Course Description

Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of linguistic analysis by examining the main components of language, including the patterning of sounds (phonetics and phonology), the structure of words and sentences (morphology and syntax), the ways linguistic structure and context give rise to meaning (semantics and pragmatics), and how social practices shape and are shaped by language use (sociolinguistics).As an object of study, language has often been thought of as a rule-governed, orderly system -- but what those rules are, and how much 'order' there is in the system, has always been up for debate. This course is going to explore what language is (and what it is not), and how linguists approach the study of language. Students will be given a broad overview of basic concepts and sub-disciplines of linguistics, including how linguists deal with sound and sound patterns (phonetics and phonology), how a language is structured (morphology and syntax), and how meaning is made (semantics and pragmatics). Students will apply these methods to the study of various world languages and language varieties. In addition, a portion of this course is dedicated to studying relationships between language and society (sociolinguistics), and relationships among language, identity, and power. This class will be offered in an online asynchronous format.

Course Reviews

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