Carleton College

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 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 cr., SS, Fall,Winter,Spring—M. Flynn, C. Fortin

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 cr., SS, Fall,Winter—C. Fortin, C. Ussery

LING 162. Case and Agreement Systems of the World’s Languages The form words take is, in part, governed by complex systems called ‘case’ and ‘agreement’. In general, case refers to forms of nouns and agreement refers to forms of verbs. We go beyond familiar case patterns in which subjects are Nominative and objects are Accusative and familiar agreement patterns in which verbs display the person, gender, and/or number of subjects. We discover that nouns can bear a variety of cases and that agreement comes in many forms. Using syntactic theory, we explore the interaction between how languages construct words and sentences. No familiarity with languages other than English is required. 6 cr., SS, Spring—C. Ussery

LING 170. Linguistics of the Japanese Writing System The Japanese writing system is often said to be the most complicated in the world, even as Japan has among the very highest literacy rates. In this course, we will closely examine this extraordinary aspect of Japanese society, including its history, relationship with the spoken language, psychological processing, and neural implementation. Finally, we will examine the controversy concerning the use of kanji, its political ramifications, and look at how the Japanese are responding to various pressures on the system. Experience with Japanese is not necessary. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 180. The Structure of Japanese 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 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 216. Morpho-Syntax Morphology is the study of the principles that regulate the construction of words in natural languages. Syntax examines the structure of sentences. The goal of this course is to help the participants become skilled managers of both theories. Prerequisite: Linguistics 115. 6 cr., SS, Spring—C. Fortin

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 cr., SS, Winter—C. Ussery

LING 265. Language and Brain Topics include: the history of the field, agrammatism, fluent aphasia, acquired dyslexias, the role of the non-dominant hemisphere, bilingualism, and subcortical structures. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110. 6 cr., SS, Fall—M. Flynn

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 115 or permission of the instructor. 6 cr., SS, Winter—M. Flynn

LING 275. First Language Acquisition Humans are unique among animals in that we are able to attain native speaker competency in any language(s) we receive a sufficient amount of exposure to during our development. The path of acquisition is remarkably stable regardless of the language(s) being acquired, and is believed to yield insights into the nature of human language. In this course, we explore children’s capacity to acquire language, with a focus on its implications for linguistic theory. Topics include acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and acquisition in extraordinary circumstances. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110 or 115. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

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, organizing, describing, and analyzing data in an ethically responsible and scientifically rigorous manner. Our goal is to develop a description of the language -- primarily, aspects of its phonology, morphology, and syntax -- through working exclusively with a native speaker. Each student will investigate some aspect of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report. Prerequisite: Linguistics 110 or 115. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 301. Language Survey Each participant in this course works up linguistically sophisticated description of a language other than English. Prerequisite: Linguistics 217. 3 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 315. Topics in Syntax More on syntax. Particular topics vary by year and student interest. Prerequisite: Linguistics 215. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

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 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 325. Syntax of an Unfamiliar Language In this course we examine, with the help of a native speaker consultant, the syntax of a language deliberately chosen for its being unfamiliar to all the participants. Our goals will be to construct a coherent and theoretically respectable account of principles of the grammar of this language, and to understand what our account reveals about the structure of human language generally. Each student will investigate some aspect of the syntax of the language in depth, culminating in a class presentation and research report. Prerequisite: Linguistics 216. 6 cr., SS, Fall—C. Fortin

LING 340. Topics in Semantics Semantics is the study of meaning (broadly construed) in language. In this course we explore several objects of inquiry within the field of semantics, including compositional semantics (i.e., the computation of meaning over syntactic structures), lexical semantics, argument structure, and pragmatics. Prerequisite: Linguistics 216. 6 cr., SS, Not offered in 2009-2010.

LING 399. Senior Thesis 3 cr., S/CR/NC, ND, Fall—M. Flynn