Upper-Division

Provides a comprehensive introduction to the sounds of human language. Involves a detailed examination of the human vocal tract, the mechanics of phonetic transcription within the system of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and the essentials of phonology, particularly how to do phonemic analysis of any language. (Formerly Phonetics I.)

Introduction to how sounds pattern in grammars-why they vary, how they combine, etc. Emphasis is on developing theories to explain the patterns. Topics include distinctive feature theory, phonemic analysis, autosegmental phonology, and principles of syllabification and stress.

Advanced phonological theory. Topics include markedness; underspecification theories; advanced topics in feature geometry, syllable theory, and stress theory; and optimality theory. Readings include published articles. Emphasis on theory construction and argumentation based on data.

Advanced topics in phonology, with an emphasis on reading both classic and contemporary research articles and book chapters. Prerequisite(s): LING 102 and enrollment by interview.

Study of the principles of word formation: derivation, inflection, and compounding; cross-linguistic study of morphological processes, morphological investigation and analysis.

An introduction to the linguistic aspects of poetry, e.g., rhyme, meter, and larger-scale organization of poetic form. The emphasis is on English poetry, complemented by brief sketches of other poetic traditions.

Provides a basic introduction to the methods and results of generative grammar. It simultaneously provides an overview of the major syntactic constructions of English.

An introduction to syntactic investigation, developed through the study of central aspects of English syntax. A major purpose is to introduce students to the study of language as an empirical science.

Further aspects of English syntax; universal and language-particular constraints on syntactic structures and rules. Further developments and extensions of generative theory.

Advanced topics in syntax. Prerequisite(s): LING 113, satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements and permission of instructor.

Introduces reading the primary literature in a sub-discipline of linguistics. Topics vary by instructor interest and readings will vary as a result. Emphasis is on how to read technically difficult works, evaluate arguments, and appreciate competing views. Coursework includes readings, presentations, and short response papers. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Students should have completed appropriate upper-division courses in the relevant sub-disciplines; see instructor for recommendations. (Formerly offered as Readings in Syntax.)

Advanced undergraduate course devoted to a topic in linguistics. Topics and linguistics sub-disciplines covered vary with instructor interest. Coursework includes problem sets, readings, presentations, and a term paper. Enrollment by permission of instructor. Students should have completed appropriate upper-division courses in the relevant sub-disciplines; see instructor for recommendations. (Formerly offered as Topics in Syntax.)

Major issues in natural language semantics: nature of lexical entries, thematic relations, propositional representation or logical form; relation between semantic interpretation and syntactic representations, quantification and scope relations, reference and presupposition, coreference and anaphoric relations.

Covers topics central in the study of pragmatics, the interpretation of language use. Topics include conversational implicature, speech acts and discourse understanding, and social deixis.

Uses the tools learned in LING 53 and LING 116 (Semantics I and Semantics II), giving students the opportunity to explore important topics with heavy emphasis placed on reading primary-source literature. Readings form the basis for weekly lectures and the discussion section. Prerequisite(s): LING 116. Enrollment is by permission of instructor.

Course about narratives, the complex stories that people build and tell each other. Examines these linguistically: What is a story from a linguistic point of view? What are its components? How can we understand traditional concepts like perspective-taking, chronology, transport, and the narrator within modern linguistic frameworks? Topics may include quotation, tense and aspect, textual cohesion, and discourse relations.

Survey of grammatical structure of English and terminology of grammatical description. Covers phonological, morphological, and syntactic structure of English and contrasts it with other languages.

Introduces the branch of linguistics whose goal is to describe and explain the structural diversity of the world's languages. Focuses on what is known about variation in particular domains (e.g., syllable structure, word order, evidentiality), and how it might be explained.

Survey of some of the history and foundational assumptions of generative grammar; also looks at some of the influence of generative linguistic theorizing on disciplines outside linguistics, notably psychology and philosophy.

Topics in the history of linguistics, with a special focus on the 20th century.

Students investigate Spanglish as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon. Students learn linguistic tools to describe, analyze, and destigmatize Spanglish, and explore the ways that it is used to establish identity. Additionally, students compare Spanglish to ways of communicating in other bilingual contexts.

Examines varieties of California Englishes and the features that compose these varieties. Through this examination, course also tries to better understand how social categories such as race, gender, sexuality, age, and class relate to the linguistic variation found in California English varieties. Course also seeks to explain how linguistic features acquire social meaning, and how these features are adopted in the construction of identity.

In the age of social media, much of communication happens online. Despite claims to the contrary, the internet has not destroyed language; rather, language is thriving in new and vibrant ways online. This course uses the tools of linguistics to explore how the internet (with acronyms, emojis, and memes) has affected language use and how properties of language continue to shape online communication technologies. Topics covered include: whether emojis are language, what makes a spicy meme, how communities form online, and how online linguistic behaviors aid in the spread of misinformation.

Many of us are probably aware that people of different ethnic or racial backgrounds may speak differently, but most of us probably do not know that all varieties of English are equally "grammatical." And while some of us are probably aware of the fact that racial and ethnic categories are "constructed," most of us have probably not considered the ways in which language use figures in the construction of ethnic and/or racial identity. Course introduces a number of racialized linguistic varieties and their intersections with other identity categories (gender, sexuality, socio-economic class), as well as emergent new scholarship on language and racialization.

The study of queer linguistics is deeply multi-disciplinary, informed by linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropology, women’s studies, post-colonialism, and queer theory. It has been insightful regarding the contribution of language to the construction of all identities: for our understanding of what identity categories are; their intersectional natures; and our agency, as speakers, when using language in non-standard ways. This course touches upon these issues; class format includes lectures, video-viewing, small group discussions, and class discussion. Focuses on language use across genders and sexualities, and on connections between groups of speakers and the theoretical developments which work on these communities set in motion.

Methods and problems in the study of change in linguistic systems. Reconstruction of proto-languages; the comparative method. Theories of change and implications for the theory of grammar.

Introduction to and survey of the ellipsis in natural language, including the typology of ellipsis processes, cross-linguistic uniformity and variation in ellipsis, and theoretical approaches and issues.

Introduction to computational methods for linguists with little background in computer programming. Possible topics include: regular expressions, annotation, databases, and search. Students learn contemporary techniques in team-based programming and annotation.

Selective survey of the indigenous languages of North America, including a formal/structural component and an historical/social component. Topics include typological properties of these languages, current status, and revitalization efforts.

Introduces quantitative methods for linguistics. Focuses on categorical data and continuous data, and using R. Students learn the basics of probability, statistics, and experimental design, and use R to apply them to linguistic data sets.

Designed to give students practical experience with contemporary research topics, methods and skills in linguistics and the broader language sciences. Students engage directly with local researchers and conduct targeted in-class skills activities. Students complete a portfolio of assignments which allow them to broaden their understanding of potential research areas in linguistics and language sciences and also to develop a particular topic of interest, culminating in a literature review and project proposal. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor.

Hands-on introduction to instrumental phonetic analysis, phonetic analysis using experimental methods. Emphasis is on the acoustics and perception of speech. (Formerly Phonetic Analysis.)

Examines areas in which phonetic analysis and experimentation are used in practice. Emphasizes problem-solving, experiments, and analytical tasks.

Introduction to sociolinguistics exploring the relationship between language and such social parameters as social status, ethnicity, race, gender, etc., including the role of language differences in the creation of social stereotypes. Emphasis on gathering, examining, and reporting data.

Introduces and examines some of the foundational assumptions, practices, and methods of generative grammar in comparison to those of other areas of cognitive science, notably psychology and philosophy.

Addresses a particular problem in language engineering, chosen for its practical and theoretical interest and its tractability. The entire course focuses on a team project to design a solution to the problem. Permission of instructor required.

Introduction to computational linguistics for engineers with a focus on providing background and skills in linguistics. Students are expected to already have programming skills and basic computer science. Knowledge of shell scripting or a scripting language suggested.

Theory and methods in psycholinguistics, covering perception, production, and acquisition of language and linguistic structure. A hands-on, laboratory-style introduction to the topic, focusing on the relation between experimental findings and linguistic theory. (Formerly LING 157, Psycholinguistics and Linguistic Theory.)

Advanced topics in psycholinguistics and experimental linguistics, contemporary memory models, computational models of comprehension and production, and neurolinguistic findings and methodologies. Student work revolves around an extended research project in which students learn to apply advanced analytical techniques. (Formerly LING 158, Advanced Psycholinguistics.)

Variation is an inseparable and natural part of being human. This course focuses on variation in language, a unique part of the human experience. How do differences in language background, cognition, and modality contribute to variation in language processing? Course approaches these questions guided by the premise that there are many ways to use language. Students critically examine scientific findings relating to individual and cross-population differences in language processing, with the intention of reframing deficit-based views of language use.

Topics in the phonology, morphology, syntax, or semantics of a language that is the research interest of the instructor. The language investigated changes with each offering of the course.

Discusses topics in the phonology, syntax, and semantics of Romance languages, with emphasis left to the discretion of the instructor. Students read original research articles and pursue empirical investigation of Romance languages by collecting data from scholarly publications, fieldwork, and/or corpus analysis. Some knowledge of Italian, French, or Spanish is required.

The phonology and syntax of Spanish, studied from a modern linguistic perspective. Some knowledge of Spanish is required.

The phonology, morphology, and syntax aspects of French. Some knowledge of French is helpful.

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Russian. Some knowledge of Russian is helpful.

Phonological, morphological, and syntactic aspects of the structure of the German language. Some knowledge of German is required.

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Japanese.

Introduces the syntax and semantics of Chinese Languages (particularly Cantonese and Mandarin), especially those aspects that are typologically different from Indo-European languages like English. Students learn to appreciate typological differences in natural languages and develop skills to analyze them. Course involves a global classroom component: throughout the quarter students meet and work with students from another institute in an international location to explore language differences.

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of Arabic. (Mainly modern standard, but also some regional dialects.) No knowledge of Arabic is required.

Students produce a research paper or other significant project to satisfy the capstone requirement. Prerequisite(s): LING 101, and either LING 111 or LING 112. Concurrent enrollment in a specified upper-division course is required. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor and is restricted to senior linguistics and language studies majors.

Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.

Deadline for submission of thesis proposal is one year in advance of proposed completion. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.

Provides for department-sponsored individual study programs off campus for which faculty supervision is not in person (e.g., supervision by correspondence). Preparation and approval must be completed by the fifth day of instruction of any given quarter. Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.

Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.

Students submit petition to sponsoring agency.