syntax, logic, and/or computation are helpful. Prerequisites: LING 110, LING 225 or instructor permission.

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This is a hands-on class which allows you to work with a language consultant with the goal of writing a grammar sketch or a short research paper. At the end of this course, you will have acquired methods and techniques to describe a language not known to you previously. This includes recording and collection of data, data processing and analysis. The class is an opportunity to apply the knowledge of linguistic theory that you acquired during your major in linguistic research on an unfamiliar language. Another focus of this course is training in grammar writing skills. Ultimately, this course provides you with a solid basis to do fieldwork for language description and linguistic research in your own in the future. Prerequisites: LING 110, LING 210, LING 220, LING 225

Location

Lattimore Room 513 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru the instructions for online independent study registration.

Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru the instructions for online independent study registration.

Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru the instructions for online independent study registration.