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College of Arts and Sciences 2008-2010 Online Bulletin Table of Contents

 

 

College of Arts
and Sciences (College)
2008–2010
Academic Bulletin

College Programs
College of Arts and Sciences (College) 
Kirkwood Hall 104 
130 S. Woodlawn 
Bloomington, IN 47405  
Local (812) 855-1821 
Fax (812) 855-2060 
Contact College
 

Linguistics

Faculty
Introduction
Major in Linguistics
Double Major
Interdepartmental Major in Linguistics and Speech and Hearing Sciences
  (Focus on Speech Technology)

Minor in Linguistics
Minor in African Languages
Honors Program in Linguistics
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Chairperson

Professor Stuart Davis

Chancellor's Professor

Daniel Dinnsen

Professors

Robert Botne, Stuart Davis, Steven Franks (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Samuel Gyasi Obeng, Robert Port (Cognitive Science)

Associate Professors

Julie Auger (French and Italian), J. Clancy Clements (Spanish and Portuguese), Kenneth de Jong, Yoshihisa Kitagawa, Frances Trix (Anthropology), Barbara Vance (French and Italian)

Clinical Associate Professor

Alwiya Omar (African Languages Coordinator)

Assistant Professors

Markus Dickinson, Sandra Kübler

Adjunct Professors

Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig (Second Language Studies), Phil Connell (Speech and Hearing Sciences), Judith Gierut (Speech and Hearing Sciences, Cognitive Science), Lawrence Moss (Mathematics), David Pisoni (Psychological and Brain Sciences), Rex Sprouse (Germanic Studies), Natsuko Tsujimura (East Asian Languages and Cultures)

Adjunct Associate Professors

Laurent Dekydtspotter (French and Italian), George Fowler (Slavic Languages and Literatures), Michael Gasser (Cognitive Science, Computer Science), Susan Herring (Library and Information Science), Philip LeSourd (Anthropology), Roxana Ma Newman (International Programs), John Paolillo (Library and Information Science)

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Damir Cavar

Distinguished Professor

Paul Newman (Emeritus)

Rudy Professor

Albert Valdman (Emeritus, French and Italian)

Academic Advising

Krystie Herndon, Memorial Hall 322, (812) 855-6456

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Introduction

Linguistics is the scientific study of language in all its forms and uses. The Department of Linguistics (LING) offers a major in linguistics leading to a B.A. degree, and the opportunity for interested students to take course work that satisfies distributional requirements. The curriculum is designed to broaden students' foreign language experience with the study of language structure and to introduce students to a variety of aspects of linguistic investigation, including language use, meaning, and stylistics; language change and variation; and training in linguistic analysis of phonetic, phonological, morphological, and syntactic structure.

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Major in Linguistics

Requirements

Students must complete at least 30 credit hours in linguistics and required language courses, including the following:

  1. Core Requirements: L306, L307, L310, L431, and four electives, of which two must be at the 300–400 level. One elective may be from a related area.
  2. Language Structure Requirements: L432 or L490, or two courses in a language approved by the department, excluding major western European languages (such as German or the major Romance languages).
  3. Language Proficiency Requirement: at least one 3 credit hour course at the 300–400 level of a foreign language. (This requirement is waived for students who double major in linguistics and a foreign language.)

Students must complete the degree requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Interdepartmental Major in Linguistics and Speech and Hearing Sciences (Focus on Speech Technology)

Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 40 credit hours in the major. Students must also complete the degree requirements for the B.A. in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Linguistics

  1. LING L303 Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (3 cr.)
  2. LING L445 The Computer and Natural Language (3 cr.)
  3. LING L306 Phonetics (3 cr.) or Speech and Hearing Sciences S302 (see below)
  4. At least 6 additional credit hours in Linguistics at the 300 level or above

Speech and Hearing Sciences

  1. SPHS S110 Survey of Communication Disorders (3 cr.)
  2. SPHS S319 Mathematical Foundation for Speech and Hearing Sciences (3 cr.)
  3. SPHS S302 Acoustics for Speech and Hearing Sciences (3 cr.) or Linguistics L306 (see above)
  4. At least 6 additional credit hours in SPHS at the 300 level or above

Other Requirements

  1. Computer Science C211 Introduction to Computer Science (4 cr.).
  2. At least one of the following courses (or an approved substitute):
    1. Psychological and Brain Sciences P325 Psychology of Learning
      (3 cr.).
    2. Psychological and Brain Sciences P329 Sensation and Perception (3 cr.).
    3. Psychological and Brain Sciences P335 Cognitive Psychology (3 cr.).
    4. Computer Science C212 Introduction to Software Systems
      (4 cr.).
    5. Computer Science C241 Discrete Structures for Computer Science (3 cr.).
    6. Cognitive Science Q240 Philosophical Foundations of the Cognitive and Information Sciences (4 cr.).
    7. Cognitive Science Q270 Experiments and Models of Cognition (4 cr.).
    8. COGS Q260 Programming for the Cognitive and Information Sciences (2 cr.) and Q320 Computation in the Cognitive and Information Sciences (2 cr.).
    9. Cognitive Science Q351 Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Computer Simulation (3 cr.).
  3. Additional courses taken from this list or from Speech and Hearing Sciences at the 300 level or above or from Linguistics at the 300 level or above to reach the minimum required total of 40 credit hours.

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Minor in Linguistics

Requirements

At least 15 College of Arts and Sciences credit hours approved by the department, including either L103 or L303. At least three courses must be at the 300 level or above. Three credit hours may be taken in a related field, subject to approval by the department.

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Minor in African Languages

Requirements

Students must complete the following:

  1. Minimum of 13 credit hours in one of the following language tracks:
    1. Akan: W102, W201, W202, W301.
    2. Bamana: B102, B201, B202, B301.
    3. Hausa: H102, H201, H202, H301.
    4. Swahili: S102, S201, S202, S301.
    5. Zulu: Z102, Z201, Z202, Z301.
  2. Minimum of 3 credit hours in either L480 or L481.

Note: First-semester language courses do not count in the minor. Most students will need to complete 20 credit hours to satisfy all minor requirements in order to complete the prerequisite first semester of the relevant African language as well as the courses required for the minor.

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Honors Program in Linguistics

Applicants must have completed at least three courses in linguistics with a minimum GPA of 3.500; at least two of these courses must be required core courses (i.e., L306, L307, L310, L431). Applicants should have a minimum College GPA of 3.300, the recommendation of a linguistics faculty member, and a strong interest in a specific area of study.

To graduate with Honors in Linguistics, a student must have earned a minimum College GPA of 3.300, a minimum GPA of 3.500 in Linguistics courses, and a minimum grade of B in each of two required Honors courses (L399 and L499). In L499, students are required to complete original research, field work, or a language-related project, evaluated by the student's project advisor and one other faculty member.

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Course Descriptions

L103 Introduction to the Study of Language (3 cr.) S & H A survey of perspectives on language, covering topics such as the relation between the form of words and sentences and their meanings, the sounds of languages and their dialect variations, the use of language in daily life, language in humans and animals, and the relationship between language and thought.

L111 Dialect and Language Variation (3 cr.) S & H, TFR A study of variation, particularly dialectal variation, in American English, examining the situation in Indiana within the broader American dialect setting. Topics include the myths, attitudes, and realities surrounding the concept of dialect, standard and non-standard dialects, dialects of American English, dialects in Indiana, and methods of gathering and analyzing data.

L112 Language and Politics (3 cr.) S & H, TFR Explores how language and politics influence each other. The speeches of presidents, vice presidents, congressmen, senators, governors, and action group members will be examined. Course topics include notions of context, political pronouns, parallelism, metaphors, questions and answers, political correctness, censorship, and the politics about languages (language policy issues).

L113 Language and Gender (3 cr.) S & H, TFR How do women and men use language? How does language reflect the status of men and women in society? Topics discussed include language and sexism, language and gender across cultures, language and homosexuality, the acquisition of gendered patterns of language, politeness and gender, and why women and men speak differently.

L114 Language and Religion (3 cr.) A & H, TFR Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Islam, Christianity, and other religions exhibit diverse attitudes toward language, specific linguistic practices, and styles of religious speech (singing, chanting). Discover how religions deal with the loss of intelligibility over time of their sacred texts (Bible, Koran, Sutras) and find out why translation into a modern language cannot completely solve the problem. Field trips to religious events.

L205 Language and Style (3 cr.) S & H A study of variation in language, particularly as it affects the transmission of meaning. Geographic, social, sexual, and situational linguistic variation will be studied. The specialized forms and functions of the languages of politics, advertising, and literature will be examined in detail, as will various strategies for verbal manipulation.

L210 Topics in Language and Society (3 cr.) S & H The study of topics relating to the role of language as a social phenomenon.

L303 Introduction to Linguistic Analysis (3 cr.) N & M Introduction to basic concepts of linguistic analysis, exemplifying the general principles of structural approaches to the study of language. Application of analytical methods to problems selected from phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

L306 Phonetics (3 cr.) N & M Introduction to the nature of speech, and the physiology and process of speech production, and training in IPA transcription of utterances drawn from the languages of the world, including various English dialects. The course includes an emphasis on naturally occurring speech and understanding physical aspects of speech behavior. Some laboratory work is included.

L307 Phonology (3 cr.) N & M R: L306. Basic concepts such as the phoneme and distinctive feature as defined and used within particular theories. The relationship of phonology to phonetics and morphology; exploration of salient aspects of sound structure and some characteristic modes of argumentation; extensive phonological analysis with some practice in writing phonological rules.

L308 Morphology (3 cr.) N & M P: L103, L303, or L307. An introduction to morphology, the study of the internal structure of words. Topics include the concept of the morpheme, the structure of words and processes of word formation, inflection versus derivation, and issues in morphological theory. Students will do morphological analyses on forms drawn from a variety of languages.

L310 Syntax (3 cr.) N & M R L303. Examination of the basic concepts, assumptions, and argumentation of modern syntactic theory to describe and analyze common syntactic structures in English and other languages. Practice in constructing and evaluating grammars.

L315 Introduction to Sociolinguistics (3 cr.) S & H Examines the relationship between language and society. Issues include the nature of sociolinguistics; the importance of age, sex, socioeconomic status, language ideologies; why people use different dialects/languages in different situations; bilingualism and multilingualism; language choice, language attitudes, language endangerment; the relevance of sociolinguistics to general linguistics theory.

L325 Semantics (3 cr.) N & M R: L303 and L310 or L308. An introduction to the relationship between linguistic forms and their meanings, use, and interpretation. Students will investigate the domain of linguistic semantics and acquire the "tools" to do semantic analysis and to critically evaluate those of others.

L327 Language, Action, and Social Interaction (3 cr.) S & H P: Consent of instructor. R: L205. Participants in social interaction use language to perform such activities as describing, telling stories, requesting, criticizing, apologizing, insulting, objecting, joking, greeting, and teasing. This course examines how participants accomplish these actions in talk and face-to-face interaction. Instruction may include use of video/audio recordings or computer analysis of interaction. Credit given for only one of L327 or SOC S327.

L367 Languages of the World (3 cr.) S & H P: L103 or L303. Survey of the language families of the world, including their chief grammatical characteristics, geographical distribution, and cultural status. Topics include methods and evidence for language grouping, causes for linguistic diversity, characteristics of endangered languages, and causes for their endangerment.

L399 Readings in Linguistics (Honors) (cr. arr.; 6 cr. max.) P: Consent of departmental honors committee.

L408 Readings in Linguistics (1–4 cr.) R: 12 credit hours of linguistics, or L103 and advanced work in a foreign language. Directed reading in various fields of linguistics. May not duplicate a regularly offered course. May be repeated up to a maximum of 12 credit hours.

L430 Language Change and Variation (3 cr.) S & H P: L307. R: L310 or L308. An introduction to how languages change over time and how prehistoric languages can be reconstructed by comparing their modern descendants. Major topics include principles of language change; historical reconstruction; language relatedness and language families; variation and the mechanism of language change; contact-induced change; the birth and death of languages.

L431 Field Methods (3 cr.) P: L307. R: L310. Introduction to the procedures involved in the structural description of language, using a native speaker of an unfamiliar language whose speech will be analyzed.

L432 Advanced Field Methods (3 cr.) P: L431. Advanced analysis of language under study in L431.

L445 The Computer and Natural Language (3 cr.) N & M Present-day computer systems work with human language in many different forms, whether as stored data in the form of text, typed queries to a database or search engine, or speech commands in a voice-driven computer system. We also increasingly expect computers to produce human language, such as user-friendly error messages and synthesized speech. This course surveys a range of linguistic issues and problems in computational linguistics.

L480 Introduction to African Linguistics (3 cr.) S & H P: L303 or linguistics major. Introduction to the linguistic study of African languages; questions of language distribution, typological and genetic classification, comparative reconstruction, and structural aspects of individual languages.

L481 Languages in Africa (3 cr.) S & H, CSA Study of languages as an integral component of the lives of African peoples. Topics include linguistic rituals, such as greetings, condolences, apologies, and leave-taking; speaking the unspeakable, joking, and insulting, story telling, proverbs, and anthroponymy. Issues addressed include women and rhetoric, language education, and the dynamics of language spread.

L485 Topics in Linguistics (3 cr.) P: Varies according to topic. Studies in special topics not ordinarily covered in departmental courses.

L490 Linguistic Structures (3 cr.) P: Consent of instructor. The linguistic analysis of particular aspects of the structure of one language or a group of closely related languages.

L499 Honors Project (cr. arr.; 6 cr. max.) P: Approval of the departmental honors committee.

African Languages

B101-B102 Elementary Bamana I-II (4-4 cr.) Introduction to Bamana, a Mande language of West Africa, and aspects of Bamana culture. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on the spoken language.

B201-B202 Intermediate Bamana I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in B102 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills: speaking and writing. Reading of elementary texts.

B301-B302 Advanced Bamana I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in B202 or equivalent proficiency. Examination of subtle nuances in grammatical structures. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Composition. Oriented to the needs of students enrolled.

H101-H102 Elementary Hausa I-II (4-4 cr.) Introduction to Hausa, a language spoken in Nigeria and Niger, and aspects of Hausa culture. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on the spoken language.

H201-H202 Intermediate Hausa I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in H102 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills: speaking and writing. Reading of elementary texts.

H301-H302 Advanced Hausa I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in H202 or equivalent proficiency. Examination of subtle nuances in grammatical structures. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Composition. Oriented to needs of students enrolled.

S101-S102 Elementary Swahili I-II (4-4 cr.) Introduction to Swahili, a Bantu language spoken in East Africa, and aspects of Bantu culture. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on the spoken language.

S201-S202 Intermediate Swahili I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in S102 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills: speaking and writing. Reading of elementary texts.

S301-S302 Advanced Swahili I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in S202 or equivalent proficiency. Examination of subtle nuances in grammatical structures. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Composition. Oriented to needs of students enrolled.

W101 Elementary Akan I (4 cr.) Introduction to Akan, a major language of West Africa, spoken by the Akan peoples of Ghana. With approximately three million speakers, it is the major language of Ghana. Also spoken by thousands of people in the Ivory Coast. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on the spoken language.

W102 Elementary Akan II (4 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in W101 or equivalent proficiency. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on spoken language-oral and listening comprehension, language use in specific social settings like the market, school, hospital, doctor's office, among others. Important cultural points such as food, clothing, marriage.

W201 Intermediate Akan I (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in W102 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills, speaking and writing. Reading of elementary texts.

W202 Intermediate Akan II (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in W201 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills, speaking, writing and reading texts. Attention on oral and written composition, reading and listening comprehension, translation from English to Akan and from Akan to English. Description of cultural events through the use of videos and Internet resources.

W301 Advanced Akan I (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in W202 or equivalent proficiency. Examination of subtle nuances in grammatical structures. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature.

W302 Advanced Akan II (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in W301 or equivalent proficiency. Study of complex grammatical structures and more complex contextual discourse patterns. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Advanced oral and written compositions, advanced reading and listening comprehension and translation of complex texts from English to Akan.

Z101 Elementary Zulu I (4 cr.) Introduction to Zulu language and culture. Zulu is spoken in South Africa and the neighboring countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho by about 10 million people. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary, emphasis on the spoken language and cultural awareness.

Z102 Elementary Zulu II (4 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in Z101 or equivalent proficiency. Basic grammatical structures and vocabulary. Emphasis on the spoken language, oral and listening comprehension, and language use in specific social settings. Uses videos and Internet resources.

Z201 Intermediate Zulu I (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in Z102 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills of speaking, writing and reading texts. Emphasis on oral and written compositions, reading and listening comprehension, and translation of texts. Description of cultural events through the use of videos and Internet resources.

Z202 Intermediate Zulu II (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in Z201 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures, with emphasis on active skills of speaking, writing, and reading texts. Emphasis on oral and written compositions, reading and listening comprehension, and translation of texts. Description of cultural events through the use of videos and Internet resources.

Z301 Advanced Zulu I (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in Z202 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures and more complex contextual discourse patterns. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Advanced oral and written compositions, advanced listening comprehension and translation of complex texts. Uses videos and Internet resources.

Z302 Advanced Zulu II (3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in Z301 or equivalent proficiency. Study of more complex grammatical structures and of more complex contextual discourse patterns. Advanced readings of traditional and modern literature. Advanced oral and written compositions, advanced listening comprehension and translation of complex texts. Uses videos and Internet resources.

F101-F102 Elementary African Languages I-II (4-4 cr.) P for F102: F101 or equivalent in the same language. Language instruction in the specific African language named in the online Schedule of Classes. Various languages will be offered when available. These courses may be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment.

F201-F202 Intermediate African Languages I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in F102 or equivalent proficiency in the same language. Language instruction in the specific African language named in the online Schedule of Classes. Various languages will be offered when available. These courses may be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment.

F301-F302 Advanced African Languages I-II (3-3 cr.) P: Grade of C or higher in F202 or equivalent proficiency in the same language. Language instruction in the specific African language named in the online Schedule of Classes. Various languages will be offered when available. These courses may be retaken for credit, but only in a different language from that of the first enrollment.

A300 Individual Study of an African Language (1–4 cr.) Individual study of an African language at the 300 level. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.

A400 Advanced Individual Study of an African Language (1–4 cr.) Advanced study of any African language beyond the 300 level. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours.

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