Linguistics (LING)
Acting Director: Visiting Assistant Professor Laura A. Zaring
Professor: Michael J. Flynn
Visiting Assistant Professor: Laurie A. Zaring
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—L. Zaring
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, Not offered in 2000-2001.
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—L. Zaring
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 prerequisites. 6 credits cr., SS, Winter—L. Zaring
LING 190. Language and Gender 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 studies. No prerequisite. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
LING 210. Language Universals From the earliest days of the field, linguists have wondered why the grammars of languages are so similar, a question that turns out to have important implications for constructing a typology of languages and for understanding human cognition. This course examines potentially universal aspects of language, with topics ranging from grammatical categories such as tense, aspect and deixis, to patterns of word order and constructions such as relative clauses and passivization. We will pay particular attention to the range of variation allowed for each universal and the explanations, both functional and formal, that have been offered to explain their existence. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
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 2000-2001.
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, Fall—L. Zaring
LING 237. Language and Mind Cross-listed with PHIL 241. An exploration of the ways in which linguistic theory has an impact on our judgment of the nature of the organization of human cognition. We will consider modern reformulations of classical philosophical problems as well as the relation of contemporary linguistic theory to related disciplines in the cognitive sciences such as psychology. Prerequisite: Experience in linguistics or permission of instructor. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
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, Spring—L. Zaring
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?" 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
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, Winter—M. Hansell
LING 301. Language Survey This course will be a linguistic survey of the second (and perhaps third) languages spoken by the participants. Prerequisites: Linguistics 110, 115 and 217. 3 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
LING 317. Topics in Phonology More on phonology, with special attention to issues involving children, such as acquisition and delay. Prerequisite: Linguistics 217. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
LING 340. Topics in Semantics Semantics is the study of the relation between languages and the things (construed broadly) that languages are "about." Prerequisite: Philosophy 210. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
LING 372. Speech Disorders: Clinical and Theoretical Aspects This course is offered in cooperation with Dr. John Schnorr, Speech Pathologist at the Northfield Public Schools. It has two separate but interlocking parts. First, students in the class will, under Dr. Schnorr's direction, work with young people in the Northfield schools who are experiencing a language delay of one sort or another. The Carleton students will be involved in evaluation and therapy. Back at the College, our regular class sessions will use readings from the theoretical and clinical literature to address questions like these: What does linguistic theory tell us about what these children are doing with their language? What does what these children are doing tell us about the nature of language? Prerequisite: Linguistics 317. 6 credits cr., SS, Not offered in 2000-2001.
LING 399. Senior Thesis The planning, preparation, and completion of a significant paper in linguistics under the direction of a member of the department. 3 credits cr., S/CR/NC, ND, Not offered in 2000-2001.