Course Description
Traditional methods of historical linguistics are reviewed, with examples from several different language families. Various kinds of possible phonological and syntactic changes are investigated in relation to modern linguistic theory.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In general, expectations for graduate students are higher, with
more stringent standards for grading. Additional requirements
for graduate students will include some combination of the
following: (1) additional required reading, including original
scholarly research; (2) longer and more complex written
assignments, which demonstrate a deeper and more sophisticated
understanding of concepts and theoretical issues introduced in
the course; (3) in-class presentations; (4) a final research
paper, which should include a literature review and conform to
professional standards in the discipline in terms of
organization, formatting, argumentation, and citations. If
undergraduates are also assigned a final research paper, theirs
will be shorter and will not require a thorough literature
review.
Athena Title
Historical Linguistics
Prerequisite
LING 3060
Semester Course Offered
Offered every odd-numbered year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students, having read a substantial amount of material about historical linguistics in general and the historical development of specific human languages, will be able to discuss the basic principles of phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic change and understand the primary sources from which lexical growth takes place over the history of a language. The course will involve significant writing experiences for both undergraduate and graduate students.
Topical Outline
The choice and sequence of topics will vary from instructor to instructor and from semester to semester. The topics will consist of works on the origins and development of historical linguistic theory and methods, on specific applications of those methods in the analysis of several languages, and the status and most important focuses of contemporary historical linguistic research. A number of graded tasks will be assigned, such as quizzes, tests, and various writing assignments done either in or outside of class.
Syllabus