Undergraduate Program
Courses of Study:
Major (B.A.)
Minor
Objectives
The major and minor in language and linguistics is designed to offer students multiple perspectives on the study of language: as a universal cognitive faculty, as an interactive mechanism for human development and for constructing social identities, as a spoken and written medium for cultural expression, and as an object and means of philosophical reflection. All these perspectives require training in the formal properties of language, including phonology, morphology, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics. Courses on "generative grammar" attempt to describe formally the nature of a speaker’s knowledge of his or her native language and to place this knowledge in a psychological and biological framework. Other courses in the program explore the role of the study of language in many scientific, social, and humanistic disciplines, such as cognitive science and artificial intelligence, historical philology and epigraphy, literary theory, neuroscience, philosophy of language and logic, psychology, semiotic and linguistic anthropology, and sociolinguistics.
How to Become a Major or Minor
In order to get a flavor of the field of linguistics, the best way to start is to take LING 100a (Introduction to Linguistics), which deals with the major concepts of the field and the technical tools used to articulate these concepts. The course also introduces students to the feel of doing research on language, through the use of numerous problem sets concerning the organization of a variety of languages.
Students wishing to major or minor in language and linguistics should arrange to meet with the undergraduate advising head, Prof. Lotus Goldberg, to discuss the planning of a program that meets their interests.
Requirements for the Major
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Nine courses are required of all candidates:
- LING 100a, LING 110a, Ling 120b, and either LING 130a or LING 140b.
- Four additional courses from the LING courses and the elective courses listed below. A student may count no more than three elective courses from another single department toward the fulfillment of the major in Language and Linguistics.
- One advanced course in a natural language, to be chosen from the following list (or by consent of the undergraduate advising head): CHIN 105a, CHIN 105b, FREN 105a, FREN 106b, GER 103a, GER 104a, HBRW 141a, HBRW 161b, ITAL 105a, JAPN 105a, RUS 105a, RUS 106b, SPAN 105a, SPAN 106b.
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Honors will be awarded on successful completion of a senior thesis (LING 99d) in addition to the above course requirements. A grade point average of 3.50 or above in language and linguistics courses is normally required.
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A grade of C or better is necessary for all courses offered toward a major in linguistics. No courses offered toward the fulfillment of the requirements for the major may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
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Students may petition the language and linguistics faculty committee for changes in the above program.
New for 2009-10: Focus Options for the Language and Linguistics Major
Focus options are not part of the requirements for the major, since the degree requirements remain the same regardless of which focus is chosen. Instead, these focuses present recommended options for choosing elective courses for the major which can satisfy various interdisciplinary interests which a student may have. For questions about focuses or elective choices, students should consult with the undergraduate advising head.
General Linguistics Focus
The general linguistics focus involves the broad examination of the field of linguistics. It is intended for students who wish to focus their studies on theoretical linguistics, including those who are considering writing a senior thesis in a subfield and/or graduate study in the field.
The general linguistics focus involves the broad examination of the field of linguistics. It is intended for students who wish to focus their studies on theoretical linguistics, including those who are considering writing a senior thesis in a subfield and/or graduate study in the field.
In addition to the required core courses and advanced language requirement for the language and linguistics major, it is recommended that students in this focus take as many other theoretical linguistics courses as possible (at least four) from the following list: LING 112b, LING 115a, LING 125b, LING 128a, LING 130a or LING 140a (whichever is not used as a core course), LING 131a, LING 160b, and LING 190b.
Language and Computation Focus
The language and computation focus starts students on a path towards the use of computational methods in the exploration of linguistic problems and the computational modeling of human language cognition. The recommended courses in this specialization introduce the fundamental computational techniques used to model the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic aspects of human language.
Where language and linguistics core courses feature a computational component, students are encouraged to participate in that component. In addition to the required core courses and advanced language requirement for the language and linguistics major, it is recommended that students take as many computational linguistics courses as possible from the following list: LING 131a, LING 160b, LING 190b (where the topic is in computational linguistics), COSI 112a, COSI 114b, COSI 134a, COSI 135b, COSI 216a, and COSI 217a.
Students interested in computational linguistics are encouraged to consider the BA/MA or the MA in this field. For details about these computational linguistics programs, please see the Department of Computer Science entry in this Bulletin.
Cognitive Science Focus
The cognitive science focus addresses the major issues and methodologies in the study of intelligent systems, combining elements of linguistics, computer science, biology and neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology.
In addition to the required core courses and the advanced language requirement for the language and linguistics major, it is recommended that students focusing on cognitive science include as many of the following courses as possible from the other contributing disciplines of cognitive science:
1. Formal and Computational Approaches to Cognition: LING 131a, LING 160a, COSI 101a, COSI 112a, and COSI 114b.
2. Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognition: LING 197a, PSYC 1a, PSYC 15a, PSYC 21a, NPSY 11b, NPSY 12a, and NPSY 22b.
3. Philosophy of Cognition: PHIL 36b, PHIL 39b, Phil 133a, PHIL 137a, PHIL 140a, and PHIL 141b.
Language and Society Focus
The language and society focus is recommended for majors who wish to couple their grounding in formal linguistics with an understanding of the effects of sociocultural and anthropological issues, such as variables of ethnicity, gender, class, and identity, upon language structure and use.
In addition to the required core courses and advanced language requirement for the language and linguistics major, it is recommended that students take as many courses as possible from the following list: LING 112b, LING 128a, LING 140a, LING 197a, ANTH 61b, ANTH 126b, ANTH 139b, ANTH 153a, ANTH 186b, HBRW 167b, and PHIL 137a.
Requirements for the Minor
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Five courses are required of all candidates:
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LING 100a and 120b.
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LING 110a, LING 130a or LING 140b.
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Two other courses from the LING courses and the elective courses listed below. A student may count no more than one elective course from another single department toward the fulfillment of the minor in Language and Linguistics.
* No course offered toward the fulfillment of the requirements for the minor may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
* Students may petition the language and linguistics faculty committee for changes in the above program. -