Linguistics (LING)
Director: Professor Michael J. Flynn
Professor: Michael J. Flynn
Post-Doctoral Fellow: Tiffany L. Kershner
Linguistics is the study of the remarkable capacity of human beings to learn, use and manipulate the stunningly complex and orderly systems we call languages. Carleton offers a range of courses on this topic. In addition to those listed below, see those listed under the Cognitive Studies Concentration. There is not a regular major in Linguistics, but sometimes a special major is possible. Please see our web page for up to date information.
Linguistics Courses
LING 110. Introduction to Linguistics The capacity to acquire and use natural languages such as English is surely one of the more remarkable features of human nature. In this course, we explore several aspects of this ability. Topics include the sound systems of natural languages and gestural systems of signed languages (and the relation between these), principles that regulate word order (and what these reveal about the nature of the mind), the course of language acquisition in children, and some of what is known about how knowledge of language is realized in the human brain. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall,Spring—M. Flynn
LING 111. Writing Systems Cross-listed with ASLN 111. . The structure and function of writing systems, with emphasis on a comparison of East Asian writing systems (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) to Western alphabetic systems. Topics covered include classification of writing systems, historical development, diffusion and borrowing of writing systems, and comparison with non-writing symbol systems. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—M. Hansell
LING 115. Introduction to the Theory of Syntax This course is organized to enable the student to actively participate in the construction of a rather elaborate theory of the nature of human cognitive capacity to acquire and use natural languages. In particular, we concentrate on one aspect of that capacity: the unconscious acquisition of a grammar that enables a speaker of a language to produce and recognize sentences that have not been previously encountered. In the first part of the course, we concentrate on gathering notation and terminology intended to allow an explicit and manageable description. In the second part, we depend on written and oral student contributions in a cooperative enterprise of theory construction. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—M. Flynn
LING 120. Words This course will examine the nature of words, how they are structured, how their forms and meanings evolve, and what all of this tells us about the nature of human cognition. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 170. Language in Africa Nearly one third of the approximately 6,000 languages in the world today are spoken in Africa. This course provides a general overview of African languages and linguistics. As an introduction to the study of language in Africa, we will examine the following areas: language distribution (linguistic geography); genetic classification of African languages; typological features, including tones, noun class systems, verbal morphology, ideophones; the effects of language contact (pidgins, Creoles), language use in institutional domains (e.g., political, juridical), linguistic rituals (e.g., greetings, condolences, apologies, naming practices); and language and gender in Africa. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall—T. Kershner
LING 180. The Structure of Japanese Cross-listed with ASLN 180. This course will examine some aspects of Japanese from the viewpoint of linguistic theory. It is not conducted in Japanese, nor is it a course in which students will learn Japanese. Instead, we will look at the language in the same way that a biologist might look at a complicated organism, as an interesting object of study. We will examine its history, aspects of its structure, its use in social and artistic contexts. as well as its extraordinary writing system. Some knowledge of Japanese would be helpful, but is not required. No knowledge of linguistics will be presupposed. No prerequisites 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—M. Flynn
LING 181. History of Romance Language The Romance languages offer a unique perspective on an important question: how and why do languages change over time? Although all Romance languages have Latin as their source, each is distinct from its siblings and from Latin in many ways. This course examines the primary changes in the phonology, morphology, syntax, and lexicon of Latin as it developed into the Romance language family, and explores the relationship between the ways in which a language changes and the historical events which shape the lives of it speakers. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 190. Language and Gender Cross-listed with WGST 190. As social beings, we order our existence according to characteristics that link us to and distinguish us from each other. One of the most salient of these is gender, and since language is the primary symbolic system by which we express our experiences, it is no surprise that language and gender interact in intricate ways. This course explores the relationships between language, gender, and society. In what ways do men and women use language differently? How do these differences reflect and/or maintain gender roles in society? While the course takes primarily a linguistic perspective, it will also draw on insights from anthropology, sociology, psychology, and women's and gender studies. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—T. Kershner
LING 195. The Structure of Chisukwa This course provides an introduction to the structure of Chisukwa, an endangered Bantu language spoken in northern Malawi. We will examine how one particular culture, the Sukwa of Malawi, have chosen to depict, represent, and talk about their world and experiences in it. Topics to be considered include aspects of its grammar, including its sound system, noun classes, verbal morphology, and sentence structure. We will also examine its history, the culture of the speakers, and the use of the language in the community. No prerequisites. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 215. The Syntax of an Unfamiliar Language In this course we examine, with the help of a native speaker informant, the syntax of a language deliberately chosen for its being unfamiliar to all the participants. Our goal will be to construct a coherent and theoretically respectable account of some of the principles that enter into the cognitive organization of speakers of the selected language. Each student will investigate some aspect of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report. Prerequisite: Linguistics 115. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 217. Phonetics and Phonology Although no two utterances are ever exactly the same, we humans don't function like tape recorders; we overlook distinctions to which mechanical recording devices are sensitive, and we "hear" contrasts which are objectively not there. What we (think we) hear is determined by the sound system of the language we speak. This course examines the sound systems of human languages, focusing on how speech sounds are produced and perceived, and how these units come to be organized into a systematic network in the minds of speakers of languages. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 220. The Verb Different cultures differentiate and frame events in various ways. At the heart of conceptual events are verbs, essentially an inventory of the ways a particular group of people depict and understand the interactions they have with each other and with the world around them. In this course, we will examine current issues and hypotheses concerning verbal structure and semantics. Emphasis throughout will be on the attempt to explain verbal phenomena both language internally and cross-linguistically. Each student will investigate some aspect of verbal phenomena in a language of their choice, culminating in a class presentation and research report. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 240. Dialects Cross-listed with SOAN 241. In this course, we examine the power of dialect as a means of expressing our own, and identifying other people's, social identities. Using both linguistic and sociological criteria, we address such questions as: What is a dialect? In what ways do social phenomena such as regional loyalties, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, gender and age shape the dialect we speak? What consequences does dialect variation have with regard to social equality? To what extent can this variation help us understand how and why languages change over time? Prerequisite: Linguistics 110 or another linguistics course and consent of the instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 250. Linguistics and the Literary Art Cross-listed with ENGL 250. . This course examines approaches to the question: "How do artists who use language as a medium manipulate that medium, and to what effect?". Prerequisite: Linguistics 110 or permission of instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 260. Historical Linguistics Cross-listed with ASLN 260. . Concepts and techniques of historical linguistics, especially methods used in the discovery of family relationships between languages and the reconstruction of ancestral forms. Other topics include grammatical, semantic, and lexical change, processes of sound change, language contact, and the use of linguistic evidence in cultural reconstruction. In addition to the more familiar Indo-European languages, data will come from Western Pacific and Australian languages, and especially East Asian languages. Prerequisite: previous experience in linguistics or instructor's permission. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2003-2004.
LING 270. Language, Speech, and Evolution Languages can be thought of as abstract devices that link signals and messages. For the signal part, the vast majority of human languages use speech. Speech production and speech perception are both very complicated, probably unique to human beings, and "tuned" to each other in interesting ways. In this course we will have a close look at the relevant mechanisms, with the goal of approaching the question of how this remarkable system could have arisen in our species. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110 or permission of the instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—M. Flynn
LING 280. Field Methods in Linguistics This course will introduce students to techniques of linguistic research and analysis through direct work with a native speaker of a language not taught at Carleton. Students will learn techniques for eliciting and organizing data, for preparing entries in a field dictionary, and for preparing a grammar. Our goal is to figure out the grammar of the language (sound system, word formation, sentence structure, etc.) from working with raw data. We will also discuss ethical problems in the field. By the end of the term, students will be expected to prepare short dictionary entries and grammatical descriptions. 6 credits cr., SS, Spring—T. Kershner
LING 317. Topics in Phonology More on phonology, with special attention to issues involving the evolution of sound systems and their development in children. Prerequisite: Linguistics 217. 6 credits cr., SS, Fall—M. Flynn