Linguistics Program Course Descriptions
Maymester, Summer and Fall 2012
(Course times and instructors subject to change. The Master Schedule will have the most up-todate information. Last rev. 5/2/12.)
Maymester 2012
LING 405M Linguistic Approaches to Dialect in American Literature
MTWTHF 11:00-1:45 Lide
This course applies linguistic methods to the analysis of American literature, specifically
examining the use of ethnic-/racial-, gender- and regional dialect in short stories. This course
investigates issues ranging from the literary representations of spoken dialects to the
sociopolitical implications of such choices.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
recognize the complexity of spoken and written forms of human communication;
identify and describe linguistic features associated with dialects of American English;
thoroughly research the depictions of dialect in American literature, using both linguistic
and literary analyses; and
discuss and/or debate the literary and cultural implications of written representations of
American English.
Summer Session I 2012
LING 300/ANTH 373/PSYC 470
M-TH 10:30AM-12:45PM McKinney
Linguistics is roughly divided into two subfields- language and the brain, and language and
society. The first half of this course, after establishing the definition and the nature of human
language, will focus on how languages are done in the brains of their speakers. We will be
introduced to phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics of human languages
using data from a variety of languages, including English. In the second half of the class, we will
be focusing on aspects of language use: discourse analysis, stylistics, child and adult language
acquisition, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and the political economy of languages in today’s
world. Upon completing this class, students will have been exposed to the most important
aspects of all of these subfields of linguistics, and be able to conduct their own analyses on
language as they encounter it in the world.
LING 314/SPAN 317: SPANISH PHONETICS & PRONUNCIATION
M-TH 1:00PM-3:15PM Holt
Analysis of and practice in pronunciation, listening comprehension and dialect recognition
based on the study of the speech sounds, combinations, patterns, and processes of Spanish
phonetics and phonology. Taught in Spanish.
Objectives: To analyze and practice pronunciation and listening comprehension.
Learning the sound system of Spanish well is typically quite difficult for most English-speaking
students. This course is designed to help you master Spanish pronunciation, and to help in this
aim you will be exposed to the area of linguistics called phonetics, the study of speech sounds,
and to phonology, how we understand the sounds of our language and the combinations they
form. We will see that the same or similar sounds may be interpreted differently in English and
Spanish, and throughout this course we will contrast these two languages. In this course we will
be concerned primarily with articulatory phonetics, the description of how sounds are
produced in the mouth and throat. We will describe sounds by their place and manner of
articulation and practice phonetic transcription (both broad and narrow) of the major dialects
of Spanish using the set of symbols employed to represent speech sounds, the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). We will also see how these sounds interact in Spanish (and English) to
form the sound system of the language. Armed with this knowledge and practicing these
sounds, your pronunciation will improve dramatically, including that of such obvious markers of
nonnative status as the pronunciation of vowels, rr and other difficult sounds for the English
speaker; and you will more easily recognize and identify different accents and dialects.
Additionally, we will analyze and come to understand the systems of spelling and accents in
Spanish, which are actually valuable tools to the learner in knowing how to speak and write
correctly.
LING 421/ENGL 450: ENGLISH GRAMMAR
M-TH 3:30PM-5:45PM DISTERHEFT
An intensive survey of English grammar: sentence structure, the verbal system, discourse, and
transformations. Also discussed are semantics, social restrictions on grammar and usage,
histories of various constructions, etc. Please read Chapter 1 of the textbook before the first
class meeting. One midterm, final exam, frequent homework assignments.
Summer Session II 2012
LING E301/ENGL E389: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
M-TH 6:00PM-8:15PM Thor Sawin
This course provides an introduction to the field of linguistics through an in-depth exploration
of many facets of the English language. We will examine the English sound system (phonetics
and phonology), word structure (morphology), grammar (syntax), and meaning and usage
(semantics). We will also consider other aspects of English, including its acquisition by children,
its history as a language, and its social functions as a local and global language.
Linguistics Program Course Descriptions
Fall 2012
LING 300/PSYC 470/ANTH 373: INTRO LANGUAGE SCIENCES
MWF 11:15AM-12:05PM
TTH 2:00PM-3:15PM
Linguistics is roughly divided into two subfields- language and the brain, and language and
society. The first half of this course, after establishing the definition and the nature of human
language, will focus on how languages are done in the brains of their speakers. We will be
introduced to phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and semantics of human languages
using data from a variety of languages, including English. In the second half of the class, we will
be focusing on aspects of language use: discourse analysis, stylistics, child and adult language
acquisition, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and the political economy of languages in today’s
world. Upon completing this class, students will have been exposed to the most important
aspects of all of these subfields of linguistics, and be able to conduct their own analyses on
language as they encounter it in the world.
LING 301/ENGL 389: THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
MWF 10:10AM-11:00AM Chun
MW 5:30
This course provides an introduction to the field of linguistics through an in-depth exploration
of many facets of the English language. We will examine the English sound system (phonetics
and phonology), word structure (morphology), grammar (syntax), and meaning and usage
(semantics). We will also consider other aspects of English, including its acquisition by children,
its history as a language, and its social functions as a local and global language.
LING 314/SPAN 317: SPANISH PHONETICS & PRONUNCIATION
TTh 11:00AM-12:15PM HOLT
Analysis of and practice in pronunciation, listening comprehension and dialect recognition
based on the study of the speech sounds, combinations, patterns, and processes of Spanish
phonetics and phonology. Taught in Spanish.
Objectives: To analyze and practice pronunciation and listening comprehension.
Learning the sound system of Spanish well is typically quite difficult for most English-speaking
students. This course is designed to help you master Spanish pronunciation, and to help in this
aim you will be exposed to the area of linguistics called phonetics, the study of speech sounds,
and to phonology, how we understand the sounds of our language and the combinations they
form. We will see that the same or similar sounds may be interpreted differently in English and
Spanish, and throughout this course we will contrast these two languages. In this course we will
be concerned primarily with articulatory phonetics, the description of how sounds are
produced in the mouth and throat. We will describe sounds by their place and manner of
articulation and practice phonetic transcription (both broad and narrow) of the major dialects
of Spanish using the set of symbols employed to represent speech sounds, the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). We will also see how these sounds interact in Spanish (and English) to
form the sound system of the language. Armed with this knowledge and practicing these
sounds, your pronunciation will improve dramatically, including that of such obvious markers of
nonnative status as the pronunciation of vowels, rr and other difficult sounds for the English
speaker; and you will more easily recognize and identify different accents and dialects.
Additionally, we will analyze and come to understand the systems of spelling and accents in
Spanish, which are actually valuable tools to the learner in knowing how to speak and write
correctly.
LING 340/ANTH 355 – LANGUAGE, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY
MWF 10:10AM-11:00AM Feliciano-Santos
In this introductory course we will be exploring the relationship between language, culture, and
communication as it has been theorized and analyzed within the subfield of linguistic
anthropology. You will learn about what scholars have had to say on the subject, past and
present, as well as gain hands-on-experience in what linguistic anthropologists actually do. We
will examine together a range of issues: (1) The ways that languages differ; (2) language and
cognition; (3) how theories of language are implicated in theories of culture; (5) language
acquisition and socialization; (4) the relationship between speech, social class, race, and
gender; (5) the politics of language use and identity.
Methods of Evaluation:
Assignment #1 – Field Linguistics Exercise (individual)
10%
Midterm Exam I (in-class)
15%
Midterm Exam II (in-class)
15%
Assignment # 2 – Speech Community Project (groups 3-4 people) 30%
Final Exam (take-home)
30%
Total
100%
Course Presentation: Class discussion, short lectures, panel debates, student presentations, use
of audio/video material, use of Blackboard.
Audience: Undergraduate students, no prerequisite, not limited to anthropology / linguistics.
LING 405C-501: Language Conflict and Language Rights
MW 2:30-3:45 Dubinsky
Whether arising though conquest and colonization, immigration, enslavement, or the creation
of a political state that ignores "natural" ethnic territories, linguistic minorities have existed at
least since the dawn of history. Virtually without exception, where there exists a linguistic
minority, there exist issues related to the rights of the minority to use its language freely and
without prejudice. In this course, Language Conflict and Language Rights, we will explore the
issues surrounding linguistic human rights, the fundamental right to use one's language and the
efforts that have been made to both secure those rights and deny them through official
legislation and unofficial actions. Examples will be drawn from state history, national issues,
and international issues.
The overall goal of the course is to examine the issues surrounding language rights and how
these are integral to human rights in general and an individual's definition of personal and
cultural identity. We will do this by examining a variety of case studies of the abridgment of
language rights locally, nationally, and internationally. As a backdrop to this, we will first
explore a number of facets of language, including some basic facts about language; the role of
language in defining one's identity, language and culture, dialects, language attitudes,
bilingualism, second language acquisition, and others.
This course will define the concept of language rights from a linguistic perspective, will
cover language and nationalism with special reference to the situation in the United States, will
survey geographically and linguistically disparate language rights cases, will connect all this to
issues of language vitality and revival, and will consider the ramifications of language rights to
language planning.
LING 405D/ENGL 439D: Language and Whiteness
MW 12:20-1:35 Chun
Do whites have an ethnicity? What does it mean to be white in the United States? How is white
language represented in the media? How do white youths speak? Do whites own Standard
English? Why do some non-whites “talk white” and why do some whites “talk black”? How do
non-whites resist whiteness through language? This course explores white identity, and its
relationship with other kinds of identities, through the lens of linguistics. By learning
sociolinguistic and linguistic anthropological methods of analysis, students will be able to
describe “white” ways of speaking in the United States (e.g., Jewish, Greek, Southern, Valley
Girl, Nerd), including stereotypical representations of white language by non-white speakers
and vice versa. Students will also explore how race (e.g., whiteness) necessarily relates to
gender (e.g., masculinity, femininity), sexuality (e.g., gay, straight), and class (e.g, middleclassness, working-classness). This course will give attention to both white and non-white
language practices (e.g., linguistic appropriation, racist jokes, language policing) and their social
consequences, including the maintenance and contestation of racial hierarchies in the United
States and beyond.
LING E405T/FORL E398T: TURKISH LANGUAGE & CULTURE
MW 5:30PM-8:15PM GÖKGÖZ-KURT
The course is designed for students with no previous knowledge of Turkish. It aims to help
students not only to learn Turkish but also to learn about Turkish language and culture through
the development of four basic skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Throughout the
term, students will also have the opportunity to read brief articles in English on the historical
and sociopolitical development of Turkish. The ultimate goal of the course is to help students to
gain awareness and appreciation of and insight into foreign languages and cultures through the
subject matter. Materials will be tailored to students’ needs and interests.
LING 421/ENGL 450: ENGLISH GRAMMAR
TTH 5:30PM-6:45PM Phillips-Dillard
An intensive survey of English grammar: sentence structure, the verbal system, discourse, and
transformations. Also discussed are semantics, social restrictions on grammar and usage,
histories of various constructions, etc. Please read Chapter 1 of the textbook before the first
class meeting. One midterm, final exam, frequent homework assignments.
LING 431/ENGL 453: DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
TTH 12:30-1:45 DISTERHEFT
A description of the major characteristics of each stage of English from Pre-Old English through
Old, Middle, Early Modern, and Contemporary; the changes which occurred in each period to
produce today’s language. We’ll focus on the mechanisms of change in the phonology,
morphology, lexicon, and syntax to see how each of these parts of the grammar changes from
one period to another. Other areas we’ll visit:
• the mechanisms of language change;
• population movements from the Continent to the British Isles;
• distant (Indo-European) and near (other Germanic) linguistic relations to English;
• the development of national varieties of English.
Weekly homework assignments; two midterms; one final exam.
LING 504/SPAN 515: INTRO SPAN LINGUISTICS
TTh 3:30-4:45 Moreno (TAUGHT IN SPANISH)
El objetivo principal de este curso es una comprensión lo más amplia posible del lenguaje
humano: qué es, para qué lo usamos y cómo funciona. Estas preguntas quizá parezcan triviales
ya que todos sabemos cómo usar el lenguaje y cómo hacerlo funcionar. Sin embargo, a lo largo
de este curso descubrirán que hay una gran diferencia entre saber hacer funcionar el lenguaje y
saber cómo funciona.
Algunas de las preguntas que trataremos son: ¿Qué significa “saber una lengua”? ¿Qué significa
“saber español”? ¿En qué difiere el español de las otras lenguas? ¿En qué se parece? ¿Debemos
seguir hablando de una lengua, “el español”, o de varios “españoles”? Este curso presentará a
los estudiantes las diferentes áreas en que está dividida la lingüística española y los problemas
de los que se ocupa cada área.
Al analizar las estructuras gramaticales del español (en el sentido más amplio de este término) y
hacer comparaciones con las del inglés, lograremos una mayor comprensión de cómo funciona
la lengua española (y en menor grado, el inglés), y como consecuencia podremos anticipar
mejor las preguntas de nuestros alumnos y contestarlas con precisión, exactitud y confianza.
LING 530: LANGUAGE CHANGE
TTh 3:30-4:45 DISTERHEFT
An introduction to the facts of and basic approaches to language change. Topics include
changes in the grammar (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics) plus others like analogical
change, the comparative method, internal reconstruction, language classification, distant
genetic relationships, areal linguistics, and linguistic prehistory.
Textbook: Lyle Campbell, 2004. Historical Linguistics. An Introduction. Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press. Second edition. ISBN 9780262532679
LING 548/GERM 518: German sociolinguistics
TTh 2:00-3:15 Goblirsch
The course will give students an overview of the field of German sociolinguistics. As an
introductory course in the area, there will be some attention to basic concepts of
sociolinguistics. Included will be the following topics: variation in Modern German, traditional
German dialectology and dialect geography, language and society, standard and colloquial
speech, multilingualism in the German-speaking countries, German in contact with other
languages. Students will have the opportunity to explore a research topic of their choice.
Previous knowledge of German is preferred, but not required.
LING 600/ENGL 680 (also anticipated, = ANTH 600): Survey of Linguistics
M 5:30PM-8:15PM Weldon
Survey of core areas of linguistics and extensions to closely related disciplines. Introduction to
the linguistic component of human cognition. Formal description and analysis of the general
properties of speech and language, the organization of language in the mind/brain, and crosslinguistic typology and universals. MASTER’S AND TESOL CERTIFICATE COURSE REQUIREMENT.
LING 711 Phonological Theory
TTh 2:00-3:15 Holt
The objective of this course is to prepare students to read current phonological literature and
to carry out research on phonological phenomena, in light of the current dominant paradigm,
Optimality Theory. In particular, we consider OT approaches to phonological representations
and alternations to the analysis of segments, syllables and prosody. Further, we will apply
current theory to the students’ own interests/specializations (first and/or second language
acquisition, historical change, sociolinguistics, etc.). DOCTORAL CORE COURSE REQUIREMENT.
LING 720 Introduction to Syntax
Th 5:30-8:15 Tasseva
This course is an introduction to formal syntactic theory and is aimed at developing an
understanding of the fundamental ideas, concepts and terminology currently used within the
field of formal syntax. Though focusing mainly on the syntax of English the course will
investigate universal principles of sentence structure ranging from the basic structure of clauses
to derived syntactic constructions. In addition to introducing current analyses of sentence
structure, the course will emphasize syntactic argumentation as well as linguistic
generalizations. MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL CORE COURSE REQUIREMENT.
LING 792/FORL 730: Principles of Instructed Second Language Acquisition & Foreign Language
Teaching
W 5:30PM-8:15PM Malovrh
An analysis of instructed second language acquisition (SLA). This course explores the historical
development and up-to-date findings in foreign/second language learning research and applies
that knowledge to classroom teaching methods. Students will be expected to conduct an
empirical investigation of variables of language learning and consider their implications on
pedagogy. TESOL CERTIFICATE COURSE ELECTIVE.
LING 795: PRIN&STRAT FOR TEACHING ESOL
T 5:30PM-8:15PM ROWE
This course will survey the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, including the
theoretical principles and practical strategies for approaches, methods, techniques, and
materials, as they concern elementary, secondary, and post-secondary learners. WRITING
ASSIGNMENTS: language learning autobiography, second language acquisition theory-topractice paper, analysis of and reflections on teaching observations, teaching report,
teaching/tutoring/practical experiences journal, materials review/reflective analysis; ORAL
PRESENTATION: approach/method/technique demonstration and presentation, written
handouts to accompany presentation.
TUTORING/TEACHING/PRACTICAL EXPERIENCES:
experiences to be arranged, 20 contact hours required. TEXTS: Brown, Teaching by Principles:
An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, 3rd ed. (Pearson/Longman, 2007), required;
Richards and Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching, 2nd ed. (Cambridge
University Press, 2001), required; handouts; websites. This course satisfies one of the course
requirements for the South Carolina Department of Education ESOL add-on certification. TESOL
CERTIFICATE COURSE REQUIREMENT.
LING 796/EDRD 796: TCHNG RDG&WRTNG ESOL LRN
M 4:30PM-7:15PM LOPEZ-ROBERTSON
This course surveys research on the mental processes and the linguistic contexts involved in
reading and writing in a second language. Pedagogical implications for elementary, secondary,
and postsecondary learners are discussed. Prerequisites: None. Intended audience: Graduate
students in Education, Linguistics and related fields. Location: Conder Elementary School,
Richland School District Two. TESOL CERTIFICATE COURSE ELECTIVE.
Table of courses by area for fall 2012
(Graduate) Core:
Socio/ling anth:
Historical:
SLA/T/TESOL:
Language linguistics:
Introductory courses:
Special topics:
Evening Program:
Honors College
Other
600, 711, 720
Language, Culture, and Society
Language and Globalism
Development of the English language
Language Change
792, 795, 796
German Sociolinguistics
Spanish Phonetics and Pronunciation
Introduction to Spanish Linguistics
Languages and Nationalism in the Slavic World
300, 301
Turkish Language and Culture I
Language and Whiteness
Language Conflict and Language Rights
E301/E389 The English Language
E405T/E398T Turkish Language and Culture I
E421/E450 English Grammar
Language Conflict and Language Rights
Philosophy of Language
NonLING Courses of potential interest:
GERM 710: Middle High German
TTh 11:00-12:30 Goblirsch
The course gives an introduction to Middle High German language, literature and culture. Daily
reading and translation of texts will be coordinated with an overview of grammar. Linguistic
comparison with modern Standard German will enhance development of reading skills. Literary
texts include romances and love lyric of the High Middle Ages. They will be discussed in the
context of courtly culture. Complete romances will be read in modern translation. A paper will
allow students to delve more deeply into a literary or linguistic topic.
PSYC 572 - COGNITIVE PSYCOLOGY LAB
TTH 12:30PM-1:45PM, ALMOR A
May count n satisfaction of the second foreign language/research methods course for PhD
students in Linguistics.