Linguistics (LING)
LING 1100. Introduction to Linguistics. (3 Credits)
An introduction to linguistics, the study of language. The course surveys the core domains of theoretical linguistics including phonology, syntax, and semantics as well as select areas of applied linguistics. Taught in English.
Attributes: CLAS, COLI, ENGL.
LING 1400. Introduction to Sociolinguistics. (3 Credits)
This course introduces students to the field of sociolinguistics, which studies how language and language use are shaped by social and cultural contexts. The course will provide a survey of important topics in sociolinguistics, including language variation and change; language contact and multilingualism; language standardization; and language ideologies. We will also explore the development of sociolinguistics as a discipline from first wave single-variation studies to third-wave studies on social meaning expressed through language style.
Attribute: MLL.
LING 1500. Introduction to Psycholinguistics. (3 Credits)
An introduction to psycholinguistics, also called the psychology of language. The course focuses on how the mind and brain acquire and process language across the lifespan and in different populations. Taught in English.
Attributes: NECG, SSCI.
LING 2025. "You talk like a ____": Language, Identity and Stereotype. (4 Credits)
What does it mean to “talk like a ____?” Can you tell where someone is from by listening to them? Can you guess their race, ethnicity, gender, or social class? This course will explore how language is used in the creation of identity and social difference. Through a variety of linguistic anthropological and sociolinguistic texts, we will look at how ways of thinking about language (language ideologies) affect ways of thinking about people who speak language. We will analyze how language and linguistic difference intersects with authority, power, identity, and performance. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
LING 2050. Pragmatics of Communication. (4 Credits)
Linguistic competence is central to being a speaker in a speech community. This class brings together readings in pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and linguistic anthropology to explore what it means to be a socially competent speaker. The course examines norms of communication, such as politeness registers and appropriateness in cross-cultural contexts, and analyzes personal and professional communication practices. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: MLL.
LING 2075. Politics of Language in China. (4 Credits)
This course examines contemporary language politics in China, including Mandarin promotion, language standardization, and the treatment of minority languages and non-Mandarin dialects. We will explore what counts as a language and what counts as a dialect, and we will look at how language has been implicated in state and nation-building projects. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: CNST, MLL.
LING 2400. Analyzing Discourse: Text and Talk in Context. (4 Credits)
During this course students will acquire basic knowledge and skills for analyzing different types of discourse, including political debates, advertisements, and media texts, in order to reveal the underlying ideas, values and opinions of language users. We will explore how language can be used to subtly convey ideas, ideologies, and value and we will focus on uncovering how language and discourse construct identities, and produce, or reproduce, stereotypical and/or xenophobic perspectives. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: CCMS, COMC, LALS, MLL.
LING 2675. Sounds of New York. (4 Credits)
There are more than 800 languages spoken in New York City. This course introduces students to the vast linguistic diversity in their own backyard. The course will pair theoretical readings with a significant hands-on research project. Students will conduct ethnographic fieldwork among language or speech communities of their choice. Students may choose to work with the Bronx Italian-American initiative. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ACUP, ADVD, AMST, ANTH, LAHA, LALS, MLL, PLUR.
LING 3007. Spanish Linguistics. (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the linguistic study of the Spanish language. The course discusses the formal domains of language structure - including speech sounds and their mental representations, sentence structure and semantic meaning, as well as social realities of language use and language change across different varieties of Spanish in the world. The course is taught in Spanish. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, LALS.
Prerequisite: SPAN 2001.
LING 3010. Bilingual Minds. (4 Credits)
Worldwide, there are more bilinguals than monolinguals. Bilingualism research has revealed dynamic social, cultural, linguistic, and psychological characteristics of the bilingual experience. This course focuses on the study of the bilingual mind; that is, how bilinguals learn and process their languages and how the bilingual experience of living with two or more languages influences linguistic and non-linguistic skills and behaviors. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: EP3, MLL, NECG, PSYC.
LING 3025. Language Endangerment. (4 Credits)
There are about 7,000 languages spoken at present, and linguists estimate that within 100 years, more than 50% of these languages will be lost. This course explores the interrelated processes of language shift, language loss, and language death, as well as efforts to preserve or revitalize endangered languages. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ANTH, GLBL, INST, IRST, ISIN, MLL.
LING 3035. Language, Linguistics, and Social Justice. (4 Credits)
The intersection of language, linguistics, and social justice comprises many distinct, but interrelated, disciplines in which scholars, practitioners, and communities strive to recognize and uproot core causes of social injustices, particularly regarding the impacts of language. In this course, we discuss issues at this intersection – including language and the criminal justice and health care systems, linguistic biases, language myths, speaker identities, bilingualism, and bilingual education. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: ASSC.
LING 3607. Topics in Multilingualism. (4 Credits)
This course discusses the historical and contemporary underpinnings of multilingualism in the globalized world. The course content includes discussion of empirical social and cognitive research on multilingualism as well as multilingual language education and policy. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ASSC, GLBL.
LING 4015. Language and Thought. (4 Credits)
This course discusses theories and research in the study of language from a cognitive science perspective. The course elaborates on contemporary issues in the relationships between language and thought, including linguistic relativity and embodied cognition, among other areas. Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ICC, NECG, NEUR, PSYC.
LING 4020. Language and Race. (4 Credits)
This class explores the role of language in the social construction of race and racism, from the use of linguistic differences to construct racial categories in the 19th century to present-day “English only” policies and the stigmatization of race-based accents and dialects. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attributes: ANTH, COLI, ICC, LAHA, LALS, PLUR.
LING 4999. Linguistics Research. (4 Credits)
Students enrolled in Linguistics Research will complete a faculty-mentored independent research project. Note: Four-credit courses that meet for 150 minutes per week require three additional hours of class preparation per week on the part of the student in lieu of an additional hour of formal instruction.
Attribute: MLL.