H. CRAIG MELCHERT, Chair
Advisory Committee: Professors C. Eble, R. Hendrick, W. Lycan, C. Melchert, P. Roberge, S. Reznick, J. Thompson; Assistant Professors M. Becker, David Mora-Marín, E. Moreton, J. Smith, M. Terry
Randall Hendrick (11) Syntax, Morphology, Psychology of Language
Laura Janda (16) West Slavic Linguistics
H. Craig Melchert (10) Historical Linguistics, Indo-European Linguistics
Paul Roberge (17) Historical Linguistics, Germanic Linguistics, Pidgins and Creoles
Misha Becker (12) Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Cognitive Science
David Mora-Marín (15) Historical Linguistics, Mayan Linguistics, Linguistic Anthropology
Elliott Moreton (8) Phonetics, Phonology
Jennifer L. Smith (7) Phonology, Phonetics, Japanese
J. Michael Terry (9) Semantics
Connie Eble, English Linguistics
Lawrence Feinberg, Slavic Linguistics
Peter C. Gordon, Psychology of Language
Larry D. King, Spanish and Portuguese Linguistics
William Lycan, Philosophy of Language
Catherine Maley, Romance Linguistics
Edward D. Montgomery Jr., Romance Linguistics and Philology
Patrick O'Neill, Celtic Languages
The Department of Linguistics, comprised of specialists teaching core courses as well as faculty from nearly a dozen different departments, offers graduate work leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy in linguistics.
Degree candidates must demonstrate both a basic knowledge of the field of linguistics as a whole and the ability to do independent study in a chosen specialty. Basic knowledge of linguistics is acquired by taking certain required courses; knowledge of a specialty is gained through elective courses as well as by writing a thesis.
The elective courses are expected to form a coherent program in a subfield of linguistics (e.g., phonology, syntax, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, language acquisition) or in the application of linguistics to a closely related discipline (e.g., anthropology, the study of a particular language or language family). To this end, each student, after consultation with the director of graduate studies, will by the beginning of the second semester of residence choose a permanent adviser, who will supervise the student's program of study.
Degree programs must satisfy the general requirements of The Graduate School. In addition, the student must fulfill the following curriculum requirements.
Course Requirements. LING 400 (Introduction to General Linguistics), 520 (Linguistic Phonetics), 523 (Phonological Theory I), 530 (Syntactic Theory I), one course from among 525 (Historical Linguistics), 528 (Language Acquisition), and 537 (Semantic Theory I), plus four elective courses in linguistics or related areas, as approved by the student's advisor, plus three hours of thesis credit, for a total of 30 hours. Note: Students are expected to complete their non-elective courses during their first year. This schedule qualifies students to take their comprehensive exam and to be considered for a linguistics teaching assistantship by their third semester. Deviations from it are therefore strongly discouraged.
Foreign Language Requirement. Reading knowledge of one foreign language (for students in historical linguistics, this must be German or French). This requirement may be met in one of three ways:
(1) By passing the Graduate Student Foreign Language Test, given each November and April by The Graduate School. For precise dates, call or e-mail Ms. Leslie Van Meter, (919) 962-8145, lvanmeter@unc.edu. For a registration form, go directly to gradschool.unc.edu/gflpa.html.
(2) Where available, by passing the reading courses for graduate students numbered 601 and 602 (these courses do not earn graduate credit). Note: Students with some prior experience may find it feasible to meet the requirement by enrolling directly in and passing 602, bypassing 601.
(3) Where neither option (1) nor option (2) is available, students may arrange to have their competence certified by a qualified faculty member, usually through an informal examination.
Comprehensive Examination. During the semester following completion of the non-elective courses (which should be the fall term of the second year), students must take a three-part written exam covering: (1) phonetics/phonology, (2) syntax, and (3) one area from among historical linguistics, language acquisition, and semantics. The exam is based on the respective courses and a short reading list for each section, available from the department secretary. Previous exams are available for inspection in the department office. The exam is normally given in the second or third week of the fall semester as three separate take-home exams.
Thesis. The master's thesis (normally 50-100 pages in length) must be approved by a committee of the thesis director plus two other faculty members. Students form their thesis committee with the advice of their advisor, who may (but need not) be the thesis director. There is no preliminary oral exam for the MA, but the department does require that students submit a prospectus of the thesis. The prospectus should state clearly what problem is to be investigated, how the investigation is to be carried out (written research, field work, experiment, etc.), and a preliminary bibliography. The prospectus should first be discussed with the thesis director. Students should then submit a clean version to all three committee members and set up a meeting where the prospectus may be informally discussed and approved (perhaps with modifications). Students are also expected to consult their thesis director regularly during the actual writing of the thesis. Formal requirements regarding the format and submission of the MA thesis are found in the Guide to the Preparation of Theses, available from The Graduate School (this is essential reading).
Final Oral Examination. This exam, administered by the thesis committee, focuses on a defense of the thesis, but the faculty reserves the right to question students on other relevant topics. Students should avoid scheduling a thesis defense during the summer, since faculty members often are not available. If it is absolutely unavoidable, students should consult committee members well in advance.
Important Degree Deadlines. Each year The Graduate School sets deadlines for graduation in a given term (fall, spring, summer). There are two sets of dates to watch out for:
(1) Students wishing to graduate must obtain an Application for Admission to Candidacy (AAC) from the department secretary, fill it out and have it signed, then take it to The Graduate School, where a Degree Card will also be filled out. These documents must be submitted in January for May graduation, June for August graduation, and September for December graduation. There is no penalty for failure to complete requirements for a requested graduation date, but one cannot graduate without having submitted the AAC and the Degree Card. Therefore students should submit these forms in time for any semester in which they feel they may graduate.
(2) Three copies of the finished thesis must be submitted to The Graduate School (by April for May graduation, by July for August graduation, by November for December graduation). The exact dates for (1) and (2) are given in the Graduate School Record and are also posted by the department secretary. Students are warned to keep track of these dates. The dates for a given semester may be found online at regweb.oit.unc.edu/calendars/index.php. Click on the relevant semester under "University Registrar's Calendars."
Admission. Students are admitted to the PhD program after completion of the MA either at UNC-Chapel Hill or at another institution. Those who complete the MA in the department are not automatically eligible for the PhD program, nor may they continue to take courses in anticipation of working toward the PhD. Upon finishing the MA, students may apply for admission to the PhD program. Admission is based on evaluation of the student's overall performance and potential, including course work, comprehensive exam, thesis, and work as a teaching assistant. Outstanding students may request to skip the MA thesis and proceed directly to the PhD, but approval of such a request is not given lightly and should not be counted upon.
Students from other institutions are normally admitted directly to the PhD program only if their MA degree is in linguistics. Such students are, upon completion of one semester of course work, required to take a diagnostic exam (similar in content to the MA comprehensive exam described above). This exam is intended to assure that PhD students from elsewhere have the same basic knowledge contained in our courses required for the MA. If the faculty finds a student's performance on the exam unsatisfactory in some area, it may require various steps to correct the deficiency (such as assigning a specific course or reading).
Students whose MA degree is in a field other than linguistics are generally admitted to the MA program in linguistics (the core course requirements are the same for both the MA and PhD, so this does not delay a student's progress). These students have the same possibility for skipping the MA thesis and admission to the PhD program as other MA students mentioned above.
Course Requirements. Fifty-one credit hours, of which three hours will be dissertation credit. Required are the courses stipulated for the MA plus any of the three courses - 525 (Historical Linguistics), 528 (Language Acquisition), and 537 (Semantic Theory I) - not already taken. Students must also take either linguistic field work (LING 793) or an approved philology course (consult with the director of graduate studies), plus at least one course from among: 522 (Experimental Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology), 524 (Phonological Theory II), 529 (Language Acquisition II), 533 (Syntactic Theory II), and 538 (Semantic Theory II). Students in historical linguistics should take one year of a classical language such as Latin, Greek, or Sanskrit. Note: If circumstances do not permit offering a required course during the time needed by a given student, the department will waive the specific requirement.
Foreign Language Requirements. (a) All students must complete one year of a non-Indo-European language or one semester in the structure of a non-Indo-European language; (b) students in historical linguistics must demonstrate a reading knowledge of French and German.
Written Comprehensive Examination. The PhD written comprehensive examination will consist of three essays: one each from the areas of phonetics/phonology and syntax, and one from either historical linguistics, language acquisition, or semantics. While each of these essays may present original research, it is expected that at least one of these papers will be a substantial research paper demonstrating the candidate's ability to conduct original research. Students may write the other two essays on questions chosen from an approved list available in the department. The topics of all other essays (including the research paper) will be approved by the faculty in the relevant area of specialization in consultation with the director of graduate studies. The essays may be submitted at any time between the passing of the diagnostic examination and the completion of course work. Details concerning the essays may be obtained from the director of graduate studies.
Oral Examination/Dissertation Proposal. This focuses on the dissertation proposal, but the examining committee may also question the student on other relevant topics. Toward the end of course work, students should seek out an appropriate faculty member as a dissertation director, with whom a dissertation proposal should be worked out (on the form and submission of the proposal, see remarks on the MA thesis prospectus). Sometimes two co-directors are appropriate. The dissertation proposal is presented at the oral examination to a committee of five faculty members who approve the topic. During the actual writing of the dissertation, students are expected to consult regularly with the director and at least two other members of the committee. Any radical change in the topic or plan requires reconvening of the entire dissertation committee and reapproval of the topic. The student should at an early date obtain from The Graduate School the Guide to Preparation of Theses and read it carefully.
Final Oral Examination. This exam centers on defense of the dissertation, but the committee reserves the right to question the student on other relevant topics. Students should never schedule a dissertation defense during the summer, since it is virtually impossible to arrange for the presence of all five committee members.
Important Degree Deadlines. Each year The Graduate School sets deadlines for graduation in a given term (fall, spring, summer). There are two sets of dates to watch out for:
(1) Students wishing to graduate must obtain an Application for Admission to Candidacy (AAC) from the department secretary, fill it out and have it signed, then take it to The Graduate School, where a Degree Card will also be filled out. These documents must be submitted in January for May graduation, June for August graduation, and September for December graduation. There is no penalty for failure to complete requirements for a requested graduation date, but one cannot graduate without having submitted the AAC and Degree Card. Therefore, students should submit these forms in time for any semester in which they feel they may graduate.
(2) Three copies of the finished thesis must be submitted to The Graduate School (by April for May graduation, by August for August graduation, by December for December graduation). The exact dates for (1) and (2) are given in the Graduate School Record and are also posted by the department secretary. Students are warned to keep track of these. The dates for a given semester may be found online at regweb.oit.unc.edu/calendars/index.php. Click on the relevant semester under "University Registrar's Calendars."
400 [100] INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL LINGUISTICS (ANTH 400) (3). An introduction to the scientific study of language. The nature of language structure. How languages are alike and how they differ. Fall. Melchert.
409 [109] COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS (See SLAV 409) (3).
415 [115] TOPICS IN LINGUISTICS (3). Directed readings on linguistic topics not covered in specific courses. Fall and spring. Staff.
445 [110] PHILOSOPHY OF LANGUAGE (See PHIL 445) (3).
455 [104] SYMBOLIC LOGIC (See PHIL 455) (3).
484 [184] LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (ANTH 484) (3).
520 [120] LINGUISTIC PHONETICS (ANTH 520) (3). Introduction to the general principles of linguistic phonetics; anatomy of vocal tract, physiology of speech production, universal phonetic theory. Practice in the recognition and transcription of speech sounds. Fall. Moreton, Smith.
523 [123] PHONOLOGY I (ANTH 523) (3). Prerequisites, LING 400 or equivalent and LING 520. Introduction to the principles of modern generative phonology. Methods and theory of phonological analysis. Spring. Moreton, Smith.
524 [124] PHONOLOGY II (3). Prerequisite, LING 523. Intermediate phonological theory and analysis. Fall. Moreton, Smith.
525 [101] INTRODUCTION TO HISTORICAL AND COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS (3). Theories and methods of historical and comparative linguistics, with emphasis on the Indo-European family. Spring. Melchert, Mora-Marín.
527 [127] MORPHOLOGY (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. Cross-linguistic investigation of internal word structure: inflection and derivation, word formation rules versus affixation, autosegmental morphology, morpholexical and morphophonemic rules, and the interaction of morphology with phonology and syntax. (On demand.)
528 LANGUAGE ACQUISITION (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. Child language from a theoretical perspective. Topics include segmentation problems, acquisition of phonology, morphology and syntax, lexical acquisition, language development in blind and deaf children and in bilinguals. Spring. Becker.
530 [130] SYNTAX I (3). Prerequisite, LING 400 or permission of the instructor. Methods and theory of grammatical analysis within the transformational generative framework. Special emphasis on analyzing syntactic and semantic structures of English. Fall. Hendrick.
533 [133] SYNTAX II (3). Prerequisite, LING 530 or equivalent. Methods and theory of grammatical analysis, with special reference to transformational grammar. Spring. Hendrick.
537 [137] SEMANTICS (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. Semantics as a part of linguistic theory: co- and disjoint reference among nominals, "crossover" phenomena, quantifier scope, lexical semantics, Montague Grammar and compositional semantics, and explanatory universals in semantic theory. (On demand.) Terry.
539 [139] THE LANGUAGE OF TIME (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. The representation of time and temporal relations in natural languages. Crosslinguistic study of tense and aspect distinctions, modality, temporal adverbials, temporal anaphora, and sequences of tenses. (On demand.) Terry.
540 [140] MATHEMATICAL LINGUISTICS (3). Introduction to topics in logic, set theory, and modern algebra with emphasis on linguistic application. Automata theory and the formal theory of grammar with special reference to transformational grammars. No previous mathematics assumed. (On demand.) Staff.
541 [170] SOCIOLINGUISTICS (ANTH 541) (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. Introduction to the study of language in relation to society: variation as it correlates with socioeconomic status, region, gender; the social motivation of change; language and equality; language maintenance, planning, shift. Spring. Roberge, Mora-Marín.
542 [172] PIDGINS AND CREOLES (GERM 542) (ANTH 542) (3). Examination of the linguistic features of pidgin and creole languages, the sociohistorical context of their development, and their import for current theoretical issues (acquisition, universals, language change). (On demand.) Roberge.
543 [175] LANGUAGE IN POLITICS (3). Examines language as a political issue in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Emphasis placed on American and British politics, but attention is given to one other national context as well. (On demand.) Roberge, Hendrick.
545 [145] LANGUAGE AND MIND/LINGUISTICS AND THE BRAIN (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, LING 400, PHIL 145, ENGL 313, or permission of the instructor. The course treats the relationship among linguistics, artificial intelligence, neurobiology, cognitive psychology, and the philosophies of mind, language, and science. (On demand.) Becker, Hendrick.
547 [147] LANGUAGE DEFICITS AND COGNITION (3). Prerequisite, LING 101 or permission of the instructor. Survey of the linguistic properties associated with aphasia, autism, Williams Syndrome dyslexia, and schizophrenia. Emphasis on the implications of these conditions for theories of mind. (On demand.) Terry.
550 [150] INTRODUCTION TO INDO-EUROPEAN: PHONOLOGY (3). A survey of the phonological systems of the major Indo-European languages and their development from Proto-Indo-European. Fall. (Alternate years.) Melchert.
551 [151] INTRODUCTION TO INDO-EUROPEAN: MORPHOLOGY (3). Prerequisite, LING 550 or permission of the instructor. Introduction to the major morphological categories in the Indo-European languages and their development from the proto-language. Spring. (Alternate years.) Melchert.
561 [161] NATIVE LANGUAGES OF THE AMERICAS (3). Prerequisite, LING 101, 400, or permission of the instructor. This course explores the phonological and morphological structure of selected Amerindian languages indigenous to the Americas. Emphasis is on the linguistic analysis of original as well as published primary data. (On demand.)
564 [164] HISTORY OF THE FRENCH LANGUAGE (See FREN 526) (3).
565 [165] FRENCH PHONETICS AND PHONOLOGY (See FREN 545) (3).
566 [166] STRUCTURE OF MODERN FRENCH (See FREN 546) (3).
583 [183] HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF LINGUISTICS (3). Linguistic theories from classical times to the present with special emphasis on the origins of contemporary theories. (On demand.)
704 [204] COMPARATIVE GRAMMAR OF GREEK AND LATIN (3). Designed not only for the student of classics but also as a basic course for students of comparative Indo-European grammar. (Alternate years.)
715 [215] ADVANCED METHODS IN PHONOLOGY (3). Prerequisite, LING 524. Methods of theoretical argumentation in generative phonology with emphasis on recent proposals in the published literature. Fall. Moreton, Smith.
716 [216] ADVANCED METHODS IN SYNTAX (3). Prerequisite, LING 533 or permission of the instructor. Examination of recent developments in the theory and methods of syntactic analysis. Fall. Hendrick.
723 [223] SEMINAR IN ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS (ANTH 723) (3).
730 [230] COMPARATIVE GRAMMAR OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES (3). Introductory and advanced work in the earlier stages of extant languages, such as Avestan and Sanskrit, and in extinct languages. Spring. Melchert.
790 [250] DIALECTOLOGY (ANTH 790) (3). Principles and methods of areal linguistics and social dialectology. (On demand.)
793 [293] LINGUISTIC FIELD WORK (ANTH 793) (3). Analysis and description of a language unknown to the class from data solicited from a native informant. (Alternate years.)
794 [294] LINGUISTIC FIELD WORK II (ANTH 794) (3).
810 [310] LINGUISTICS AND PHILOSOPHY (PHIL 810) (3).
814 [238] HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (ENGL 814) (3). Prerequisite, ENGL 719 or permission of the instructor.
860 [360] SEMINAR (3). Topics vary to include specialized areas of linguistics study.
861 [361] SEMINAR (3). Seminar in phonological theory.
862 [362] SEMINAR (3). Seminar in grammatical theory.
893 [283] CURRENT PROBLEMS IN LINGUISTICS (3). This course explores relations of linguistics with neighboring fields and theoretical problems of current relevance within linguistics itself; some attention given to pedagogical methodology. Fall and spring. Staff.
897 [297] SPECIAL READINGS (3). Readings in linguistic topics that are not covered in the existing courses. Fall and spring. Staff.
992 [393] MASTER'S THESIS (3 or more). Fall and spring. Staff.
994 [394] DOCTORAL DISSERTATION (3 or more). Fall and spring. Staff.
Sanskrit
411 [111] ELEMENTARY SANSKRIT (3). Grammar and readings from the epic and didactic literature. Fall. (On demand.) Melchert.
412 [112] ELEMENTARY SANSKRIT (3). Continuation of SANS 411. Spring. (On demand.) Melchert.
413 [201] ADVANCED SANSKRIT (3). Extensive reading from the Dharmacastra, the Sutras, Brahamanas, and the Vedas. (On demand.) Staff.
414 [202] ADVANCED SANSKRIT (3). Continuation of SANS 413. (On demand.) Staff.
For Irish and Welsh, see under English; for Hebrew, see under Religious Studies; for Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, see under Asian Studies in the Undergraduate Bulletin.