Courses of Study:
Minor
Major (B.A.)
Program website: http://www.brandeis.edu/programs/interdepartmental/linguistics/
The major in linguistics is designed to give students a foundation in the theory of language and its relation to allied fields of inquiry. The major emphasizes the approach of generative grammar, which attempts 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. In the last 30 years, this approach to the study of language has had a profound influence on fields as diverse as philosophy, psychology, anthropology, neuroscience, and computer science, as well as the linguist's traditional concerns with modern and classical languages and with linguistic universals.
How to Become a Major
In order to get the 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 linguistics should arrange to meet with the undergraduate advising head to discuss the planning of a program that meets their interests.
Faculty
Ray Jackendoff, Chair
Conceptual structure. Consciousness. Spatial cognition.
Joan Maling, Undergraduate Advising Head
Syntactic theory. Icelandic syntax. Korean syntax.
The following members of other departments are affiliated with linguistics:
Joan Chevalier (RUS), Janet McIntosh (ANTH), James Pustejovsky (COSI), Jerry Samet (PHIL).
Requirements for the Major
A. Ten semester courses are required of all candidates:
1. LING 100a, LING 110a, LING 120b, and LING 130a.
2. Two additional courses selected from LING 125b, 173a, 183a, 197a, and ANTH 125b.
3. Three additional courses to be chosen from the LING courses and the list of electives below. This selection must be approved by the undergraduate advisor for the major.
4. One advanced course in a natural language to be chosen from the following list: CHIN 105a, FREN 106b, GER 106a, HBRW 106b, ITAL 105a, JAPN 105a, RUS 106b, SPAN 105a, or SPAN 106b.
B. 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 linguistics and cognitive science courses is normally required.
C. A grade of C or better is necessary for all courses offered toward a major in linguistics. No course offered toward the fulfillment requirements for the major may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
D. Students may petition the Linguistics Major Committee for changes in the above program.
Requirements for the Minor in Linguistics
A. Five semester courses are required:
1. LING 100a and 120b.
2. LING 110a or 130a.
3. Any other two LING courses numbered 98 and above. Courses from the list of electives may be substituted with approval of the advisor.
B. At most, one course will be accepted as simultaneously satisfying a student's major requirements and the requirements of the minor in linguistics.
C. No course offered toward the fulfillment of the requirements for the minor may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
D. Students may petition the Linguistics Major Committee for changes in the above program (for instance, anthropology majors may want to substitute ANTH 102a for LING 100a).
Courses of Instruction
(1-99) Primarily for Undergraduate Students
LING 8b Structure of the English Language
[ hum ss ]
Open to first-year students.
A nontechnical introduction to the structure of English words and sentences. Classical roots of English vocabulary: word analysis, base forms, and rules of allomorphy. Basic concepts of grammar: categories (noun, adjective, adverb, etc.), functions (subject, object, modifier, etc.), phrases and clauses of various types. Consists of three class hours and one, one-hour recitation per week. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Ms. Maling
LING 98a Readings in Linguistics
Signature of the instructor required.
Independent reading and research under the direction of a faculty supervisor. When appropriate, a faculty member may organize a small group of students into a senior seminar. Usually offered every year.
Staff
LING 98b Readings in Linguistics
Signature of the instructor required.
See LING 98a for course description. Usually offered every year.
Staff
LING 99d Senior Research
Signature of the instructor required.
Involves the student in an independent research project under the supervision of a staff member. A student whose grade point average in linguistics is 3.50 or better may petition at the end of junior year for permission to enter this course. The student's findings are to be presented in writing and defended orally before a committee of staff members. Usually offered every year.
Staff
(100-199) For Both Undergraduate and Graduate Students
LING 100a Introduction to Linguistics
[ ss ]
Open to first year students.
A general introduction to linguistic theory and the principles of linguistic analysis. Students will construct detailed analyses of data from English and other languages in the areas of syntax, semantics, phonetics, and phonology and examine their implications for a theory of language as it is encoded in the human mind. Usually offered every year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Staff
LING 110a Phonological Theory
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a.
An introduction to generative phonology, the theory of natural language sound systems. Includes discussion of articulatory phonetics, distinctive feature theory, the concept of a "natural class," morphology and the nature of morphophonemics, and universal properties of the rules that relate morphophonemic and phonetic representations. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Staff
LING 120b Syntactic Theory
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a. LING 8b recommended.
Extends the syntactic framework developed in the introductory course through the study of such problems as the complement system, the lexicon, and constraints, with emphasis on their relevance to universal grammar. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Ms. Maling
LING 125b Universal Grammar
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a or permission of the instructor.
Advanced topics in the theory of language typology and universal grammar. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. Usually offered every second year. Will be offered in the fall of 2002.
Mr. Jackendoff and Ms. Maling
LING 130a Semantics: The Structure of Concepts
[ hum ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a or permission of the instructor.
Explores the semantic structure of language in terms of current linguistic theory. Its goal is to use the structure of language to help discover the characteristics of human concepts. Topics include the nature of word meanings, categorization, and the semantics of spatial and possessional expressions. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. Jackendoff
LING 153a Consciousness
[ ss ]
Explores the nature of conscious awareness and its relation to the mind and body. After going through the philosophical history of the mind-body problem, the class discusses the role of consciousness in cognitive science. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.
Mr. Jackendoff
LING 173a Psycholinguistics
[ ss ]
An introduction to modern psycholinguistics, with an emphasis on sentence comprehension and production. Questions concerning species-specificity and the neurological organization of language are included for consideration. Usually offered every second year. Last offered in the fall of 2001.
Staff
LING 183a Social Cognition from a Cognitive Science Perspective
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
In order for an organism to behave socially, it must have internalized knowledge of the distinctions and options available for social and cultural interaction. This course explores the character of such knowledge, drawing on literature in ethology and evolutionary psychology and on parallels with linguistics. Usually offered every third year. Last offered in the spring of 2002.
Mr. Jackendoff
LING 190b Topics in Cognitive Science
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 120b and/or LING 130a. May be repeated for credit with special permission. Intended primarily for upperclass majors, but open to other qualified students. Signature of the instructor required.
Topics include the relation of spatial cognition to spatial language and the acquisition of the lexicon. Usually offered every fourth year. Last offered in the spring of 1999.
Mr. Jackendoff
LING 197a Language Acquisition and Development
[ ss ]
Prerequisite: LING 100a or permission of the instructor.
The central problem of language acquisition is to explain what makes this formidable task possible. We will study theories of language acquisition, basing our conclusions on recent research in the development of syntax, semantics, and phonology. The overall goal is to arrive at a coherent picture of the language learning process. Usually offered every third year. Will be offered in the spring of 2003.
Staff
LING 199a Directed Research in Linguistics
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
LING 199b Directed Research in Linguistics
[ ss ]
Signature of the instructor required.
Usually offered every year.
Staff
Cross-Listed Courses
HBRW 167b (formerly HBRW 108b)
The Revival of Modern Hebrew
Elective Courses
The following courses are approved for the program. Not all are given in any one year. Please consult the Course Schedule each semester.
ANTH 125b
Investigations in an Unfamiliar Language
ANTH 126b
Cultural Semiotics
ANTH 139b
Language, Ethnicity, and Nationalism
ANTH 161b
Culture and Cognition
ANTH 186b
Social and Cultural Aspects of Linguistic Analysis
COSI 35a
Fundamentals of Artificial Intelligence
ENG 142b
Introduction to Old Norse
NEJS 108b
Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages
NPSY 22b
Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
NPSY 199a
Human Neuropsychology
PHIL 6a
Introduction to Symbolic Logic
PHIL 37a
Philosophy of Language
PHIL 39b
Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 137a
"Innateness"
PHIL 139b
Topics in Logic
PHIL 141b
Topics in Philosophy and Cognitive Science
PSYC 13b
Perception
PSYC 103a
Seminar in the Neuropsychology of Language