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Note: Courses preceded by an asterisk (*) are suitable for non-majors.
Click on the course name for the course description. For more information on these courses
(including instructor, course time and course location), see the Spring 2003 Linguistics Course Schedule (undergrad).
*LIN306 Introduction to the Study of Language
*LIN312 Culture and Communication
*LIN312 Family Ties: Language at Home
*LIN312-W Family Ties: Language at Home
*LIN312 Language and Prejudice
*LIN312-W Language and Prejudice
*LIN312 Linguistics of Tolkien's Middle Earth
*LIN312-W Linguistics of Tolkien's Middle Earth
*LIN315 Speech Science
LIN321 American English
LIN322 Gypsy Language and Culture
LIN323L English as a World Language
*LIN344K Phonetics: Production and Perception of Speech Sounds
LIN345 Language Change and Langauge Variation
*LIN350 Bilingualism
LIN350-W Human Instinct for Language (CANCELLED)
*LIN350 Language and Gender
*LIN350 Language and People
*LIN350 Language and the Brain
LIN357 Undergraduate Research
LIN360K Introduction to English Grammar (Underwood, Schwarz)
LIN360K Introduction to English Grammar (Cable)
LIN364M History of the English Language (Blockley)
LIN364M History of the English Language (Ricard)
LIN372K Sound Patterns - Sound to Word
LIN372L Syntax and Sematics: The Structure and Meaning of Utterances
LIN373 Language, Society, and Culture in Latin America
LIN373 Pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Civiliations - W
LIN373 Intro to Cognitive Science - W
LIN373-W German Language: Historical Perspective - W
LIN379 Conference Course in Linguistics
LIN 306: Introduction to the Study of Language (various)
This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. In what ways do languages differ? In what ways are languages the same? How do languages change over time? Why do languages change? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communicating? Do dolphins speak? How do children learn language, and how do adults learn language? Does language control our view of reality? How does language interact with social class? What kind of language should be taught in schools? What language problems do other countries have? What are the different language families of the world?
The course will deal with sociolinguistics
(language in society), historical linguistics
(language change and language relationships), and formal linguistics. Basic material
covered under formal linguistics includes phonetics
(the properties of speech sounds), phonology
(the systematic sound patterns of language), morphology
(the grammatical structure of words), syntax
(the structure of sentences), and semantics/pragmatics
(the meaning and use of words and sentences).
Lecturers for Unique Sections
36990 Lee
37000 Yang
37005 Lee
37010 Peebles
37015 Chun
37020 Peebles
37025 Chun
37030 Yang
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
There will be three exams given at equal intervals through the semester.
Texts
Fromkin & Rodman, An Introduction to Language. 7th edition
In addition to the text, there will be a packet of course readings.
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LIN 312: Culture and Communication (Keating)
This course meets with ANT 307.
The goals of this course are to introduce students to the study of language use from a
sociocultural perspective and to develop skills (through collecting language data) in
analyzing the role that language plays in the construction of culture and in the interpretation
of human interaction. Topics discussed in lectures and readings include ethnicity, identity,
power, status, and gender as these ideas are constructed and negotiated through language.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
There will be two mid-term exams (no final), and several short written analytical exercises.
Exams count 45% of the grade, and other assignments 45%. Class participation counts 10%.
Texts
TBA
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LIN 312: Family Ties: Language at Home (Pizer)
This course will address language use within families. Topics include language and communication
in male-female relationships (How and why do couples understand and misunderstand each other?);
child language acquisition and socialization (How do children learn language?); and adolescent
language innovation (Why do parents think their teens canít talk?). Where possible, a cross-cultural
perspective on these issues will be taken. Readings will be drawn from the fields of sociolinguistics,
psycholinguistics, and linguistic anthropology, as well as relevant non-academic writings.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Three 2-3 page reaction papers: 30%
Three quizzes: 30%
Final exam: 30%
Class participation: 10%
Texts
Course Packet
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LIN 312: Language and Prejudice
(Kung)
When beginning to look at language from an academic perspective, one may quickly become
aware of ways in which language and society are strongly interrelated. Social issues spanning a
broad range are often part of this direct relationship, and an essential agent in this relationship
is linguistic prejudice. In an attempt to understand and perhaps be less susceptible to linguistic
prejudice, this course will attempt to examine how and why one language, dialect, or accent is neither
superior nor inferior to another. We will direct our course by covering types of linguistic prejudice
that can arise in situations where there are any of the following components:
- many minority languages and one or more dominant (national, standard) language(s)
- dialects of an unwritten language (a language that is not standardized)
- dialects of a language for which a standard is being developed
- dialects of a language that has a standard
- diglossia
- nationalism
In addition to studying how populations and sub-populations define and defend themselves through language, we will also examine the manifestation of issues like sexism, racism, and classism in language.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Homework, 2 tests, short presentation, participation
Texts
Course packet
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LIN 312W: Language and Prejudice
(Kung)
When beginning to look at language from an academic perspective, one may quickly become aware of ways in which language and society are strongly interrelated. Social issues spanning a broad range are often part of this direct relationship, and an essential agent in this relationship is linguistic prejudice. In an attempt to understand and perhaps be less susceptible to linguistic prejudice, this course will attempt to examine how and why one language, dialect, or accent is neither superior nor inferior to another. We will direct our course by covering types of linguistic prejudice that can arise in situations where there are any of the following components:
- many minority languages and one or more dominant (national, standard) language(s)
- dialects of an unwritten language (a language that is not standardized)
- dialects of a language for which a standard is being developed
- dialects of a language that has a standard
- diglossia
- nationalism
In addition to studying how populations and sub-populations define and defend themselves through language, we will also examine the manifestation of issues like sexism, racism, and classism in language.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Homework, 2 short papers, short presentation, participation
Texts
Course packet
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LIN 312: The Linguistics of Tolkien's Middle Earth (Hoyt)
In this course, we will study the languages of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Middle Earth." Tolkien is best remembered as the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and other books, but he was first and foremost a professional linguist who invented languages as a hobby. He wrote his fictional works in order to provide a historical 'context' for his inventions. His languages, such as Dwarvish (Khšdzul), Orcish (the Black Speech), and Elvish (Quenya and Sindarin), are therefore based on his knowledge of real-world languages such as Old English, Old Norse, Welsh, Finnish, and others.
The first unit will include how Tolkien's languages "work": what sounds they include, how these sounds are put together to form words and sentences, how they are related to each other by processes of historical change, and how these processes reflect the real-world linguistics that Tolkien drew upon as source material. In the second unit we will study how the sounds and words of Tolkien's languages reflect the cultural and moral characteristics of the peoples who speak them, and how this relates to our own beliefs about language and culture. The third unit of the course will examine real-world use of 'fictional' or 'invented' languages like Tolkien's Elvish, Star Trek's Klingon, or Esperanto.
Students enrolled in the Substantive Writing Component (SWC) section will be required to submit a scholarly paper on a topic relevant to course work of no less than 16 pages double-spaced. Prior to submitting this paper in its final form, students will be required to submit periodic draft revisions. The writing component will also require preparation of a research bibliography, and evaluation of at least one other scholarly paper related to the student's topic. Students in the non-SWC component will collaborate on researching, organizing, and building an internet document archive containing a collection of materials available on the internet which concern Tolkien's languages. Students in the SWC section will have the option of including their papers in this collection, while students in the non-SWC section will read, evaluate, and classify materials found on the internet, in order to determine how to include them. All students will be required to keep an email journal, with entries submitted prior to each class.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Coursework will include readings, written assignments, periodic quizzes, and mid-term and final exams.
Class Participation: 20%
Quizzes and Exams: 20%
Assignments: 20%
Final Project: 40%
Texts
Course Packet
Tolkien, J.R.R: The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King),
Fromkin, Victoria & Robert Rodman: An Introduction to Language.
Noel, Ruth S: The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth
Additional readings to be assigned in class.
Students who have not already read "The Lord of the Rings" are very strongly encouraged to do so prior to the beginning of the course.
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LIN 312W: The Linguistics of Tolkien's Middle Earth (Hoyt)
In this course, we will study the languages of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Middle Earth." Tolkien is best remembered as the author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and other books, but he was first and foremost a professional linguist who invented languages as a hobby. He wrote his fictional works in order to provide a historical 'context' for his inventions. His languages, such as Dwarvish (Khšdzul), Orcish (the Black Speech), and Elvish (Quenya and Sindarin), are therefore based on his knowledge of real-world languages such as Old English, Old Norse, Welsh, Finnish, and others.
The first unit will include how Tolkien's languages "work": what sounds they include, how these sounds are put together to form words and sentences, how they are related to each other by processes of historical change, and how these processes reflect the real-world linguistics that Tolkien drew upon as source material. In the second unit we will study how the sounds and words of Tolkien's languages reflect the cultural and moral characteristics of the peoples who speak them, and how this relates to our own beliefs about language and culture. The third unit of the course will examine real-world use of 'fictional' or 'invented' languages like Tolkien's Elvish, Star Trek's Klingon, or Esperanto.
Students enrolled in the Substantive Writing Component (SWC) section will be required to submit a scholarly paper on a topic relevant to course work of no less than 16 pages double-spaced. Prior to submitting this paper in its final form, students will be required to submit periodic draft revisions. The writing component will also require preparation of a research bibliography, and evaluation of at least one other scholarly paper related to the student's topic. Students in the non-SWC component will collaborate on researching, organizing, and building an internet document archive containing a collection of materials available on the internet which concern Tolkien's languages. Students in the SWC section will have the option of including their papers in this collection, while students in the non-SWC section will read, evaluate, and classify materials found on the internet, in order to determine how to include them. All students will be required to keep an email journal, with entries submitted prior to each class.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Coursework will include readings, written assignments, periodic quizzes, and mid-term and final exams.
Class Participation: 20%
Written Assignments: 30%
Quizzes and Exams: 20%
Final Project: 30%
Texts
Course Packet
Tolkien, J.R.R: The Lord of the Rings (The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King),
Fromkin, Victoria & Robert Rodman: An Introduction to Language.
Noel, Ruth S: The Languages of Tolkien's Middle Earth
Additional readings to be assigned in class.
Students who have not already read "The Lord of the Rings" are very strongly encouraged to do so prior to the beginning of the course.
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LIN 315: Speech Science (Matyear)
Meets with CSD s315s.
Speech Science explores the physiological, aerodynamic, and acoustic bases for speech production and speech perception.
Prerequisites
None; introductory courses in phonetics or linguistics recommended.
Texts
Packet, to be announced
Optional: Borden, Harris, and Raphael. Speech Science Primer.
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LIN 321L: American English (Underwood)
This course examines American English as a unique "branch" of the English language. It begins with an informal study of the historical development of American English. This study has two components--internal history and external history. The internal history attends to matters of structure (i.e., differences in pronunciation, morphology, syntax, and semantics), whereas the external history studies the interrelations between language and society.
The remainder of the course focuses on the issues of linguistic imposition, status, power, and domination in the United States. American English developed from several transplanted varieties of British English, which competed with one another for acceptance and approval. These varieties also competed with and were influenced by many other languages. The American English that consequently developed became unique but not uniform, and each of the new varieties of American English developed its own status or lack of status. Just as "standard American English" became dominant over other varieties of American English, American English itself became dominant over other languages spoken within the boundaries of the US. The course studies the issue of linguistic domination by focusing on topics such as these:
- how language variation relates to regional and social identity
- how the educational system institutionalizes linguistic prejudice
- how the judicial system protects the status quo and reinforces linguistic subordination
- how employers discriminate against some workers on the basis of linguistic prejudice
- what groups of Americans are systematically victims of institutionalized linguistic discrimination
Prerequisites
Rhetoric and Composition 306 and English 316K or their equivalents, and three additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in either English or rhetoric and composition. Completion of 30 semester hours. No exceptions. English Major Area: IV. Language or Writing
Requirements
Two objective tests 35%
A paper on British-American language differences 20%
A paper on your linguistic heritage 20%
A paper based upon a case study of linguistic discrimination 20%
Class performance 05%
Texts
Bryson, Bill, Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States, New York: Avon, 1994
Lippi-Green, Rosina, English with an Accent: Language, Ideology, and Discrimination in the United States, New York and London: Routledge, 1997
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LIN 322: Gypsy Language and Culture (Hancock)
This course presents the linguistic history of the Romani ("Gypsy") people, from 5th Century BC India to the present day. Theories relating to this exodus out of the Subcontinent and the subsequent migrations into Europe are discussed on the basis of the social and linguistic evidence available to us. In addition to studying aspects of the lexicon and syntax of the modern American and European dialects of the Romani language, an introduction to Gypsy history and culture will also form part of the course. We will examine the sociology of this Diaspora people, the Indian roots of their music, cuisine and social traditions, external linguistic and cultural influences, and interactions with non-Gypsy peoples. The reasons for the persistence of the stereotypical image of the Gypsy among non-Gypsies will be discussed, and also examined will be the five hundred years of slavery, transportation to the American plantations, the fate of the Romani people in the Holocaust, and the current struggle for civil and political rights since Gypsies gained admittance to the United Nations Organization in 1979.
- how language variation relates to regional and social identity
- how the educational system institutionalizes linguistic prejudice
- how the judicial system protects the status quo and reinforces linguistic subordination
- how employers discriminate against some workers on the basis of linguistic prejudice
- what groups of Americans are systematically victims of institutionalized linguistic
discrimination
Prerequisites
None.
Requirements
2 term papers, 4 written tests, 1 book report
Texts
Hancock, Pariah Syndrome
Hancock, Handbook of Vlax Grammar
Recommended: Crowe & Kolsti, Gypsies of Eastern Europe
Fraser, The Gypsies
Course supplement at Speedway Copying in Dobie Mall.
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LIN 323L: English as a World Language-W (Hancock)
This course begins with a general discussion of the nature and use of English; the origin and spread of language, and the development of modern linguistics. Discussion of English in terms of where it is now spoken, and by how many people, and how useful it has become. The spread of the Indo-European peoples is examined, and the westward migration of the Celts, Italic speakers and Germanic people, and the earliest Indo-European settlement of the British Isles. The history of later settlements is dealt with (Romans, Scandinavians, Normans) from a historical point of view, paying attention to the social situation, then the same time-period is covered again from the linguistic perspective. A brief sketch of the main lexical and grammatical characteristics of Old English is given, and the factors leading to the emergence of Middle and Early Modern English. The reason for the Renaissance, and its impact upon trade and exploration are discussed, and the social nature of the first contacts overseas. The social background of the first English speakers to carry the language out of American, South African, Australian and New Zealand English dialects are examined, newer hypothesis discussed, and the lexical, grammatical and phonological characteristics of each presented, together with many handouts and tape-recorded passages. Some time is given to the divergence from, and later convergence towards, a World Standard. Non-Native English (in India, Malaysia and Hong Kong) is also looked at briefly, and the modern descendants of the other stream of overseas English, viz., Afro-English, which has representatives in the Atlantic and Pacific areas.
Prerequisites
Completion of at least 30 hours of coursework, including E 316K or the equivalent.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
TBA
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LIN 344K: Phonetics: The Production and Perception of Speech Sounds (Myers)
This is an introduction to the study of speech sounds in human languages, including the following topics.
(1) (a) What are the sounds of English?
(b) How do people make those sounds?
(c) What's the difference among the various accents of English (e.g. General American, British, Southern)?
(2) (a) What sounds are there in the worldís languages?
(b) How do people make those sounds?
(c) How do children and adults learn a pronunciation?
(3) (a) How do people distinguish different speech sounds?
(b) How can computers produce and ìunderstandî speech?
Students will explore their own speech and the speech of others, both through careful listening and through computer analysis.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Ladefoged, A Course in Phonetics. (4th edition)
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LIN 345: Language Change and Language Variation (King)
An introduction to the phenomenon of language change, to the linguistic and social phenomena which influence it, and to the principles which linguists have developed to account for it. These principles have led to methods for reconstructing the sounds, vocabularies, and grammars of the prehistoric parent languages of languages which exist today, or which have been preserved in writing.
Prerequisites
LIN 344K
Requirements
Classes will be a mix of lectures, discussion, and problem solving using data from a wide range of languages. Grade is based on homework assignments (50%) and two in-class examinations (50%). Attendance is mandatory.
Texts
Campbell, Lyle. Historical Linguistics: an Introduction
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LIN 350: Bilingualism (Walters)
What do we know about life with two (or more) languages? Are the similarities across bilingual speech communities? How is language stored in the brains of bilinguals? Does growing up with two languages retard language acquisition, as many people believe? Does it help it along? Why do bilinguals often mix their languages when they speak? Is there any system to this switching, or is it random, as monolinguals often believe? What do we know about educating bilinguals and educating for bilingualism? How do various countries around the world deal with questions of educating bilinguals? What is life like for Deaf individuals who sign one language but write the language of the larger society in which they live? Why do some argue that the American tradition is really more a bilingual one than a monolingual one? In this class, weíll explore all these issues and many more.
Prerequisites
Upper-division status.
Requirements
Two tests, a final exam, and a group project and presentation involving collecting information about bilingual communities in Austin.
Texts
Hamers & Blanc, 1989. Bilinguality and bilingualism. Cambridge.
McKay, Sandra Lee & Sau-Ling Cynthia Wong (eds.). 2000. New Immigrants in the United States. Cambridge.
A packet of readings
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LIN 350: Language and Gender (Zjang)
The primary goal of this course is to engage students in a critical examination of the interaction between language and gender. It will introduce general theories and approaches to the study of language and gender. Students will be introduced to a broad range of interdisciplinary literature on language and gender, and language and sexuality. It will also provide students with opportunities to apply these theories in exploring linguistic data in the context of the United States or languages and communities of their interests.
Prerequisites
LIN 306 (or permission of the instructor)
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Coates, Jennifer (ed.). 1998. Language and gender: A reader. Oxford: Blackwell.
Hall, Kira, and Mary Bucholtz (eds.). 1995. Gender articulated: Language and the socially constructed self. New York: Routledge.
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LIN 350: Language and People
LIN 350 "Language and People" is a topics course on those aspects of sociolinguistics and historical linguistics which enjoy the greatest interest among students of language and linguistics. Some of the topics covered in Spring, 2003, will be from among: gender and language; the origins of language and writing systems; political conflicts in which language is a proximate cause (Quebec, Belgium, India, countries formerly part of the Soviet Empire); how languages differ from each other; the Nostratic Theory; accent and social stratification; animal communication; nonverbal communication; language in diaspora; language, ethnicity, and nationalism. Course content is adjusted according to the interests of the students. The course will consist of lectures and class discussions. The grade in the course will be based on attendance, short tests, and a few short reports.
Prerequisites
Upper-division standing
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Course Supplement (Speedway Copying)
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LIN 350: Language and the Brain (Sussman)
This course is designed to provide up-to-date information and theory regarding language representation in the brain. No prior background is assumed as a complete grounding in human neuroanatomy and neurophysiology is provided. Topics to be discussed include: (1) localizationist vs. holistic arguments for language representation in the brain; (2) brain scanning (PET, FMRI) studies; (3) the neuropathology of speech-language disturbance following brain injury, i.e., aphasia, dysarthria; (4) left-right hemispheric specializations.
The format is informal lecture-style with class participation encouraged. Note packet available and essential.
Prerequisites
None
Requirements
Grading is based on four exams. No term paper.
Texts
None
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LIN 357: Undergraduate Research
Hour(s) to be arranged. Offered on pass/fail basis only. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: LIN 306 with a grade of at least C.
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LIN 360K: Introduction to English Grammar (Underwood, Schwarz)
[meets with E 360K]
The title of this course can create confusion since grammar has at least six commonly-understood meanings in contemporary American English. This section of E/LIN 360K assumes that grammar means the characteristic system of inflections and syntax of the language as dictated by a system of constitutive rules. Constitutive rules are radically different from regulative rules. Constitutive rules of grammar define the inherent nature of the language; regulative rules, on the other hand, are imposed upon the language to dictate what is to be preferred and avoided in the manipulation of that language. This orientation of this section of 360K is descriptive, not prescriptive. The purpose of this section of 360K is to teach students to analyze the structure of sentences and to become more sophisticated in their understanding of language variation. It does not presume to teach them skills in the use of English. This section also assumes a fundamental distinction between the grammar of English and the mechanics of the writing system of English. The course does not include any attention to "mechanics" (spelling, punctuation, and capitalization). If one assumes that E/LIN 360K is a "refresher" course in the kind of grammar typically taught in American primary and secondary schools, then one egregiously misunderstands the nature and function of this class.
The course begins with a brief, but critical, review of the traditional, Latinate description of English grammar to establish its numerous inadequacies. The course progresses with the development of a phrase structure analysis of English syntax. Students learn tests for constituents and for relationships between constituents that are objectively verifiable, and they learn principles of categorization for lexical and phrasal constituents. They use these tests and principles to analyze sentences and justify their analyses.
The course assumes a familiarity with traditional, Latinate grammar of English, which is commonly taught in primary and secondary schools in this country. Students who have forgotten what they were taught about grammar may want to review on their own. Those students who claim that they were never taught grammar or those who insist that they do not remember any grammar that they were taught will not be disadvantaged. However, they may not appreciate the significance of the approach of this course as much as those who were taught "traditional grammar" and remember their experience.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
Approximately twelve syntax exercises 20%
A syntax analysis project 50%
Three syntax tests 25%
Class performance 05%
Texts
One course packet available from Speedway Printing in Dobie Mall
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LIN 360K: Intro to English Grammar (Cable)
[meets with E 360K]
We will study both traditional grammar and generative grammar as alternative, sometimes complementary, ways of understanding English syntax. We will draw dozens of old Reed-Kellogg diagrams and parse sentences until we can take apart and put back together almost any syntactic structure that anyone would want to know about. The attention to linguistics will be less theoretical than applied. The idea will be to illuminate some of the traditional problems of English studies, including style at the level of the sentence.
Prerequisites
Upper-division standing
Requirements
Frequent homework exercises on syntactic structures
Course grade from two one-hour tests: 25% each.
Final Exam: 35%
Homework, quizzes, and class participation: 15%
Texts
M. Kolln, Understanding English Grammar.
Emery, Sentence Analysis.
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LIN 360K: History of the English Language (Blockley)
Same as E 364M
In this course we will survey the history of what could be argued to be now the most popular language in the world, and certainly the most widely known. Beginning with its prehistory on the Continent over two thousand years ago, we will trace the fortunes of English from Anglo-Saxon times to its present manifestations across national boundaries. We will learn the distinctions of sounds, inflectional endings, and sentence patterns that mark each major stage of the language. Though the course will focus on the different forms of the language as they survive in various texts, we will pay some attention to the interaction between the internal history of English and the social and political contexts that define its external history. The goal is a better understanding of change in English and the signs of this change that can be seen everywhere from spelling to legal procedure. No previous study of linguistics is required; a willingness to learn phonetic transcription early in the semester, however, is crucial. There will be weekly homework exercises to give practice in working with different aspects of analysis that have been developed for English, and I will collect and mark some of these to keep us on course.
Prerequisites
Rhetoric and Composition 306 and English 316K or their equivalents, and three additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in either English or Rhetoric and Composition. No exceptions./p>
Requirements
Graded exercises and attendance 20%
Two in-class exams (75 minutes each) 25% each
Comprehensive final exam 30%
More than two unexcused absences will lower your final grade by a full letter. There will be no make-up tests or final without a proven medical emergency. Late exercises not accepted. In the exercises and in the exams I look for concision and specificity.
Texts
Celia Millward, A Biography of the English Language, 2nd edition (1996)
Millward, Workbook to Accompany A Biography of the English Language (1990)
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LIN 364M: History of English Language (Ricard)
Meets with E364M.
This course will offer a diachronic study of the English language by focusing both on its internal history (phonological, syntactical, and lexical changes) and its external history (political, social, and intellectual influences since the fifth century). Class lecture and discussion will cover such topics as the Indo-European Family of Languages, Old English, The Norman Conquest and the Subjection of English (1066-1200), The Re-establishment of English (1200-1500), Middle English, The Renaissance (1500-1650), The Appeal to Authority (1650-1800), The Nineteenth Century and After, and the English Language in America.
Prerequisites
Rhetoric and Composition 306 and English 316K or their equivalents, and three additional semester hours of lower-division coursework in either English or Rhetoric and Composition. No exceptions.
Requirements
One in-class essay. 30%
One oral presentation. 30%
Regular homework exercises and class participation. 40%
Texts
Albert C. Baugh and Thomas Cable, A History of the English Language
Thomas Cable, A Companion to Baugh & Cable's History of the English Language
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LIN 372K: Sound Patterns: Sound to Word (Crowhurst)
This course is an undergraduate level introduction to phonological patterns found in the world's languages. Phonology is the study of how sounds behave (inventories of sounds, how they are distributed, and how they influence one another) in spoken human languages. Emphasis will be placed on problem solving. Students will learn how to identify phonological patterns in data, to describe these patterns in theory-neutral terms, and how to analyze them. Other important skills to be developed are fundamental to the construction of solid arguments: learning to identify proper evidence for a particular analysis, constructing an argument for a particular analysis (point of view) based on the evidence, identifying advantages and disadvantages of an analysis, and comparing a proposed analysis with potential alternatives. This class is a core program requirement for linguistics majors and is therefore quite specialized. However, the pattern-identification and argument building skills we focus on are broadly general and valuable beyond their specialized application in linguistic studies.
Prerequisites
LIN 344K.
Requirements
TBA
Texts
No text; there will be a reading packet and texts put on reserve.
Optional: Pullum & Ladusaw. Phonetic Symbol Guide. 2nd Ed. Chicago.
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LIN 372L: Syntax and Semantics: The Structure and Meaning of Utterances (Wechsler)
In this course we study the syntax and semantics of human language. Syntax is concerned with how words are combined to form sentences. Semantics is concerned with what those sentences mean, and how the meaning of a sentence is constructed from the meanings of the component words. We will survey and analyze syntactic and semantic phenomena from a wide variety of the world's languages. This will reveal regular patterns lurking within human languages, despite their sometimes chaotic surface appearance. We will also discover surprising similarities across seemingly diverse languages.
Prerequisites
LIN 306 and upper-division standing
Requirements
TBA
Texts
Radford, Andrew. Transformational Grammar--A First Course.
Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 0-521-34750-5
A reading packet.
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LIN 373: Language, Culture, and Society in Latin America (Sherzer)
[same as ANT 320L, LAS 324L, SPN 347L (TOPIC 1) AND URB 354.]
This course provides a sociolinguistic and linguistic anthropological introduction to Latin America. Geographically, the range will be from Tierra del Fuego to Chicago, thus seeing Latin America as ranging, sociolinguistically at least, from North to South America. Attention will be paid to indigenous languages and cultures as well as Spanish, Portuguese, and other immigrant languages in Latin America. Topics to be studied include language histories and classifications, languages in contact (bilingualism, code switching, etc.), linguistic variation of various kinds, language in relation to identity, class, ethnicity, and gender, forms of discourse, language and music, language and education, and speech play and verbal art. In addition to class lectures and discussion, audio and video tape materials will be used.
Prerequisites
Upper division standing.
Requirements
2 mid term exams: 45%
2 short projects/papers: 45%
class participation: 10%
Texts
Course Packet
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LIN 373: Pre-Islamic Middle Eastern Civilizations (Southern)
[same as MEL 372, MES 321K, C C 348 AND R S 365]
The Middle East has always straddled the crossroads of trade and ideas, ever since the rise of its earliest river cultures (the Fertile Crescent and the Nile). This seminar offers a comparative introduction to the evolving cultures and languages of the Pre-Islamic Middle East. Through selected textual readings from the rich literary traditions of particular languages, principally Sumerian and Akkadian, Assyro-Babylonian, Egyptian, Hebrew/Aramaic, Ugaritic/Phoenician, Hittite, Mycenaean Greek (Linear B), Iranian, Armenian, and South Semitic, we will trace the socio-cultural, religious, literary and linguistic evolution of the area. We will use the panorama of the languagesí records as a springboard for addressing wider issues of cultural change. The comparative cultural, ethnohistorical, poetic, legal, and religious traditions that underlie and connect the various civilizations of the region before the advent of Islam will be explored in depth. Connections with cultural neighbors (the Indus Valley and Vedic India in the east, Greece and Rome in the west) will be particularly emphasized, on the poetic, social, mythological, philosophical, and literary-linguistic levels.
Literary, poetic and religious texts from the beginnings of writing will serve as documentary starting-points, to illuminate the emergence and cross-fertilization of civilizations. Considerations of culture, art, community and language will be set against broader questions of diversity, change, and cultural/linguistic divides. No mastery of particular Middle Eastern languages is presumed or required.
Prerequisites
None.
Requirements
Participation in class activities and discussions, 1 take-home quiz: 50 %;
1 x 6-page researched report (± optional oral presentation), and initiative: 25 %;
3 x 4-page written analytic essays (on specific documents): 25 %.
This course contains a substantial writing component and fulfills part of the Basic Education Requirement in writing.
Texts
Davies, Vivian, & Renee Friedman. Egypt Uncovered. Stewart, Tabori & Chang / British Museum Press, 1998. 1-55670-818-1.
Knapp, Bernard. The History & Culture of Ancient Western Asia and Egypt. Wadsworth. 0534-106455.
Curtis, John. Ancient Persia. Harvard UP. 0674-034155.
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LIN 373: Intro to Cognitive Science (Smith)
[same as CGS 360 (TOPIC 1) and PHL 365 (TOPIC 2)]
Fulfills the Substantial Writing Component Requirement
This course introduces the inter-disciplinary field of Cognitive Science, the modern study of mind and brain. Work in this field draws on psychology, computer science, linguistics, philosophy, and neuroscience.
One leading idea in Cognitive Science is that computation of information underlies many mental activities. Another is that there are specialized modules of mind for some mental processes, whereas others are general. All mental processes are ultimately realized in the brain, and research at a concrete level has begun to give fairly clear ideas about how the brain actually works. But there is still a gulf between abstract and computer models of sub-systems of cognition and their implementation in the brain.
We will study the Cognitive Science approach in several key areas, including cognitive psychology, vision, language, and artificial intelligence. There will be several presentations in class by faculty members of UT who are actively engaged in research in Cognitive Science.
The course is suitable for people interested in learning about the field of Cognitive Science. It is introductory, not a technical course. Questions and discussion will be emphasized.
Prerequisites
Upper-division standing.
Requirements
Regular discussion notes on the readings, a mid-term examination and two essays, each in a preliminary and final version.
Texts
Readings from David W. Green, Cognitive Science; and from D. Osherson (ed).
An Invitation to Cognitive Science, The MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science,
available on-line.
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LIN 373W: The German Language: Historical Perspectives (Southern)
[same as ANT 320L (TOPIC 9), C C 348 (TOPIC 9) and GER 369 (TOPIC 4). Meets with MDV 392M.]
What are you really saying, when youíre speaking English or German? Why do you say it that way? During the course we will be focusing primarily on the varieties and development of German and English, two of the worldís most remarkable linguistic success stories. The class will also be looking at examples from a broad range of Germanic languages, social and regional dialects, and pidgins and creoles (including convergence-languages such as Yiddish), in relation to the characteristics, origins and development of language and communication systems.
Class discussions are complemented by studies of misinterpretation and bias in female-male discourse, the social roles of dialect as a divider and a unifier, world Englishes, ìGuest-worker Germanî, effects of TV and mass media on language, artificial intelligence, language acquisition, lexical borrowings, and the impact of powerful neighbor-languages. The historical emergence of Standard German and English, in relation to cousin-dialects within Germanic (Dutch, Norse, the Scandinavian languages), will be carefully investigated. Specific analytical tools (for tracing semantic, phonological and morphological change) will be introduced and applied within the framework of internal reconstruction and the comparative method.
This class provides a broad overview of language, language evolution, and sociolinguistics, within the particular context of the history of German, English and Germanic. The goal is to enlarge participantsí understanding not only of the languages, their historical and dialectal development, and the rich ways Germanophones and Anglophones express meaning, but also of the tacit social preconceptions and prejudices implicit in each of the communicative choices and responses German- and English-speakers make daily as individuals.
All investigations are conducted in a challenging atmosphere of open debate, designed to encourage participants to examine ó using the stories of German and English as models ó the basis of something fundamental we take for granted: the way we talk, and the reasons why.
No prior linguistic expertise assumed. All language-users welcome. Conducted in English. Active class participation is strongly encouraged; the environment is egalitarian and stress-free. The chief prerequisite is a willingness to surprise yourself.
This course contains a substantial writing component and fulfills part of the Basic Education Requirement in writing.
Prerequisites
Upper-division standing.
Requirements
Participation (class activities and discussions), research initiative: 50 %
3 x 4-page written analyses: 25%
1 x 6-page researched report (± optional oral presentation): 25%
Texts
Millward, C.M. A Biography of the English Language. HBJ: 1996.
Stevenson, Patrick. The German Speaking World. Oxford UP: 1997.
Clyne, Michael. The German Language in a changing Europe. Cambridge UP: 1995.
Fromkin, Victoria, & Robert Rodman. An Introduction to Language. HBJ: 1998.
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LIN 379: Conference Course
Individual instruction. Prerequisites: Six hours of upper-division Linguistics.
Consent of instructor must be obtained. Requirements: You must have the prior written
consent of the instructor before you register for or add this course. Undergraduate
conference course agreement forms are available in Calhoun 503.
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