Department of Linguistics (GRAD)

The Department of Linguistics offers graduate work leading to the degree of master of arts in linguistics, and a concentration in Hispanic linguistics as part of a dual-degree program in Hispanic linguistics with a Ph.D. in Romance studies. The Department of Linguistics also co-sponsors a graduate certificate in computational linguistics, jointly administered by the Department of Computer Science and the School of Information and Library Science.

M.A. in Linguistics

Degree candidates for the regular M.A. in linguistics 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 end of the second semester of residence choose a permanent advisor, who will supervise the student's program of study.

Information on applying to the linguistics M.A. program, as well as a detailed description of program requirements, can be found on the Linguistics Department Web site.

M.A. in Linguistics with Concentration in Hispanic Linguistics

This dual degree program prepares students with knowledge of Spanish to pursue advanced graduate study in the linguistic analysis of Spanish and related languages, e.g. Portuguese or indigenous languages spoken in proximity to Spanish (e.g. Maya, Guarani, Basque). Students in this program complete an M.A. in linguistics before proceeding to the Ph.D. program in Romance studies, both with concentration in Hispanic linguistics. More information can be found on the program Web site.

Graduate Certificate in Computational Linguistics

This certificate provides training in linguistic analysis, machine learning, text/data mining, natural language processing and generation, and related areas to prepare students for careers in the tech industry or academia. The program is open to currently enrolled graduate students in linguistics, computer science, information and library science, and related fields such as communication, education, speech and hearing sciences, and others. The program is also open to non-degree-seeking students. More information can be found on the program Web site.

Degree programs must satisfy the general requirements of The Graduate School. In addition, the student must fulfill the following curriculum requirements for the master of arts degree:

Course Requirements
LING 520IDEAs in Action General Education logo Linguistic Phonetics3
LING 523Phonological Theory I3
LING 530Syntactic Theory I3
One course from among:3
Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics
Language Acquisition I
IDEAs in Action General Education logo Semantic Theory I
Five elective courses in linguistics or related areas, as approved by the student’s academic advisor15
Thesis credit3
Total Hours30

Note: Students are expected to complete their nonelective courses during their first year. This schedule qualifies students 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. 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 information and registration, go directly to the website.
  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 nonelective courses (which should be the fall term of the second year), students will form an examining committee of three faculty members in the department. It is expected that this committee will also serve as the M.A. thesis committee. The student will submit a prospectus of the M.A. thesis, as described below. The oral examination will assess the student's mastery of topics from the first-year sequence of course work and gauge the merits of the prospectus.

Writing Requirement

Each student must demonstrate the ability to write a professional-quality scholarly, scientific, or technical document.  There are two options available for satisfying this requirement.

Thesis Option

The master's thesis (normally 50 to 100 pages in length) must be approved by a committee consisting of the thesis director and two other faculty members at the oral comprehensive exam. Students form their thesis committee with the advice of their academic advisor, who may (but need not) be the thesis director. At the comprehensive oral exam for the M.A., the department requires that students who have elected this option 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 at which the prospectus can 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 M.A. thesis are found in the Thesis and Dissertation Guide.

The final oral examination, 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.

Research Paper Option

The research paper is a report of original research that is of sufficient quality that it can be published or presented in a public scholarly forum. The research paper is to be written with the guidance of a faculty supervisor. The student should find two faculty sponsors, at least one of whom must be a member of the Linguistics Department, and at least one of whom must be the faculty supervisor, who agree to read the research paper for content and style. The student will submit a proposal for the research paper at the M.A. comprehensive oral exam. The research paper is then to be written during one semester, while the student is registered for LING 992 (thesis substitute), with the faculty supervisor. The research that the paper describes must also be presented by the student in a public scholarly forum in order to fulfill the final oral examination requirement.

The faculty sponsors should communicate to the director of graduate studies their approval of the paper. The requirement is satisfied when both faculty members have accepted the same version of the paper and have certified that the research has been presented in a public scholarly forum. The faculty sponsors should communicate this to the director of graduate studies, along with a printed version of the paper. The DGS will communicate the outcome to The Graduate School using the Report of Approved Substitute form.

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 be mindful of:

  1. Students wishing to graduate must submit an application to graduate, as stipulated in the Graduate Student Handbook. These documents must be submitted in advance: typically July for August graduation, February for May graduation, and October for December graduation, but official dates will be posted on the University Registrar's calendar. There is no penalty for failure to complete requirements for a requested graduation date, but a student cannot graduate without having submitted the application to graduate. Therefore students should submit it in time for any semester in which they think they may graduate.
  2. The final electronic version of the thesis must be submitted to The Graduate School before the student can graduate. The deadline for submission is shortly before graduation; please see the University Registrar's calendar for current dates.

Note: The previous Ph.D. program in linguistics (1967–2011) no longer admits new students. Legacy students should consult the Department of Linguistics Web site for degree requirements.

Hispanic Linguistics Dual Graduate Track: M.A. in Linguistics and Ph.D. in Romance Studies, Both with Concentration in Hispanic Linguistics

Hispanic​ ​linguistics​ ​is​ ​a​ ​discipline​ ​that​ ​focuses​ ​in​ ​particular​ ​on​ ​the​ ​structure,​ ​history,​ ​dialectal variation,​ ​acquisition,​ ​and​ ​use​ ​of​ ​Spanish,​ ​Portuguese,​ ​and​ ​other​ ​languages​ ​in​ ​contact​ ​with Spanish,​ ​using​ ​the​ ​analytic​ ​tools​ ​of​ ​modern​ ​linguistic​ ​theory.​ ​Specialists​ ​in​ ​Hispanic​ ​linguistics have​ ​a​ ​general,​ ​theoretical​ ​background​ ​in​ ​linguistics and​ ​specialize​ ​in​ ​phenomena​ ​directly relevant​ ​to​ ​the​ ​linguistic​ ​analysis​ ​of​ ​these​ ​particular​ ​languages. A​ ​Hispanic​ ​linguist​ ​has​ ​explicit, conscious​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​how​ ​these​ ​languages​ ​work,​ ​can​ ​communicate​ ​that​ ​knowledge​ ​to​ ​others, and​ ​can​ ​extend​ ​the​ ​world's​ ​stock​ ​of​ ​knowledge​ ​about​ ​those​ ​languages​ ​through​ ​original​ ​research.

Application and Admission

It​ ​is the​ ​policy​ ​of​ ​The​ ​Graduate​ ​School​ ​that​ ​“[s]tudents​ ​must​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​and​ ​be​ ​accepted​ ​by​ ​both programs​ ​individually​ ​before​ ​beginning​ ​in​ ​the​ ​dual​ ​degree​ ​program. ​In​ ​a​ ​practical​ ​sense,​ ​this means​ ​that​ ​students​ ​should​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​both​ ​academic​ ​programs​ ​at​ ​the​ ​same​ ​time,​ ​or​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​the second​ ​program​ ​no​ ​later​ ​than​ ​during​ ​their​ ​first​ ​year​ ​of​ ​the​ ​first​ ​program.​Dual​ ​degrees​ ​will​ ​not be​ ​awarded​ ​after​ ​the​ ​curricular​ ​requirements​ ​have​ ​already​ ​been​ ​met​ ​without​ ​initial​ ​application." The​ ​applications​ ​will​ ​be considered​ ​separately​ ​by​ ​the​ ​admissions​ ​committees​ ​of​ ​the​ ​two​ ​departments. Those​ ​committees will​ ​make​ ​the​ ​final​ ​decision​ ​about​ ​admission​ ​to​ ​each​ ​department. A student who is not admitted concurrently by both departments is not admitted to the dual track for the relevant term, although he or she may still be admitted to the linguistics M.A. singly by a vote of that department's admissions committee. Based on the prerequisites set forth by the Department of Romance Studies, said student is ineligible for admission to the Romance studies Ph.D. for that term, though he or she may reapply to that degree for a later term.​​ ​(A prospective​ ​student​ ​who​ ​already​ ​has​ ​an​ ​M.A.​ ​in​ ​linguistics​ ​cannot​ ​receive​ ​a​ ​second​ ​M.A.​ ​in​ ​the same​ ​field,​ ​hence​ ​is​ ​not​ ​eligible​ ​for​ ​the​ ​dual​ ​track,​ ​and​ ​should​ ​apply​ ​directly​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Romance studies​ ​Ph.D.)​ 

​A​ ​prospective​ ​student​ ​whose​ ​degree​ ​intent​ ​is​ ​a​ ​terminal​ ​M.A.​ ​in​ ​linguistics​ ​with concentration​ ​in​ ​Hispanic​ ​linguistics​ ​need​ ​only​ ​apply​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Linguistics​ ​Department. If the student later wants to be admitted to the dual track before completing the M.A., he or she must apply only to the Ph.D. in Romance studies during the first year of the M.A. If the student completes, or is in the second year and expects to complete, the M.A. and wants to be admitted to the Ph.D. in Romance studies, he or she must apply to the Department of Romance Studies.

Click here for information​ ​and​ ​guidelines​ ​on​ ​the​ ​The Graduate​ ​School​'s ​admissions​ ​application​. Prospective​ ​students​ ​will​ ​submit​ ​their​ ​applications​ ​electronically​ ​to​ ​The​ ​Graduate​ ​School. Applications​ ​are​ ​only​ ​accepted​ ​for​ ​study​ ​beginning​ ​in​ ​the​ ​fall​ ​semester​ ​of​ ​each​ ​year. Recommenders​ ​must​ ​submit​ ​their​ ​letters​ ​electronically​ ​through​ ​the​ ​online​ ​application​ ​system. We​ ​do​ ​not​ ​accept​ ​any​ ​recommendations​ ​on​ ​paper​ ​or​ ​via​ ​e-mail. To​ ​be​ ​considered​ ​for​ ​competitive Graduate​ ​School​ ​fellowships,​ ​an​ ​applicant​ ​must​ ​submit ​all​ ​materials​ ​by​ ​the​ ​second​ ​week​ ​of December.​ ​(Actual​ ​date​ ​changes​ ​with​ ​the​ ​semester.)​ ​This​ ​includes​ ​GRE​ ​scores,​ ​transcripts,​ ​letters of​ ​recommendation,​ ​statement​ ​of​ ​purpose,​ ​writing​ ​sample,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​audio​ ​file​ ​referred​ ​to​ ​below. (All​ ​are​ ​to​ ​be​ ​submitted​ ​electronically.)​ ​Prospective​ ​students​ ​do​ ​not​ ​send​ ​hard​ ​copies​ ​of transcripts​ ​when​ ​applying. They​ ​are​ ​only​ ​uploaded​ ​into​ ​their​ ​application. If​ ​the students are admitted​ ​they​ ​will then​ ​have​ ​to​ ​submit​ ​hard​ ​copies​ ​of​ ​their​ ​FINAL​ ​transcript​ ​to​ ​The​ ​Graduate​ ​School​ ​only. Departmental​ ​funding​ ​(usually​ ​in​ ​the​ ​form​ ​of​ ​a​ ​teaching​ ​assistantship)​ ​may​ ​still​ ​be​ ​available​ ​to those​ ​who​ ​apply​ ​no​ ​later​ ​than​ ​the​ ​second​ ​week​ ​of​ ​January​ ​(the​ ​actual​ ​date​ ​changes​ ​with​ ​the semester)​ ​for​ ​Fall​ ​admission.​ ​Although​ ​applications​ ​received​ ​up​ ​to​ ​the​ ​latter​ ​date​ ​will​ ​be considered,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​strongly​ ​recommended​ ​that​ ​materials​ ​be​ ​submitted​ ​by​ ​December​ ​15th.

Please​ ​note​ ​that​ ​in​ ​addition​ ​to​ ​the​ ​application​ ​materials​ ​that​ ​The​ ​Graduate​ ​School​ ​requests​ ​(such as​ ​the​ ​GRE),​ ​the​ ​dual​ ​track​ ​would​ ​like​ ​to​ ​receive​ ​the​ ​following​ ​three​ ​items:

* A​ ​one-page​ ​statement​ ​(written​ ​in​ ​English)​ ​in​ ​which​ ​the​ ​student​ ​explains​ ​his/her reasons​ ​for​ ​pursuing​ ​a​ ​graduate​ ​degree​ ​in​ ​Hispanic​ ​linguistics.​ ​S/he​ ​should​ ​also​ ​detail the​ ​areas​ ​of​ the ​proposed​ ​field.

* A​ ​writing​ ​sample​ ​in​ ​Spanish,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​a​ ​term​ ​paper​ ​that​ ​s/he​ ​has​ ​written​ ​for​ ​a​ ​course​ ​or a​ ​published​ ​article.

* An​ ​audio​ ​file​ ​of​ ​a​ ​few​ ​minutes’​ ​duration,​ ​on​ ​which​ ​s/he​ ​identifies​ ​herself​ ​by​ ​name​ ​in English;​ ​then​ ​speaks​ ​in​ ​Spanish​ ​about​ ​her​ ​professional​ ​goals​ ​and​ ​reads​ ​(also​ ​in Spanish)​ ​a​ ​short​ ​passage​ ​of​ ​his/her​ ​choice. The​ ​audio​ ​file​ ​is​ ​to​ ​be​ ​submitted​ ​to romlgrad@unc.edu. This​ ​last​ ​item​ ​is​ ​particularly​ ​important​ ​if​ ​the​ ​student​ ​is​ ​applying for​ ​a​ ​teaching​ ​assistantship.

The​ ​prerequisite​ ​for​ ​admission​ ​to​ ​the​ ​M.A.​ ​track​ ​with​ ​concentration​ ​in​ ​Hispanic​ ​linguistics​ ​is completion​ ​of​ ​a​ ​bachelor's​ ​degree​ ​and​ ​knowledge​ ​of​ ​Spanish.

Advising

The​ ​dual​ ​track​ ​will​ ​be​ ​served​ ​by​ ​the​ ​graduate​ ​advisors​ ​in​ ​each​ ​department. ​M.A.​ ​advising​ ​will be​ ​the​ ​responsibility​ ​of​ ​the​ ​linguistics​ ​graduate​ ​advisor,​ ​while​ ​Ph.D.​ ​advising​ ​will​ ​be​ ​the responsibility​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Romance​ ​studies​ ​graduate​ ​advisor.

A​ ​student​ ​who​ ​is​ ​admitted​ ​to​ ​the​ ​dual​ ​track​ ​is​ ​admitted​ ​simultaneously​ ​to​ ​the​ ​linguistics​ ​M.A. program​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Romance​ ​studies​ ​Ph.D.​ ​program,​ ​and​ ​must​ ​accept​ ​both​ ​admission​ ​offers before enrolling in classes. In​ ​any​ ​given​ ​semester,​ ​the​ ​student​ ​must​ ​be​ ​term-activated​ ​in​ ​one program​ ​or​ ​the​ ​other.​ ​Incoming​ ​students​ ​will​ ​normally​ ​be​ ​term-activated​ ​in​ ​the​ ​linguistics ​M.A. for​ approximately​ ​the​ ​first​ ​two​ ​years​ ​before​ ​switching​ ​their​ ​term​ ​activation​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Romance studies​ ​Ph.D. Regardless​ ​of​ ​which​ ​program​ ​the​ ​student​ ​is​ ​term-activated​ ​in,​ ​however,​ ​he​ ​or​ ​she may,​ ​in​ ​any​ ​semester,​ ​make​ ​progress​ ​towards​ ​the​ ​requirements​ ​of​ ​either​ ​program,​ ​or​ ​of​ ​both. Dual​ ​track​ ​students​ ​should​ ​ensure​ ​they​ ​have​ ​successfully​ ​submitted​ ​an​ ​application​ ​to​ ​graduate for​ ​each​ ​of​ ​their​ ​intended​ ​degree​ ​programs.

Graduate Certificate in Computational Linguistics

Students admitted to the graduate certificate in computational linguistics must complete three courses (nine credit hours), of which one course may be counted towards their home degree. Students with background in linguistics must complete three courses from the following list:

COMP 455Models of Languages and Computation3
COMP 486/INLS 512Applications of Natural Language Processing3
COMP 562Introduction to Machine Learning H3
COMP 755Machine Learning3
INLS 509Information Retrieval3
INLS 613Text Mining3
INLS 690Intermediate Selected Topics (Data Mining: Methods and Applications)1-3
H

Honors version available. An honors course fulfills the same requirements as the nonhonors version of that course. Enrollment and GPA restrictions may apply.

Students with background in computer science or information science must complete three courses from the following list:

LING 401IDEAs in Action General Education logo Language and Computers3
LING 427Morphology3
LING 460IDEAs in Action General Education logo Making Sense of Big Data: Textual Analysis with R3
LING 520IDEAs in Action General Education logo Linguistic Phonetics3
LING 523Phonological Theory I3
LING 528Language Acquisition I3
LING 530Syntactic Theory I3
LING 537IDEAs in Action General Education logo Semantic Theory I3
LING 540IDEAs in Action General Education logo Mathematical Linguistics3

Students with background in other areas and non-degree-seeking students will be advised individually on a curriculum. In addition, participants in the certificate will participate in a monthly brown bag seminar which will feature speakers from academia and industry related to computational linguistics and will promote networking and mentoring in the field.

Following the faculty member's name is a section number that students should use when registering for independent studies, reading, research, and thesis and dissertation courses with that particular professor.

Professors

Misha Becker (12), Language Acquisition, Psycholinguistics, Language Revitalization
David Mora-Marín (15), Historical Linguistics, Mayan Linguistics, Linguistic Anthropology
Elliott Moreton (8), Phonetics, Phonology, Cognitive Science
Paul Roberge (17), Pidgins and Creoles, Historical Linguistics, Germanic Linguistics
Jennifer L. Smith (7), Phonology, Phonetics, Japanese

Associate Professors

Katya Pertsova (10), Computational Linguistics, Morphology
J. Michael Terry (9), Semantics, African American English

Assistant Professor

Brian Hsu (6), Syntax, Phonology

Teaching Assistant Professor

Caitlin Smith.

Adjunct Faculty

Becky Butler, Phonetics, Phonology, Southeast Asian Linguistics
Benjamin E. Frey (Department of American Studies), Cherokee Linguistics, German and Dutch Linguistics, German Language in America
Masako Hirotani, Linguistics, Cognitive Science, Psycholinguistics, Neurocognition of Language, Auditory Language Processing

In Other Departments

Jennifer Arnold (Department of Psychology), Psychology and Psycholinguistics
Mohit Bansal (Department of Computer Science)
Uffe Bergeton (Department of Asian Studies), Early Chinese Language, History, and Thought
Lucia Binotti (Department of Romance Studies), Spanish Philology, Cultural Thought, Linguistic Historiography
Bruno Estigarribia (Department of Romance Studies), Spanish Linguistics, Language Development and Cognition
Nina Furry (Department of Romance Studies), French Linguistics
Peter C. Gordon (Department of Psychology), Psychology of Language
Lamar Graham (Department of Romance Studies), Romance Linguistics, Syntax
Thomas Hofweber (Department of Philosophy), Philosophy of Language
Wendan Li (Department of Asian Studies), Chinese Linguistics, Discourse
Jim Pryor (Department of Philosophy)
Martha Ruiz-Garcia (Department of Romance Studies)
Gillian Russell (Department of Philosophy), Philosophy of Language
Patricia E. Sawin (Department of American Studies), Ethnography of Communication

Professors Emeriti

Randall Hendrick
H. Craig Melchert
Patrick O'Neill (Department of English and Comparative Literature),
 Celtic Languages

Subjects in this department include Linguistics (LING) and Yucatec Maya (MAYA).

LING

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 401.  Language and Computers.  3 Credits.  

Uses simple linguistic problems to introduce students to the use of programming languages especially suited to analyze and process natural language on the computer. No prior programming knowledge is presupposed.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-QUANT, FC-LAB.
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 410.  Advanced Philosophy of Language.  3 Credits.  

At least two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155, including PHIL 345, strongly recommended. A study of important contemporary contributions in philosophy of language. Topics include meaning, reference, and truth.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PHIL 445, LING 445.  
LING 422.  Research Methods in Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology.  3 Credits.  

Focuses on the practical skills required to carry out basic experiments in speech production or perception. Includes training in a general-purpose programming language (such as Perl) for automating repetitive tasks, experiment-control software, audio stimulus manufacture and editing, palatography, aerodynamic measurements, and other laboratory techniques relevant to student interests.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 200, 520, 523, or SPHS 540.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 427.  Morphology.  3 Credits.  

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. Previously offered as LING 527.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 428.  Bilingualism and Second-Language Acquisition.  3 Credits.  

This course covers theoretical issues in childhood simultaneous bilingualism, and child and adult second-language acquisition, under both naturalistic and classroom learning circumstances.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 444.  Origin and Evolution of Human Language.  3 Credits.  

Recommended preparation, at least one higher-level core course in linguistics. Surveys current answers to such questions as, When and how did language first appear? What do other animal communication systems share with language? Do restricted linguistic systems (e. g., pidgins) preserve "fossils" of early human language?

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 445.  Advanced Philosophy of Language.  3 Credits.  

At least two courses in philosophy other than PHIL 155, including PHIL 345, strongly recommended. A study of important contemporary contributions in philosophy of language. Topics include meaning, reference, and truth.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PHIL 445, LING 410.  
LING 458.  Writing Systems: Past, Present, Future, Fictional.  3 Credits.  

This course provides an introduction to the linguistic structure and historical development of the world's writing systems (e.g. Sumerian, Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, Semitic scripts, Indian abugidas, Olmec, Mayan, Incan), the methods for their decipherment and analysis, the cross-script generalizations that can be proposed through their comparative study, and the techniques for developing a new writing system for a previously unwritten language, as well as for inventing a language and writing system from scratch.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 460.  Making Sense of Big Data: Textual Analysis with R.  3 Credits.  

The course covers methods for working with textual data (corpora, databases, etc.) that include data cleaning techniques, graphing, statistical analysis, web-scraping, and categorization models. Students will complete their own data project by the end of the course.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 484.  Discourse and Dialogue in Ethnographic Research.  3 Credits.  

Study of cultural variation in styles of speaking applied to collection of ethnographic data. Talk as responsive social action and its role in the constitution of ethnic and gender identities.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS, CI, US.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 484, FOLK 484.  
LING 490.  Advanced Topics in Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Directed readings on linguistic topics not covered in specific courses.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 9 total credits. 3 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 493.  Internship in Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Permission of instructor. This course allows students to integrate theoretical knowledge with practice through an internship experience in the field of linguistics. Students may work with businesses or organizations in the areas of computational linguistics, language documentation, education, publishing, or other related fields. Activities must be approved by faculty and supervised by a mentor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: HI-INTERN.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Academic Internship.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 495.  Individual Mentored Research.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of instructor. Students carry out a research project of their own design under the direct supervision of a faculty mentor. This course is intended for advanced, motivated students who would like to pursue an in-depth research project within a single semester.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 6 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 496.  Independent Study in Linguistics.  1-3 Credits.  

LING 101 and additional coursework in linguistics strongly recommended. An intensive directed readings course or a mentored project; topic to be determined in consultation with the instructor. Permission of the director of undergraduate studies.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 12 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 503.  Structure of American Sign Language.  3 Credits.  

Introduces the linguistic structures of American Sign Language, including phonology, morphology, and syntax. Also covers gesture/homesign, sign language acquisition and language transfer.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: GLBL-LANG.
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPHS 402 or permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Global Language: Level 3.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 520.  Linguistic Phonetics.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-NATSCI or FC-QUANT.
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 520.  
LING 522.  Experimental Phonetics and Laboratory Phonology.  3 Credits.  

This course relates linguistic theory to experimental findings. Students design and carry out experiments to test theoretical issues of current theoretical importance.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, LING 520, and 200 or 523.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 523.  Phonological Theory I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Introduction to the principles of modern generative phonology. Methods and theory of phonological analysis. Students may not receive credit for both LING 200 and LING 523.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 520, or SPHS 530 or 540.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 523.  
LING 524.  Phonological Theory II.  3 Credits.  

Intermediate phonological theory and analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 200 or 523.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 525.  Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Theories and methods of historical and comparative linguistics, with emphasis upon the Indo-European family. Students may not receive credit for both LING 202 and LING 525.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 526.  Second-Language Phonetics and Phonology.  3 Credits.  

Production, perception, and phonological patterns and processes in second-language learning and use. Effects of first-language transfer and universal linguistic factors. Seminar-style class based on primary literature.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 528.  Language Acquisition I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. One course in phonology or syntax recommended. Child language from a theoretical perspective. Topics include segmentation problems, acquisition of phonology, morphology and syntax, lexical acquisition, and language development in blind and deaf children and in bilinguals. Students may not receive credit for both LING 203 and LING 528.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 529.  Language Acquisition II.  3 Credits.  

This course focuses on the development of syntax in first-language acquisition in children. Topics will include parameter setting, null subjects, root infinitives, aspect, A-movement, binding theory, and control.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, LING 203 or 528, and LING 201 or 530.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 530.  Syntactic Theory I.  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor for undergraduates. Methods and theory of grammatical analysis within the transformational generative framework. Special emphasis on analyzing syntactic and semantic structures of English. Students may not receive credit for both LING 201 and LING 530.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 533.  Syntactic Theory II.  3 Credits.  

Methods and theory of grammatical analysis, with special reference to transformational grammar.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 530.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 537.  Semantic Theory I.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 538.  Semantic Theory II.  3 Credits.  

A continuation of LING 537 (Semantic Theory I), this course prepares the student to read the formal semantic literature and to do original research in the field.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 537.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 539.  Language of Time.  3 Credits.  

The representation of time and temporal relations in natural languages. Cross-linguistic study of tense and aspect distinctions, modality, temporal adverbials, temporal anaphora, and sequences of tenses.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 540.  Mathematical Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-QUANT.
Making Connections Gen Ed: QI.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 541.  Sociolinguistics.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 541.  
LING 542.  Pidgins and Creoles.  3 Credits.  

Examination of the social contexts of language contact and their linguistic outcomes, with particular emphasis on the formation of pidgins and creoles. The course investigates the structural properties of these new contact languages and evaluates the conflicting theories that explain their genesis.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 542.  
LING 543.  Language in Politics.  3 Credits.  

Examines language as a political issue in the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasis placed on American and British politics but attention to one other national context as well.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 545.  Language and Mind.  3 Credits.  

The course treats the relationship among linguistics, artificial intelligence, neurobiology, cognitive psychology, and the philosophies of mind, language, and science.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Making Connections Gen Ed: PH.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, ENGL 213, LING 101, LING 400, or PHIL 145; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 547.  Language Deficits and Cognition.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 550.  Introduction to Indo-European: Phonology.  3 Credits.  

A survey of the phonological systems of the major Indo-European languages and their development from Proto-Indo-European.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 551.  Introduction to Indo-European: Morphology.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to the major morphological categories in the Indo-European languages and their development from the proto-language.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 550.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 558.  Ancient Mayan Hieroglyphs.  3 Credits.  

This course is an introduction to the ancient scripts of pre-Columbian Mexico and Central America. It focuses on ancient Mayan hieroglyphs, describing their orthographic and linguistic structure, and highlighting methods for investigating the script using the Maya Hieroglyphic Database (5,000 inscriptions comprising 85,565 records). Students will write a research paper consisting of a linguistic and quantitative (descriptive, inferential statistical) analysis of a particular phenomenon of the script.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING or FC-QUANT.
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, WB.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 560.  Mesoamerican Languages and Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Surveys the basic characteristics that unify Mesoamerica as a cultural and linguistic area (e.g. sound systems, word order, color systems, diffused vocabulary, etc.), the basic sources of cultural and linguistic information available (e.g. ancient hieroglyphs, colonial manuscripts, contemporary documents, linguistic fieldwork), and the consequences of ancient and modern cross-cultural interaction.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: BN.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 561.  Native Languages of the Americas.  3 Credits.  

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.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or 400.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 562.  Structure of Russian.  3 Credits.  

Examines Russian from the perspective of linguistic analysis. How do sounds, words, and sentences pattern in Russian? How do these compare with patterns in other languages? Also considers the influence of evidence from Russian on the development of linguistic theory.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101 or RUSS 102; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: RUSS 562.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 563.  Structure of Japanese.  3 Credits.  

Introductory linguistic description of modern Japanese. For students of linguistics with no knowledge of Japanese and students of Japanese with no knowledge of linguistics.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: FC-KNOWING.
Making Connections Gen Ed: SS.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, JAPN 102 or LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: JAPN 563.  
LING 564.  History of the French Language.  3 Credits.  

The phonology, morphology, and syntax of French are traced from the Latin foundation to the present. Lectures, readings, discussions, and textual analysis. In English.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, FREN 300, and one additional course above FREN 330; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: FREN 564.  
LING 565.  French Phonetics and Phonology.  3 Credits.  

Study of the sound system and prosody features of standard French, emphasizing practical application in a variety of oral activities. Requires learning linguistic terminology and the phonetic alphabet. In English.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, FREN 255, 260, or 262; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: FREN 565.  
LING 566.  Structure of Modern French.  3 Credits.  

Introduction to phonology, morphology, and syntax of modern standard French. Application of modern linguistic theory to the teaching of French. In English.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, FREN 300, and one additional course above FREN 330; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: FREN 566.  
LING 567.  Structure of German.  3 Credits.  

LING 101 recommended for undergraduates. Introduction to formal analysis of German grammar (phonology, morphophonemics, prosodics, morphology, syntax) within the framework of generative grammar.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, GERM 302 and 303; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: GERM 501.  
LING 573.  Linguistic Field Methods I.  3 Credits.  

Analysis and description of a language unknown to the class from data solicited from a native-speaker consultant.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, LING 101, and one of LING 200, 376, or 422.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 574.  Linguistic Field Methods II.  3 Credits.  

Continuation of LING 573.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 578.  Comparative History of the Romance Languages.  3 Credits.  

The linguistic study of the evolution of Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Italian (and other Romance languages) from their common ancestor of Latin. Emphasis on phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical commonalities and divergences among the languages.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, FREN 300 or ITAL 300 or PORT 310 or SPAN 300; OR graduate standing; OR permission of instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ROML 578.  
LING 583.  History and Philosophy of Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Linguistic theories from classical times to the present with special emphasis on the origins of contemporary theories.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 101.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 676.  Advanced Spanish Phonology.  3 Credits.  

Topics in Spanish phonology from a range of theoretical perspectives. Autosegmental theory, optimality theory (OT), syllable structure, stress and accent, and the interaction of phonology and morphology.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPAN 376; OR graduate standing; OR permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: SPAN 676.  
LING 678.  History of the Spanish Language.  3 Credits.  

SPAN 376 desirable. A theoretical study of the evolution of Spanish from classical and spoken Latin, focusing on phonological, morphological, and syntactic phenomena. Intended for linguistics majors.

Rules & Requirements  
Making Connections Gen Ed: HS, WB.  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPAN 360; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: SPAN 678.  
LING 681.  Spanish Semantics.  3 Credits.  

This course is an upper undergraduate/graduate-level introduction to the study of the meaning of words and sentences, with a focus on Spanish. It covers the following topics: truth-conditional theories of meaning, modality, quantification, reference, tense and aspect, Aktionsart. The course also addresses cross-linguistic data collection, e.g., field work and experimental methods.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPAN 360.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: SPAN 681.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 691H.  Senior Honors Thesis.  3 Credits.  

See the program for honors in the College of Arts and Sciences and the department honors advisor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
IDEAs in Action General Education logoLING 692H.  Senior Honors Thesis.  3 Credits.  

See the program for honors in the College of Arts and Sciences and the department honors advisor.

Rules & Requirements  
IDEAs in Action General Education logo IDEAs in Action Gen Ed: RESEARCH.
Making Connections Gen Ed: EE- Mentored Research.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

For Irish and Welsh, see English; for Hebrew, see Religious Studies; for Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, see Asian Studies in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

LING 700.  Linguistics Colloquium.  1 Credits.  

This course corresponds to our weekly department colloquium, which gives students an opportunity to learn about current research in the field from local and external invited speakers, present their own work in progress or completed thesis research, and to engage in a variety of professional development activities led by faculty.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 4 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 712.  Advanced Studies in Philosophy of Language.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: PHIL 745.  
LING 715.  Advanced Methods in Phonology.  3 Credits.  

Methods of theoretical argumentation in generative phonology with emphasis on recent proposals in the published literature.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 524.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 716.  Advanced Methods in Syntax.  3 Credits.  

Examination of recent developments in the theory and methods of syntactic analysis.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, LING 533; permission of the instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 723.  Seminar in Anthropological Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

Selected topics from general linguistics and sociolinguistics, special emphasis on methods and problems involved in analysis and description of semantic structure of language and its relation to the rest of culture.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 723.  
LING 730.  Comparative Grammar of Ancient Languages.  3 Credits.  

Introductory and advanced work in the earlier stages of extant languages and in extinct languages.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 790.  Dialectology.  3 Credits.  

Principles and methods of areal linguistics and social dialectology.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ANTH 790.  
LING 794.  Linguistic Field Methods II.  3 Credits.  

Continuation of LING 573.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 814.  History of the English Language.  3 Credits.  

Study of English from its Proto-Indo-European origins through the 18th century focusing on historic events and the major changes to the structure and usage of English they occasioned.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENGL 814.  
LING 860.  Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Topics vary to include specialized areas of linguistics study.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 861.  Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Seminar in phonological theory.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 862.  Seminar.  3 Credits.  

Seminar in grammatical theory.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 893.  Current Problems in Linguistics.  3 Credits.  

This course explores relations of linguistics with neighboring fields and theoretical problems of current relevance within linguistics itself; some attention given to pedagogical methodology.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 897.  Special Readings.  3 Credits.  

Readings in linguistic topics that are not covered in the existing courses.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
LING 992.  Master's (Non-Thesis).  3 Credits.  

Non-Thesis Option

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics.  
LING 993.  Master's Research and Thesis.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   
LING 994.  Doctoral Research and Dissertation.  3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

MAYA

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

Department of Linguistics

Visit Program Website

104A Smith Building, CB# 3155

(919) 962-1192

Chair

Misha Becker

Director of Graduate Studies and Admissions

Elliott Moreton