Courses by semester
Courses for Spring 20
Complete Cornell University course descriptions and section times are in the Class Roster.
| Course ID | Title | Offered |
|---|---|---|
| ASL 1101 |
American Sign Language I
Students with no previous background in American Sign Language (ASL) will be introduced to basic conversational techniques in ASL, including both expressive and receptive skills. Basic grammar and vocabulary will be covered, including explanations of the fundamental parts of a sign, proper use of fingerspelling, and the significance of non-manual features. Instruction will be supplemented with videos, allowing students to begin exploring the visual literature of the Deaf community in the United States. Readings and class discussions will acquaint students with American Deaf culture, history and education, and the historical development of ASL. |
Fall, Spring. |
| ASL 1102 | American Sign Language II |
|
| LING 1101 |
Introduction to Linguistics
Overview of the science of language, especially its theoretical underpinnings, methods, and major findings. Areas covered include: the relation between sound and meaning in human languages, social variation in language, language change over time, universals of language, and the mental representation of linguistic knowledge. Students are introduced to a wide variety of language phenomena, drawn not only from languages resembling English, but also from many that appear to be quite unlike English, such as those native to the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) |
Fall, Spring. |
| LING 1104 |
WIM: Introduction to Cognitive Science
This section is highly recommended for students who are interested in learning about the topics covered in the main course through writing and discussion. Full details for LING 1104 - WIM: Introduction to Cognitive Science |
Spring. |
| LING 1109 |
English Words: Histories and Mysteries
Where do the words we use come from? This course examines the history and structure of the English vocabulary from its distant Indo-European roots to the latest in technical jargon and slang. Topics include formal and semantic change, taboo and euphemism, borrowing, new words from old, "learned" English loans from Greek and Latin, slang, and society. Catalog Distribution: (HA-AS) Full details for LING 1109 - English Words: Histories and Mysteries |
Spring. |
| LING 1132 |
Elementary Sanskrit II
An introduction to the essentials of Sanskrit grammar. Designed to enable the student to read classical and epic Sanskrit as soon as possible. |
Spring. |
| LING 1170 |
Introduction to Cognitive Science
This course provides an introduction to the science of the mind. Everyone knows what it's like to think and perceive, but this subjective experience provides little insight into how minds emerge from physical intities like brains. To address this issue, cognitive science integrates work from at least five disciplines: Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Philosophy. This course introduces students to the insights these disciplines offer into the workings of the mind by exploring visual perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving, language, and consciousness. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) Full details for LING 1170 - Introduction to Cognitive Science |
Spring, Summer (six-week session). |
| LING 2221 |
Language and Society
We will explore how language and society affect each other. How do class, age, ethnicity, gender, and geography affect the way people speak? Why are some ways of speaking considered prestigious and others stigmatized? How does increased use of online communication and social media affect how we communicate? How are power relations captured in language? How does national policy-e.g., "English-only" policies-affect both politics and language use? What are the linguistic issues behind the Ebonics debate? In this course we consider these questions both in the context of the United States and other parts of the world. Catalog Distribution: (CA-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 2252 |
Intermediate Sanskrit II
Review of grammar and reading of selections from Sanskrit epic poetry and narrative prose. |
Spring. |
| LING 3302 |
Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
This course is an introduction to both phonetics (the study of the physical properties of the sounds of human language) and phonology (the organization and patterning of those sounds). The first part of the course focuses on the main areas of phonetics: articulation, acoustics, and perception. Students acquire basic skills, such as production and perception of speech sounds, transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet, and instrumental analysis of speech. In the second part of the course students are introduced to key concepts in phonology, including rules, representations, and analysis of sound patterns. Throughout the course aspects of the sound systems of a wide range of world languages are studied. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) Full details for LING 3302 - Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology |
Spring. |
| LING 3314 |
Introduction to Historical Linguistics
Survey of the basic mechanisms of linguistic change, with examples from a variety of languages. Catalog Distribution: (HA-AS) Full details for LING 3314 - Introduction to Historical Linguistics |
Spring. |
| LING 3315 |
Old Norse I
Old Norse is a collective term for the earliest North Germanic literary languages: Old Icelandic, Old Norwegian, Old Danish, and Old Swedish. The richly documented Old Icelandic is the center of attention, and the purpose is twofold: the students gain knowledge of an ancient North Germanic language, important from a linguistic point of view, and gain access to the medieval Icelandic (and Scandinavian) literature. The structure of Old Norse (Old Icelandic), phonology, and morphology, with reading of selections from the Prose-Edda, a 13th-century narrative based on the Eddaic poetry. |
Fall. |
| LING 3325 |
Cayuga Language and Culture II
A continuation of LING 3324, with further exploration of Cayuga (Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ) language and culture. Language instruction continues in an immersive learning environment with a focus on plants and growing in the spring. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 3390 |
Independent Study in Linguistics
Independent study of linguistics topics not covered in regular curriculum for undergrads. Full details for LING 3390 - Independent Study in Linguistics |
Fall, Spring. |
| LING 4400 |
Language Typology
Studies the basic question of contemporary linguistics. Attempts to formalize universals of morphosyntax and to characterize the total repertory of constructions available to natural languages. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 4423 |
Morphology
Addresses the basic issues in the study of words and their structures. Provides an introduction to different types of morphological structures with examples from a wide range of languages. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 4424 |
Computational Linguistics
Computational models of natural languages. Topics include tree syntax and treebank databases; broad-coverage probabilistic grammars; finite state generative phonology; computational semantics; computational minimalist grammar; finite state optimality-theoretic phonology; Hidden Markov models of acoustic realization; text and speech corpora; lab methods in Unix/Linux environment. Catalog Distribution: (MQR-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 4425 |
Pragmatics
What is the relationship between what words mean and how they are used? What is part of the grammar and what is a result of general reasoning? Pragmatics is often thought of as the study of how meaning depends on the context of utterance. However, it can be difficult to draw a line between pragmatics and semantics. In this course, we will investigate various topics that walk this line, including varieties of linguistic inference (including entailment, presupposition, and implicature), anaphora, indexicals, and speech acts. Catalog Distribution: (KCM-AS) |
Spring. |
| LING 4452 |
Latin Comparative Grammar
The prehistory and evolution of the sounds and forms of Classical Latin as reconstructed by comparison with the other Indo-European languages. |
|
| LING 4492 |
Honors Research Workshop II
This course provides structure and guidance to students doing an honors thesis in linguistics. The course consists of biweekly meeting of all honors thesis writers with the course instructor. Students will submit drafts of the introduction, methodology, results, and conclusions. Students will comment on each others drafts. Students will also work on presentation skills. |
Spring. |
| LING 4494 |
Honors Thesis Research
Directed honors thesis research for students working on an honors thesis, taken with the student's honors thesis chair or other committee member. |
Spring. |
| LING 4712 |
Topics in the Philosophy of Language
An investigation of varying topics in the philosophy of language including reference, meaning, the relationship between language and thought, communication, modality, logic and pragmatics. Full details for LING 4712 - Topics in the Philosophy of Language |
Spring. |
| LING 6314 |
Introduction to Historical Linguistics
Survey of the basic mechanisms of linguistic change, with examples from a variety of languages. Full details for LING 6314 - Introduction to Historical Linguistics |
Spring. |
| LING 6400 |
Language Typology
Studies the basic question of contemporary linguistics. Attempts to formalize universals of morphosyntax and to characterize the total repertory of constructions available to natural languages. |
Spring. |
| LING 6402 |
Phonology II
A continuation of LING 6401 with a focus on developing research skills. |
Spring. |
| LING 6404 |
Syntax II
A continuation of LING 6403, focusing on syntactic dependencies, including the theory of control, an examination of locality constraints on movement, covert versus overt movement, and the syntax of quantification. The purpose of the course is to develop the background needed for independent syntactic research. |
Spring. |
| LING 6422 |
Semantics II
Uses the techniques introduced in Semantics I to analyze linguistic phenomena, including quantifier scope, ellipsis, and referential pronouns. Temporal and possible worlds semantics are introduced and used in the analysis of modality, tense, and belief sentences. The phenomena of presupposition, indefinite descriptions, and anaphora are analyzed in a dynamic compositional framework that formalizes the idea that sentence meaning effects a change in an information state. |
Spring. |
| LING 6423 |
Morphology
Addresses the basic issues in the study of words and their structures. Provides an introduction to different types of morphological structures with examples from a wide range of languages. |
Spring. |
| LING 6425 |
Pragmatics
What is the relationship between what words mean and how they are used? What is part of the grammar and what is a result of general reasoning? Pragmatics is often thought of as the study of how meaning depends on the context of utterance. However, it can be difficult to draw a line between pragmatics and semantics. In this course, we will investigate various topics that walk this line, including varieties of linguistic inference including entailment, presupposition, and implicature), anaphora, indexicals, and speech acts. |
Spring. |
| LING 6452 |
Latin Comparative Grammar
The prehistory and evolution of the sounds and forms of Classical Latin as reconstructed by comparison with the other Indo-European languages. |
Spring. |
| LING 6603 |
Research Workshop
Provides a forum for presentation and discussion of ongoing research, and development of professional skills. Participants must enroll in a concurrent independent study with a special committee member, or a relevant workshop. |
Spring. |
| LING 6604 |
Research Workshop
Provides a forum for presentation and discussion of ongoing research, and development of professional skills. Participants must enroll in a concurrent independent study with a special committee member, or a relevant workshop. |
Spring. |
| LING 6624 |
Old Irish II
Introduction to the grammar of Old Irish. Reading from selected Old Irish glosses and prose works. |
Spring. |
| LING 6634 |
Topics in the Philosophy of Language
An investigation of varying topics in the philosophy of language including reference, meaning, the relationship between language and thought, communication, modality, logic and pragmatics. Full details for LING 6634 - Topics in the Philosophy of Language |
Spring. |
| LING 6692 |
Phonetic Data Analysis Workshop
The phonetics data analysis workshop provides students with practice in analysis and visualization of phonetic data, using Matlab, R, and Praat. Experiment design and statistical methods are emphasized. Full details for LING 6692 - Phonetic Data Analysis Workshop |
Fall, Spring. |
| LING 7702 |
Directed Research
An independent study for graduate students. |
Spring. |
| LING 7711 |
Semantics Seminar
Addresses current theoretical and empirical issues in semantics. |
Fall. |
| LING 7712 |
Syntax Seminar
Addresses current theoretical and empirical issues in syntax. |
Spring. |
| LING 7713 |
Phonetics Seminar
Addresses current theoretical and empirical issues in phonetics. |
Spring. |