Reed College Catalog
Svitlana Antonyuk-Yudina
Syntax, the syntax-semantics interface, experimental phonology, sentence prosody, acoustic phonetics, psycholinguistics, Slavic and comparative linguistics.
Kara Becker
Sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, American regional dialects, social practice and identity construction, African American English, language and gender.
Matt Pearson
Formal linguistic theory, syntax, typology and language description, phonology, morphology, historical linguistics, the syntax-semantics interface, Austronesian.
Linguistics is the study of human language: its form, variety, and social life. Human language may be studied from a variety of perspectives, whether as a complex social behavior; as a medium for creating and embodying social meaning and identity; or as the instantiation of a highly structured system of knowledge within the mind of the language user (a mental grammar), which can be investigated empirically and modeled formally. Starting from the detailed description of phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic patterns in the world’s languages, linguists seek to discover general principles governing the structure and use of language. Research in linguistics encompasses theories of language variation and
language universals across space and time, how grammar evolved in the species and develops in the individual, and how language is used to create and perform social relationships.
With its focus on language as a unique facet of human nature, linguistics bridges the divide between the cognitive sciences and the social sciences, and interfaces with the humanities, mathematics, logic, and philosophy. Linguistic concepts have contributed to the study of style and rhetoric, genre and register, poetic meter, and metaphor, thereby enhancing our understanding of literature. The techniques of linguistic analysis provide a window into the ideas of other cultures, whether distant in space and time or close to home, and thus contribute to the study of history and anthropology. Linguistic semantics has informed our understanding of the relationship of logic to language, and has influenced (and been influenced by) research in philosophy and mathematics. Finally, discoveries in linguistics have made major contributions to the development of cognitive science, and have applications in fields as diverse as neuroscience, evolutionary biology, speech and hearing technologies, computer science and artificial intelligence.
Reed offers a variety of linguistics and linguistics-related courses. In addition to introductory courses in formal analysis and sociocultural linguistics, more specific offerings deal with "core" areas of analysis (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics/pragmatics, and discourse), as well as historical linguistics, language typology, sociolinguistics, anthropological linguistics, and the psychology of language. Courses are also offered periodically on the structure of less familiar languages and language families (Algonquian, Austronesian, etc.). Linguistics at Reed has an interdisciplinary orientation: through the allied field and language requirements, students are encouraged to develop links to other fields, including anthropology, psychology, philosophy, mathematics, biology, sociology, and classical and modern languages and literatures. Students may also have the opportunity to engage in linguistic fieldwork, both locally and abroad.
Admission to the Major
After passing Linguistics 211 and Linguistics 212 (or equivalent courses), the prospective linguistics major must present a plan of study to the department for approval.
Requirements for the Major
- Linguistics 211 and Linguistics 212.
- Five additional courses in linguistics (or cross-listed in linguistics).
- Competence in two languages other than English, equivalent to at least second-year college-level proficiency in one language, and at least first-year college-level proficiency in the second. (Students may demonstrate competence through Reed coursework, coursework completed elsewhere for transfer credit, placement exams, or some combination of these).
- A total of four semester units in an allied field, none of which can be used to fulfill 1, 2, or 3 above. Some representative examples are: a) Anthropology 211 plus three upper-division anthropology courses (including linguistics courses cross-listed with anthropology); b) four courses in psychology, including the introductory courses; c) four courses from the Division of Literature and Languages; d) four courses in mathematics; e) four courses in philosophy. Other choices of allied field are also acceptable, as appropriate to the student’s needs and interests, and subject to the approval of the department.
- A junior qualifying examination in linguistic analysis, to be attempted after taking no fewer than five units of linguistics. An element of the examination will be a thesis proposal.
- Linguistics 470 (thesis), which may, as appropriate, be jointly supervised by faculty members from linguistics and an allied field.
Recommended:
- Further courses in the allied field and in linguistics.
- At least one classical language or one non-Indo-European language as part of, or in addition to, the language requirement above. Additionally, more advanced competence in the languages used to meet that requirement.
- Courses in anthropology, psychology, literature, and/or philosophy, in addition to courses in the student’s chosen allied field, if it is not one of these. Students’ attention is particularly drawn to those courses dealing with poetry, prose style, and the grammars of individual languages, both modern and classical, in the Division of Literature and Languages; courses on logic and the philosophy of language; and courses on human cognition, mental representations, and psycholinguistics.
Group and Division Applicability
Of the courses listed below, the following courses may be counted toward the Group D requirement: 211, 296, 312, 320, 321, 323, 324, 326, 328, 329, 334, 336, 338, 341, 344, 348, 352, 354 and 393. The following courses may be counted toward the Group B requirement: 212, 232, 296, 312, 313, 334, 335, 348, 393, 395, 411, 430, and 439. (Note that 211 and 212 cannot be taken together to fulfill a single group requirement).
If taken as anthropology courses, the following courses count toward divisional requirements in history and social sciences: 312, 313, 334, 348, and 411.
Linguistics 211 - Introduction to Linguistic Analysis
Full course for one semester. An introduction to the empirical study of human language. This course introduces students to the core subfields of linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics/pragmatics), focusing on the essential formalisms and analytical techniques needed to pursue more specialized coursework in the field. Through direct engagement with data from a wide range of the world's languages, students gain experience in describing linguistic structures and formulating testable hypotheses about the organization of mental grammar. Prerequisite: sophomore standing, but first-year students may enroll with consent of the instructor. Conference.
Linguistics 212 - Introduction to Language, Culture, and Society
Full course for one semester. An introduction to the study of language in its sociohistorical context(s). Building on concepts introduced in Linguistics 211, this course considers ways in which language form varies across space and time, as well as the ways in which language use shapes—and is shaped by—social identities and ideologies. Topics covered include variationist sociolinguistics, dialects, language contact and change, creolization, language and gender, and language as a sign system for the embodying of cultural meanings. Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Lingistics 232 - Dialects of English
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to
dialectology—the study of regional variation in language—with an
emphasis on the history and description of the varieties of English
currently spoken in the world. Students will acquire a practical
knowledge of major linguistic differences among dialects of
English, and will gain hands-on experience in collecting linguistic data from varieties of non-standard English. Forms of English to
be discussed include varieties of American English (Boston, New York,
Southern, etc,) and global English dialects. Other topics include language attitudes, the rise of "standard" English and its implications, English-based pidgins and creoles, and language variation and change. Students will actively collect data on dialects from family, friends, and the media, to be accompanied by audiovisual material in class, including video clips and songs. Conference.
Linguistics 296 - Psychology of Language Acquisition
See Psychology 296 for description. Not offered 2010–
11.
Psychology 296 Description
Linguistics 312 - Advanced Linguistics
Full course for one semester. An opportunity to pursue intensive
readings in specialized topics in linguistics. The focus of the course
shifts from analytic procedures and basic concepts developed in
Linguistics 211 and 212 to individual research and theoretical
problems in linguistics. May be repeated for credit with consent of the
instructor. The topic for spring 2011 will be the structure of Slavic languages. Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Conference-seminar. Cross-listed as Anthropology 312.Anthropology 312 Description
Linguistics 313 - Language in Society
Full course for one semester. This course will introduce the study
of language, both spoken and written, as a central element in the
construction of social life. On the one hand, society occasions and
constrains language; on the other, linguistic behavior creatively
affects social relationships and the contexts of social action. The
class will use both ethnographic materials and modest field
investigations of its own to explore this dual relationship.
Prerequisite: Linguistics 212 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference. Cross-listed as
Anthropology 313. Not offered 2010–
11.
Anthropology 313 Description
Linguistics 320 - Phonetics
Full course for one semester. This course covers areas such as the articulation of speech, the basic anatomy of the vocal tract, the acoustic properties of speech sounds, and speech perception. Students will become proficient in reading and using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) through extensive practice in transcribing speech sounds drawn from a wide variety of languages, and will obtain practical skills in doing speech analysis with Praat. The course will prepare students for independent field and laboratory work, as well as familiarizing them with basic techniques necessary for conducting phonetic experiments. Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Linguistics 321 - Phonology
Full course for one semester. Although no two utterances sound exactly
the same, speakers of a language overlook distinctions to which
mechanical recording devices are sensitive, and they “hear” contrasts
that are objectively not there. This course examines the nature of the
complex links between abstract language-specific perceptual worlds and
the real world of actual sounds in light of the major empirical
approaches and theoretical currents in the study of linguistic sound
systems. It will consider the relations between the articulatory
gestures of language and other levels of linguistic description,
notably morphology and syntax, and will also explore different models
for formulating phonological rules. Prerequisite:
Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Linguistics 323 - Introductory Syntax
Full course for one semester. The goal of syntax is to characterize the
(largely unconscious) knowledge that enables speakers of a language to
combine words into larger units such as phrases and sentences, and to
"parse" (i.e., assign an abstract representation to) the phrases and
sentences that they read and hear. This course—accessible to students
with no previous training in linguistics—will introduce increasingly
explicit grammar fragments of English. The goal is to present a range
of phenomena of concern to syntax, and to explore formal devices that
have been proposed to account for such phenomena. The course will
consider such topics as constituent structure, subcategorization and selectional restrictions,
idioms, movement and locality, case assignment, empty categories, and
the interpretation of pronouns. The course also introduces central
concepts and notation from contemporary theoretical syntax, focusing on
the Principles and Parameters framework developed by Noam Chomsky and
others. Conference.
Linguistics 324 - Advanced Topics in Syntax
Full course for one semester. This course gives students the
opportunity to build on concepts and methodologies learned in
introductory syntax by exploring current research problems in formal
syntax. Readings for the course include influential papers from the
history of generative grammar, as well as more recent contributions to
the field. This course also builds on the topics discussed in
Linguistics 328 by considering data from a wide variety of
languages, and addressing the issue of how formal syntactic theories
handle cross-linguistic variation. Topics covered may include word
order variation, constraints on phrase structure and movement,
functional categories, and the theory of anaphora.
May be repeated for credit
with consent of the instructor. Prerequisite:
Linguistics 323 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor.
Linguistics 328 is recommended. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Linguistics 326 - Discourse
Full course for one semester. Within linguistics, the analysis of
discourse includes the study of linguistic units larger than the
sentence and extends, more generally, to the study of stretches of
speech (as well as written language) in the context of their use. This
course will introduce a linguistic approach to discourse, touching
topics possibly familiar from other disciplines: the nature of text,
the determinants of style, the variety of linguistic genres, both
written and spoken, and literacy and orality, including conversation
and gesture. The class will use empirical materials from a variety of
languages and cultural traditions to fuel this exploration. Along the
way, we will consider some well-known conundrums surrounding such
notions as meaning, reference, topic, coherence, and context.
Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the
instructor. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Linguistics 328 - Morphosyntactic Typology
Full course for one semester. The course provides an introduction to cross-linguistic variation and
grammatical description. We develop the
notion of linguistic typology and explore proposed universals of
language, based on the comparative study of the morphology and syntax
of the languages of the world. We consider such topics as parts of
speech, word order, case marking, grammatical relations, passive and its friends, causatives, relative
clauses, and configurationality—all with reference to both the familiar
languages of Europe and less familiar languages of the Americas,
Africa, Asia, Australia, and Oceania. Prerequisite:
Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or Linguistics 323, or consent of the
instructor. Conference.
Linguistics 329 - Morphology
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to the
study of the internal structure of words, providing an overview of
contemporary morphological theory and analysis. Topics include a survey
of word formation processes (such as affixation, reduplication, and
stem changes); the interface between word structure and other domains
of organization in the grammar, such as sound structure (phonology) and
sentence structure (syntax); and the reality of morphological
categories such as "morpheme." Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Linguistics 334 - Language and Politics
Full course for one semester. This course examines some of the
core issues of contemporary sociopolitical theory from a semiotic- and
linguistic-anthropological perspective. We address questions such as:
To what degree is power a semiotic phenomenon? In what sense are
“nations” and other political communities linguistically constructed?
How might states be legitimated or authorized by particular discursive
forms? Is a common language necessary (or sufficient) for forming a
cohesive political community? What role do the institutions of
linguistic standardization play in modern statehood? What are the
semiotic and linguistic mechanisms through which novel political
structures are instituted? How does political rhetoric, or propaganda,
“work”? Readings will include classic statements on the nature of
political power—in which language often plays an essential, if implicit
and routinely unnoticed, theoretical role—as well as contemporary work,
both theoretical and ethnographic, on the politics of language and the
language of politics. Prerequisite: Linguistics 212 or equivalent, or
consent of the instructor. Conference. Cross-listed as Anthropology 334. Not offered 2010–
11.
Anthropology 334 Description
Linguistics 335 - Language and Gender
Full course for one semester. This course is an introduction to the large body of literature on language and gender within sociolinguistics and the study of language in context more generally. Students will investigate how language in use mediates, and is mediated by, social constructions of gender and sexuality. An emphasis on the history of research in language and gender, which contains distinct phases and movements in the field, will culminate in a current description of the state of language and gender research today. Particular attention will be paid to the evolution of feminist theory, the political economy, ideology, hegemony, performativity, resistance, and the "borders" of gender identities. Students will read scholarly articles and write critical reflection papers, and complete a final paper on a topic of their choosing related to language and gender. Prerequisite: Linguistics 212 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Conference.
Linguistics 336 - Linguistic Field Methods
Full course for one semester. Through the empirical study of a
non-European language, using native-speaking informants, the course
explores the aims and techniques of linguistic fieldwork. Students will
be expected to produce fragments of linguistic description based on
individual and group elicitation. Prerequisites: Linguistics 211 or equivalent and one 300-level linguistics course. Recommended: Linguistics 328, or at least one other course focusing on formal analysis (such as
Linguistics 321, 323, or 329). Conference with laboratory sessions.
Linguistics 338 - Language Acquisition
Full course for one semester. A central goal of linguistic theory is to
explain how children learn a first language despite significant
structural and typological differences between different possible
languages. This course explores patterns in the acquisition of
linguistic structure, concentrating on problems posed by
cross-linguistic variation. The course devotes special attention to how
children acquire spatial language in comparative perspective. The
course also considers the influence on acquisition of the sociocultural
matrix in which language use emerges. Prerequisite:
Linguistics 211 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor.
Conference-seminar. Not offered 2010–11.
Linguistics 341 - Semantics
Full course for one semester. The course will introduce the systematic
study of meaning in language, ranging from problems in the semantic
structure of lexical systems, and syntactic and morphological
contributions to sentence meaning, to competing theories of
truth-conditional semantics, situational semantics, and putative
universal semantic primitives for integrated linguistic description.
Prerequisite: Linguistics 323 or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. Students may take Linguistics 341 concurrently with Linguistics 323 if they have already completed Linguistics 211. Conference-seminar.
Linguistics 344 - Historical Linguistics
Full course for one semester. This course will introduce the classical
comparative method for identifying and comparing related languages. It
will consider sound change, morphosyntactic and semantic change, language contact and borrowing, and the spread of linguistic changes through the speech community. Various approaches to language change are discussed, including structuralist(-functionalist), generative and variationist perspectives, and the question of whether structural changes result from lexical
diffusion. Prerequisite: Linguistics 212 or equivalent, or consent of
the instructor. Conference. Not offered 2010–11.
Linguistics 348 - Languages of the Americas
Full course for one semester. The study of the language families
of the Americas has been a central focus of both linguists and
anthropologists. The diversity of the languages, their exotic nature
compared to Indo-European, and the richness of materials available
makes especially rewarding intense study of particular groups of
languages. This course will concentrate, in any given year, on one such
family. Beginning with typological considerations that locate the
languages of the family within wider parameters of linguistic
description, the course will include detailed syntactic treatment of at
least one member of the family. We shall try to evaluate competing
descriptive mechanisms in light of the structure, both syntactic and
semantic, of the languages in question. May be repeated for credit with
consent of the instructor. Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent,
or consent of the instructor. Conference-seminar. Cross-listed as
Anthropology 348.
Anthropology 348 Description
Linguistics 352 - The Phonetics, Phonology, and Pragmatics of Prosody
Full course for one semester. This course will explore linguistic
prosody from a range of theoretical, structural, and functional
perspectives. We will begin by first contextualizing prosodic research
historically, philosophically, and academically—focusing on the
long-term relative neglect of prosody in 20th-century linguistic
theory—and, second, constructing a (more or less) theory-neutral
metalanguage appropriate to the cross-linguistic description and
analysis of prosody. We will turn our attention to the major prosodic
features and structures (e.g., length, stress/accent, tone, intonation)
in terms of their phonetic manifestation, their phonological
organization, and their pragmatic function. We will compare, contrast,
and critically evaluate the most important contemporary theoretical
perspectives on prosody and, finally, investigate the potential utility
of a distinctly semiotic-anthropological approach to its study.
Prerequisite: Linguistics 211 or equivalent and one other linguistics
course. Conference.
Linguistics 354 - Fundamentals: Key Topics in Modern Linguistic Theory
Full course for one semester. This course will explore the key
controversies, philosophical debates, theoretical commitments, and
guiding assumptions that frame contemporary linguistics. The specific
thematic focus will differ each time the course is offered, in
accordance with the interests of both faculty and students. The course
may be concerned primarily with comparing and contrasting the
methodological, analytic, and theoretical features of
functional as opposed to
formal approaches to language and linguistics; or it may closely examine philosophically
rationalist as opposed to
empiricist
approaches, as represented today by the perennial controversy over the
nature, status, and specificity of "innate" linguistic structures,
capacities, or faculties. Prerequisites: Linguistics 211 or equivalent
and one other linguistics course. Conference.
Not offered 2010–
11.Linguistics 393 - Psycholinguistics
See Psychology 393 for description.Psychology 393 Description
Linguistics 395 - Advanced Psycholinguistics—Embodied Language
See Psychology 395 for description. Not offered 2010–11.
Psychology 395 Description
Linguistics 411 - Performance and Performativity
See Anthropology 411 for description.
Anthropology 411 Description
Linguistics 439 - Psycholinguistic Research: Bilingualism
See Psychology 439 for description.
Psychology 439 Description
Linguistics 470 - Thesis
Full course for one year.
Linguistics 481 - Independent Reading
One-half or full course for one semester. Open only to upper-class students with special permission.