DESIGNING YOUR MAJOR PROGRAM
The Linguistics major allows students a lot of flexibility
in choosing what courses to take and what order to take them
in. This page is here to help you decide how to structure
your own major program, depending on your interests.
WHAT ORDER SHOULD I TAKE MY COURSES IN?
For nearly all LING courses, the only official prerequisite is
LING
101[30]/Introduction to Language.
However, there are
some cases where having a bit more background information
might help you get more out of a course.
For example, a great many courses build on basic ideas in
phonology and syntax. So you may want to take
LING
200[60]/Phonology and/or
LING
201[61]/Syntax
fairly early in your career. These two courses are
both offered every spring, and each would count as one of
your three required core courses (chosen from LING 200-203).
WHAT COURSES SHOULD I CHOOSE?
(Under construction -- this section will be expanded)
Are you interested in word and sentence structure, especially the
way that words or sentences are put together and interpreted?
- LING 201[61] -- Syntax/Intro to Transformational Grammar
- LING 527[127] -- Morphology (offered infrequently)
- LING 537[137] -- Semantics
- LING 539[139] -- Language of Time
- Formal Perspectives on Afican-American English (sometimes
offered under LING 296[70], "Issues in Linguistics")
Are you interested in meaning, logic, and philosophy of
language?
- LING 409[109] -- Cognitive Linguistics
- LING 410[110] -- Philosophy of Language
- LING 455[104] -- Symbolic Logic
- LING 537[137] -- Semantics
- LING 545[145] -- Language and Mind
- See also the
Philosophy
courses that are approved to count as LING major electives
Are you interested in speech sound structure, including the
articulation and perception of consonants and vowels as well as the
cross-linguistic patterns behind segment inventories, segmental
alternations, and the arrangement of consonants and vowels into
morphemes and words?
- LING 200[60] -- Phonology/Sound Patterns in Language
- LING 520[120] -- Linguistic Phonetics
- LING 524[124] -- Phonological Theory II (graduate seminar,
open to advanced undergraduates)
Are you interested in speech and hearing science or
speech pathology?
- LING 200[60] -- Phonology/Sound Patterns in Language
- LING 201[61] -- Syntax/Intro to Transformational Grammar
- LING 203[63] -- Language Acquisition and Development
- LING 520[120] -- Linguistic Phonetics
- LING 547[147] -- Language Deficits and Cognition
- See also the
SPHS/COMM
courses that are approved to count as LING major electives
Are you interested in social and cultural aspects of
language?
- LING 202[62] -- Linguistic Variation and Language Change
- LING 302[72] -- Language and Power (offered infrequently)
- LING 306[75] -- Language and Nationalism
- LING 409[109] -- Cognitive Linguistics
- LING 541[170] -- Sociolinguistics
- LING 542[172] -- Pidgins & Creoles
Are you interested in language teaching or education?
- LING 200[60] -- Phonology/Sound Patterns in Language
- LING 201[61] -- Syntax/Intro to Transformational Grammar
- LING 203[63] -- Language Acquisition and Development
- New courses on Mesoamerican Languages, Structure of Japanese are
sometimes offered under LING 415[115] ("Topics in Linguistics")
- See also approved LING electives offered under
English,
French,
German,
Italian,
Portuguese,
Romance Languages,
Slavic, and
Spanish.
Are you interested in all things linguistic?
- Another option is to put together a "sampler" program --
choose 1~2 courses from several of the above areas to get a taste
of the different areas of linguistics.
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