The scientific study of language, emphasizing such topics as the organization of grammar, language in space and time, and the relationship between the study of language and other disciplines.
Athena Title
The Study of Language
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in LING 2100E, LING 2100H
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will identify the different types of subconscious knowledge that speakers have about language and its use.
Students will critically evaluate popular ideas and assumptions about language in the light of scientific evidence.
Students will compare a wide range of languages to discover features that all human languages share and how languages can differ from one another.
Students will explain how language varies among different groups of speakers and how language changes over time.
Students will describe how the scientific study of language can contribute to our understanding of other areas of research and how this knowledge can be applied in broader contexts.
Students will analyze and interpret different types of linguistic data, applying suitable methods and supporting your conclusions with appropriate evidence (at an introductory level).
Topical Outline
1. What is linguistics? An introduction to the scientific study of language
2. The sounds of language (phonetics and phonology)
