1200 Introduction to Linguistics

6 credit hours

Natural languages are systematic and this course will examine how this fact makes human communication possible. An introduction to modern methods of linguistic analysis, the course will enable students to understand the structure of their own language and to compare it with other languages. By familiarizing them with the basic concepts of linguistics, the course will prepare students for more advanced courses in linguistics.

2308 Development of English Prose Style [ENGL 2308]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Three (3) credit hours in ENGL at the 1000-level

The course offers a close study of the lexical, syntactic and rhetorical choices in very short selections of prose writing from 1500 to the present. The passages will be studied in chronological order, with a view to observing developments in prose style in each period.

2309 Phonetics

3 credit hours
Prerequisites: LING 1200

This course is an introduction to the production, acoustic properties, and perception of the sounds used in English and other languages.  Skills developed include: systematic transcription of speech sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet, description of sounds in articulatory terms, and recognition of linguistically relevant properties of sounds from spectrograms and waveforms. 

2310 Phonology

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200

Phonology is the study of the sound patterns of language. The universal principles by which sounds are organized in language through phonological rule systems are examined, as well as the processes which account for language-specific diversity. Students will learn how to analyze phonological data from natural languages, and how to formulate hypotheses about how sounds are represented and manipulated in speakers’ mental grammars.

NOTE: It is recommended that students take LING 2309 before 2310.

2311 Modern English Language [ENGL 2311]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite:  Three (3) credit hours in ENGL at the 1000-level

The course will examine the nature of modern English semantics (meaning), syntax (‘wordings’), and morphology (word formation).  Some attention is also paid to intonation (soundings).  The course is presented using contemporary grammatical theories.

2321 French Phonetics [FREN 3320]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: FREN 2236 with a minimum grade of C

A course for students beyond the intermediate level who wish to improve their pronunciation.   Knowledge of intermediate level grammar is assumed.

2326 Language and Gender [ENGL 2326]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite:  Three (3) credit hours in ENGL at the 1000 level 

This course examines the role of language in forming popular perceptions about the position of women and men in society.  The topics include a comparison between English and other languages in matters of grammar, vocabulary, and semantics; a comparison between modern English and earlier stages; and an enquiry into the origin of authoritarian notions of correctness.  The historical role of women as users and teachers of language is also considered. Present-day attitudes, implementation of non-sexist language guidelines, and the struggle to establish non-discriminatory language practices are also included in the study.

2330 Syntax

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200

Syntax is the study of sentence structure: how words are organized into larger meaningful units. The course examines the nature of speakers’ underlying knowledge of the rules for combining words into higher-order structures. The fundamental similarities in sentence patterning among different languages will be addressed.

2340 Semantics

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200

This course analyzes how words and sentences convey meaning in language. Students will learn how lexical items can be represented in terms of their semantic components and how interrelated groups of words form semantic fields. At the sentence level, grammatical, pragmatic and logical aspects of meaning are introduced. The course also explores idiomatic expressions and the ubiquity of metaphor.

2346 A Sociolinguistic History of Ireland [IRST 2346]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: at least six (6) credit hours in IRST, ENGL, LING or HIST 

This course charts the history and development of language in Ireland from earliest times to the present.  Students learn about the origins and growth of Irish, the influence on it of Latin, Norse and English, and the emergence of Hiberno-English.  A series of texts which demonstrate the changing linguistic landscape of Ireland and the interrelationship of languages are considered.

2392 Linguistic Anthropology [ANTH 2392]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: One of ANTH 1202, ANTH 1290,  LING 1200

Students explore the relationship between language and culture in diverse ethnographic settings. Attention will be paid to the unique contributions of anthropology to the study of language.

3310 Advanced Phonology

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 2310

This course develops skills in recognition, description and analysis of segmental and prosodic organization, and discusses recent phonological theory.

3320 Morphology

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200 and six(6) credit hours in LING.

Morphology is the study of word formation and structure. The course is an examination of how words are made up of smaller, contrastive elements. Processes of word formation such as derivation and compounding are analyzed.  Inflectional morphology is investigated. The manner in which morphology relates to the other components of language is discussed. Morphologically based linguistic typologies are explored.

3330 Advanced Syntax

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 2330

This course presents recent developments in syntactic theory focusing on form and meaning of different types of sentences. Building on universal principles and specific parameters of syntactic structures, it provides necessary tools for description and advanced analysis of sentences in a cross-linguistic perspective.

3350 Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Linguistics

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: Eighteen (18) credits in LING or in a discipline associated with the special topic.

This course investigates the application of linguistics to particular fields such as forensic linguistics, clinical linguistics, clinical discourse analysis, neurolinguistics.

Students will gain experience working in an interdisciplinary context.

3391 Learning a Field Language [ANTH 3391]

3.0 credit hours

Prerequisite: One of ANTH 1202, ANTH 1290, LING 1200 

Learning a field language is an essential part of anthropological fieldwork. Students learn concepts and methods related to language elicitation, and acquisition of communicative competence in an unknown language. The practical application of these methods in ethnographic settings is stressed.

3396 Language Issues in America [ANTH 3396]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: ANTH 1290 or LING 1200 

Geographically vast and linguistically diverse, America offers an ideal case study of contemporary issues in the study of language.  Topics include official bilingualism, functional multilingualism, heritage languages, and indigenous languages.  Questions of maintenance, revitalization, contact and change will be examined throughout.

3402 History of the English Language [ENGL 3402]

6 credit hours
Prerequisite:  Three (3) credit hours in ENGL at the 1000 level 

A survey of the development of the English language from its earliest stages to the present. Representative texts are used from each period so that students can acquire first-hand knowledge of the successive changes in grammar (syntax, morphology, and phonology) and vocabulary.

3427 Language, Gender and Power [ENGL 4427]

3 credit hours

This course examines the role of language and its use in constructing and negotiating social positions of men and women and by men and women.  It compares discourse strategies used by powerful/powerless speakers and gender-associated discourse strategies.  It examines dialect and generic features used in constructing and maintaining social identities and differences.

3826 - 3849 Special Topics in Linguistics

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200 and six (6) credit hours in LING

These courses allow students to study a special topic at an advanced level.  Such topics will either (a) not be covered by other LING courses or (b) handle the subject matter in alternative models.

Seminar: 3 hrs. a week.

4420-4430 Topics in Linguistic Theory

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: LING 1200 and twelve (12) credit hours in LING

This course will examine concepts and trends in the development of linguistic theory. Perspectives may include (a) particular areas of enquiry, such as language diversity, pragmatics, neurolinguistics, etc., and how they have informed linguistic theory; (b) schools of linguistics from Saussure to the present; and (c) specific theoretical approaches such as Functionalism, Minimalism, or Optimality Theory.

4440 American French:  Sociolinguistic Perspective [FREN 4440]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: six (6) credit hours of FREN at the 3000 level or equivalent a minimum grade of C  

This course will examine the major features which distinguish American French from European French, as well as the characteristics of the different varieties of French spoken in America, in particular Acadian and Quebecois French. The relationship between language and society will be studied both as a source of linguistic change and as a determining factor in current speech patterns. Authentic recorded speech samples will be used to illustrate the various aspects studied and will also serve to familiarize students with the French language as spoken in America.

4491 Advanced Topics in Linguistic Anthropology [ANTH 4491]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: ANTH 1290 or LING 1200

This course examines topics in the field of linguistic anthropology, combining a sophisticated understanding of the structure of language with the cultural realities of its use.  Students will learn about current debates and advanced concepts in the field, while being given the opportunity to conduct their own research on language behaviour.

4492 Ethnography of Communication [ANTH 4492]

 3 credit hours
Prerequisite: ANTH 1290 or LING 1200 

Linguistic anthropologists analyze the dynamics of communication through the medium of ethnography.  This course critically examines how anthropologists collect and convey their findings on language use. Case studies combine ethnographic texts with theoretical background to allow students to evaluate recent anthropological research.

4493 Doing Discourse Analysis [ENGL 4493]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: At least twelve (12) credit hours in English or Linguistics (or permission of the instructor)

The focus is on learning how to do discourse analysis.  We will focus on developing skills in the analysis of talk and text using models drawn from linguistics, structuralism and semiotics.  The course will explicitly develop skills in analyzing discourse functions as configurations of interaction, experience and organization meaning.

4494 Approaches to Discourse Analysis [ENGL 4494]

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: At least twelve (12) credit hours in English or Linguistics (or permission of the instructor) 

Linguistic, structural, post-structural, and semiotic perspectives on discourse analysis are addressed through reading and discussion of key works by authors of “landmark” texts such as R. Jakobson, J. L. Austin, H. P. Grice, etc. The goals of the course are to (a) familiarize students with some of the “landmark” texts and perspectives on discourse analysis and (b) to develop abilities to develop abilities to relate analyses to cultural and situationally relevant contexts.

4500 Honours Thesis

6 credit hours
Prerequisite:  honours standing in Linguistics.

Supervised preparation of a significant research paper for honours students in linguistics.

4510-4520 Topics in Applied Linguistics

3 credit hours
Prerequisite: At least eighteen (18) credit hours in LING, a second language, or psychology.

This course will examine topics in applied linguistics. The course may focus on linguistic approaches to literacy, first or second language acquisition, bilingualism, or a similar topic.  The goal of the course is to develop knowledge of primary literature addressing linguistic contributions to the area under focus, but also to develop skills in problem based interdisciplinary thinking, research and collaboration.

4826 – 4849 Special Topics in Linguistics

3 credit hours
Prerequisite:  LING 1200 and twelve (12) credit hours in LING

These courses allow students to study a special topic at an advanced level.  Such topics will either (a) not be covered by other LING courses or (b) handle the subject matter in alternative models.

4876 – 4899 Directed Readings in Linguistics

3 credit hours

These courses provide the opportunity to study a particular subject(s) in detail. They are designed to examine at an advanced level topics not covered in other linguistics courses or in courses cross-listed as linguistics courses, or to allow for a different approach to the study of topics already covered in other courses.