Courses

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.

Full details for ASL 1101 - American Sign Language I

This is the second in a sequence of courses in American Sign Language and Deaf Culture offered at Cornell. This course is a continuation of ASL 1101 and focuses on development of conversational and storytelling skills in ASL. Grammatical principles and functions will be emphasized. Appropriate cultural behaviors and conversational regulators in ASL will continue to be an important part of class. Readings and class discussions will acquaint students with American Deaf culture and social issues related to the Deaf community.

Full details for ASL 1102 - American Sign Language II

This course is a continuation of ASL 2201, comprehension and production skills emphasizing on complex grammar, short stories, narratives, and interactive use of ASL. The student will continue a study in depth about the Deaf Community and Deaf Culture globally.

Full details for ASL 2202 - Intermediate American Sign Language II

This course, taught by a culturally Deaf individual, will offer students an opportunity of learning first-hand about a culture within the American cultural context, with constructions of Deaf people as a linguistic minority. A major focus of this course is to bring students to an understanding of how differently the world can be viewed through "Deaf eyes" and how understanding this worldview can account for views toward the teaching and enculturation of deaf children, Deafhood, biomedical ethics, oppression of signed languages, the provision of accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and a host of other issues at the interface between hearing and Deaf cultures.

Full details for ASL 2301 - Modern Deaf Culture

This course will explore approaches to the Deaf experience taken by Deaf artists from the 1900s to the present. Analysis of chosen works of Deaf art, film and theater will illuminate the expression of the Deaf narrative through symbolism, themes, and genres. We will examine the interaction of these works in multiple social, historical, cultural and political contexts and how they have contributed to the construction of Deaf culture and identity. This course will be taught in advanced ASL, with emphasis on the production and comprehension of academic ASL.

Full details for ASL 3215 - Deaf Art, Film and Theatre

In this course the students learn the skill of writing at the university level. Instructors offer themes for their courses within their own special areas of expertise.  

Full details for LING 1100 - FWS: Language, Thought, and Reality

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.

Full details for LING 1101 - Introduction to Linguistics

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

An introduction to the essentials of Sanskrit grammar. Designed to enable the student to read classical and epic Sanskrit as soon as possible.

Full details for LING 1132 - Elementary Sanskrit II

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 entities 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. 

Full details for LING 1170 - Introduction to Cognitive Science

An introduction to the history and theory of writing systems from cuneiform to the alphabet, historical and new writing media, and the complex relationship of writing technologies to human language and culture. Through hands-on activities and collaborative work, students will explore the shifting definitions of "writing" and the diverse ways in which cultures through time have developed and used writing systems. We will also investigate the traditional divisions of "oral" vs. "written" and consider how digital technologies have affected how we use and think about writing in encoding systems from Morse code to emoji.

Full details for LING 2212 - Hieroglyphs to HTML: History of Writing

Provides an introduction to the psychology of language. The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the scientific study of psycholinguistic phenomena. Covers a broad range of topics from psycholinguistics, including the origin of language, the different components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics), processes involved in reading, computational modeling of language processes, the acquisition of language (both under normal and special circumstances), and the brain bases of language.

Full details for LING 2215 - Psychology of Language

Readings from Sanskrit dramas and literary commentary.

Full details for LING 2252 - Intermediate Sanskrit II

In this course, we will explore how language interacts with power: how does language reflect, shape, threaten and reinforce power relations in human society? From childhood through old age, language is an ever-present source of symbolic power. We use it to develop and express our identities, to position ourselves in hierarchies, and to establish group membership and exclusion throughout life. Language shapes ourselves, our families, our social lives, and our institutions. Understanding how people use language can provide a window into hidden aspects of both individuals and the social world. This course will be built around student presentations and both in-class and online discussion of the content of the readings and the questions and dilemmas they raise.

Full details for LING 3150 - Language and Power

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.

Full details for LING 3302 - Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology

Survey of the basic mechanisms of linguistic change, with examples from a variety of languages.

Full details for LING 3314 - Introduction to Historical Linguistics

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.  Extensive reading of Old Norse texts, among them selections from some of the major Icelandic family sagas: Njals saga, Grettis saga, and Egils saga, as well as the whole Hrafnkels saga.

Full details for LING 3316 - Old Norse 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.

Full details for LING 3325 - Cayuga Language and Culture II

Independent study of linguistics topics not covered in regular curriculum for undergrads.

Full details for LING 3390 - Independent Study in Linguistics

This course covers the history, varieties, phonology, morphology and syntax of the Japonic language family.

Full details for LING 4412 - Japanese Linguistics

Computational models of natural languages. Topics are drawn from: tree syntax and context free grammar, finite state generative morpho-phonology, feature structure grammars, logical semantics, tabular parsing, Hidden Markov models, categorial and minimalist grammars, text corpora, information-theoretic sentence processing, discourse relations, and pronominal coreference.

Full details for LING 4424 - Computational Linguistics I

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.

Full details for LING 4425 - Pragmatics

This course is intended as an opportunity for advanced linguistics majors to put to use the analytical skills they have acquired in foundation courses on real world research questions. A seminar theme is identified which is sufficiently broad in scope to encompass problems in all of the major subfields of linguistic analysis, and students are guided by the instructor to individual research topics within its scope which correspond to their individual linguistics interests. The instructional format alternates between group meetings and small group/individual meetings with the instructor. The topic area will change from year to year.

Full details for LING 4440 - Undergraduate Seminar in Linguistics

The class offers an introduction to the experimental methods and data analysis techniques commonly used in linguistics. Topics covered in the course will include basics of experimental design and statistical inference for hypothesis testing, as well as practical training on a variety of experimental paradigms used in syntax and semantics/pragmatics.

Full details for LING 4477 - Experimental Methods in Language Sciences

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.

Full details for LING 4492 - Honors Research Workshop II

Directed honors thesis research for students working on an honors thesis, taken with the student's honors thesis chair or other committee member.

Full details for LING 4494 - Honors Thesis Research

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

Survey of the basic mechanisms of linguistic change, with examples from a variety of languages.

Full details for LING 6314 - Introduction to Historical Linguistics

A continuation of LING 6401 with a focus on developing research skills.

Full details for LING 6402 - Phonology 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.

Full details for LING 6404 - Syntax 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.

Full details for LING 6422 - Semantics II

Computational models of natural languages. Topics are drawn from: tree syntax and context free grammar, finite state generative morphophonology, feature structure grammars, logical semantics, tabular parsing, Hidden Markov models, categorial and minimalist grammars, text corpora, information-theoretic sentence processing, discourse relations, and pronominal coreference.

Full details for LING 6424 - Computational Linguistics I

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.

Full details for LING 6425 - Pragmatics

The class offers an introduction to the experimental methods and data analysis techniques commonly used in linguistics. Topics covered in the course will include basics of experimental design and statistical inference for hypothesis testing, as well as practical training on a variety of experimental paradigms used in syntax and semantics/pragmatics.

Full details for LING 6477 - Experimental Methods in Language Sciences

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.

Full details for 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.

Full details for LING 6604 - Research Workshop

This course covers the history, varieties, phonology, morphology and syntax of the Japonic language family.

Full details for LING 6612 - Japanese Linguistics

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

An assortment of subjects intended for students with previous training in Indo-European linguistics: problems in the reconstruction of Proto Indo-European, topics in the historical grammars of the various IE languages, reading and historical linguistic analysis of texts, and grammatical sketches of "minor" IE languages.

Full details for LING 6635 - Indo-European 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

An independent study for graduate students.

Full details for LING 7702 - Directed Research

Addresses current theoretical and empirical issues in semantics.

Full details for LING 7711 - Semantics Seminar

Addresses current theoretical and empirical issues in phonetics.

Full details for LING 7713 - Phonetics Seminar

Topics in Current Linguistic Theory: topics of current research that cross sub-disciplinary boundaries.

Full details for LING 7727 - Topics in Current Linguistic Theory