NOTE: LING 110: Lexicology, and LING 120: Language and Human Behavior fulfill the university’s General Education requirement. LING 120 also fulfills the Improving Human Relations requirement of the State of Illinois for obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
LING 110 Lexicology: The Study of Words
Introduction to the study of words, with particular attention to English from an historical, structural, and sociolinguistic perspective.
LING 120 Language & Human Behavior
Introduction to basic principles of psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. Subjects covered may include dialect variation, language and the brain, child language acquisition, language and gender, conversational analysis, non-verbal behavioral, pidgins and creoles, and sign language. The course is designed for students having no background in linguistics.
LING 201 Introduction to General Linguistics
Nature and structure of languages and American English in particular. An overview of the description of language systems in terms of phonology (sound systems), morphology (word formation) and syntax (sentence organization). May also include an introduction to the areas of semantics (word meaning), pragmatics (the rules of the use of language in social contexts and conversation), and dialectology (cultural and geographical varieties of language use), and a look at the history of English and its relationship to other languages.
LING 300 English Grammar in the Classroom
This course introduces the basics of sentence structure in English with the purpose of enabling future teachers to teach English grammar successfully in a multicultural classroom. To this end, students will learn the forms and functions of spoken and written English and learn grammatical terminology. They will also investigate issues related to standard and non-standard varieties of English and to the relationship between grammar and language instruction. Prereq: LING-120 or LING-201.
LING 301 History of the English Language
Historical descriptive linguistic survey of English from its origins to modern English. Prereq: LING 201.
LING 303 Grammars of English
A descriptive and historical analysis of English grammar. Prereq: LING-201.
LING 304 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
This class provides a foundation in the acoustic and articulatory properties of the sounds used in human languages and introduces theories about the systematic variation of sounds in ordinary speech. Through reading, problem solving, and class discussion, students become familiar with basic phonetics, the analysis of sounds into features, both rule-based and constraint-based theories of sound variation, and the structure of sound at the segment, syllable, and phrase levels. Prereq: LING-201, or consent of instructor.
LING 316 Languages and Cultures: Middle East
This course introduces students to the languages, cultures, values, preconceptions, and misconceptions associated with the region known as the Middle East. A variety of sources, including academic texts, articles, fiction, poetry, film, and the visual arts are incorporated to better grasp, and appreciate, the complex languages and cultures of the region. Check the current schedule for the focus country. Prereq: LING-201, or LING-322, or ANTH-212, or HIST-111F, or HIST-391, or consent of instructor.
LING 320 Language and Culture: Varies
Anthropological, psychological and linguistic study of various aspects of the interconnections of language and culture. Topics may include Japan, Southeast Asia, Thailand, Middle East, Maya, Latin America, Native American, Afro-American, the hearing impaired. Prereq: LING-201.
LING 320G Language/Culture: Aboriginal Australia
This course focuses on the languages and cultures of Aboriginal Australia. It will examine a number of different linguistic features (phonological, morphological, and syntactic) found in a variety of Australian languages. In addition to structural features, the course will examine Aboriginal languages and their interaction within the social and cultural setting of traditional life as well as issues involving language and cultural contact with European powers. Prereq: LING-201.
LING 320N Language/Culture: Native American
This course focuses on the languages and cultures of native North America. It will examine a number of different linguistic features (phonological, morphological, and syntactic) found in a variety of North American languages. In addition to structural features, the course will examine languages and their interaction with social and cultural domains as well as issues of language contact. Prereq: LING-201.
LING 320M Languages and Cultures of the Middle East
This course introduces students to the languages, cultures, values, facts, preconceptions and misconceptions associated with the region known as the Middle East. We also examine why and how certain associations are developed and how these associations construct social, cultural and linguistic expectations for ourselves and for others. We will turn to a variety of sources, including academic texts, articles, fiction, poetry, film and the visual arts to better grasp and appreciate the complex of languages and cultures of the region in general, with a more in-depth investigation of one of the nations in the region. Prereq: LING-201, 322, or consent of instructor.
LING 322 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
A look at language variation based on social contexts. Includes ethnic, regional and social dialects, language and gender, and pidgin and creole language systems.
LING-323 First and Second Language Acquisition
Survey of recent theories and research on children’s acquisition of phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic systems of their first language. Survey of recent theories and research on second language acquisition. Prereq: LING-201.
LING 337 Ethnography in the Classroom
This course adopts ethnographic methodology to explore the acquisition and performance of communicative competence in a variety of professional settings. The theory and application of this field focuses on identifying the norms of appropriate language use in interaction in given social domains. Prereq: LING-201, LING-322, or consent of instructor.
LING 338 Introduction to Syntactic Theory
Following the ground work established over the past 20 years, this course will introduce students to modern syntactic theory as practiced within the Minimalist Program. An emphasis will be placed on the methodological and theoretical achievements of this area of research as developed in the past decade. Students will further examine the notions of functional and lexical projections, empty categories, feature checking operations, various kinds of movement and merge operations, and locality constraints. Prereq: LING-201 and LING-303.
LING 345 Linguistics and Reading
Relationship between language structure and the reading process with emphasis on the practical problems such as the variety of dialectally different sound-symbol-correspondences in English, the perception of speech sounds, the reader’s interpretation of syntactic and semantic structures, various alphabetic systems for teaching beginning reading, and an analysis of linguistics texts for teaching reading. Designed to be useful to the in-service classroom teacher as well as to undergraduates.
LING 347 The Origin of Language
Organized as a seminar, this course discusses recent theories concerned with how, when, and why language appeared in the human lineage. Students are introduced to scholarship from a range of fields including linguistics, cognitive science, philosophy, anthropology, primatology, and evolutionary biology to address questions including: What is language? What cognitive and social preconditions underlie it? What are the similarities and differences between human language and other animals’ communication systems? What language-specific biological wiring may exist at the core of the human language faculty? How was language adaptive for those humans? Did language emerge relatively recently and suddenly, or gradually over millions of years? Prereq: LING-201, or BIO-201, or ANTH-212, or ANTH-215, or consent of instructor.
LING 352 Introduction to Psycholinguistics
This course introduces and explores the links between the physiological, cognitive, structural and sociolinguistic aspects of language. Students receive a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms involved in the production and comprehension of language and the development of language, memory and learning, from childhood and throughout adulthood. Various models of language production and comprehension are considered as we look at the interface between current linguistic principles and the brain. Prereq: LING-201 or consent of instructor.
LING 360 Seminar in Linguistics: Varies
Advanced study of selected topics in theoretical linguistics. Each student will do a research project and present the result of work done for evaluation. Topics may include the Development of American English, Linguistics and Literature, Semantic Analysis, Advanced Psycholinguistics. Prereq: consent of advisor.
LING 361 Introduction to World Englishes
Examination of issues involved in the development, spread, and maintenance of varieties of English throughout the world, now commonly referred to as World Englishes. This course emphasizes the historical, political, and ideological issues of globalization, nativization, post-colonialism, standardization, and pedagogy of native and non-native varieties of English. Prereq: LING-201 or consent of instructor.
LING 362 Linguistics and Literature
This course presents an introduction to linguistic and discourse-analytic approaches to style in literary works. The study of literary language, most typically the domain of courses in literature, is also undertaken by linguists for the obvious reason that literature, as language, is composed of the structures and used for the functions that are the focus of formal and applied linguistic analysis. Linguistics and Literature focuses on the stylistic use of phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic features; paralinguistic features of intonation, pitch, rhythm, stress, loudness, and speed; and speech acts and pragmatic conventions of indirectness, entailment, presupposition, implication, and persuasion. Prereq: LING-201 or permission of instructor.
LING 363 The Graphic Novel: Literary, Cultural, and Linguistic Approaches
This course takes the graphic novel as its object of study: we will examine the history from which it develops its formal construction, its themes, and its theoretical openings. This course situates graphic novels as complex reflections upon a range of social and cultural issues including identity, language use, gender, sexualities, race, class, and history. Students will read diverse graphic novels and comics and have the opportunity to create their own comics.
LING 364 Introduction to African American English
This course specifically addresses the linguistic features of AAE (i.e., its phonology, syntax, and lexicon) not only in the informal vernacular speech of African Americans but also in literature, music, and media. This course also focuses on the pragmatic features of AAE (e.g., preaching, rappin’, signifying, soundin’, and boastin’) and presents the historical development of AAE and the educational implications of AAE with a focus on issues of “linguicism,” the linguistic discrimination and unfair treatment of members of a speech community based solely/conveniently on that group’s language use, in this under-valued variety of English.
LING 391F Advanced Grammatical Analysis: Mandan
This is a course in advanced linguistic analysis. It focuses on the extremely endangered Siouan language, Mandan. Students will learn how to do linguistic research through a critical analysis of existent Mandan texts and explore various aspects of Mandan grammar.* Prereq: LING-201, LING-303, LING-322, and a minimum grade of a ‘B’ in these courses.
LING 391N Advanced Grammatical Analysis: Biloxi
This is a course in advanced linguistic analysis. It focuses on the extinct Siouan language, Biloxi. Students will learn how to do linguistic research through a critical analysis of existent Biloxi texts and explore various aspects of Biloxi grammar.* Prereq: LING-201, LING-303, LING-322, and a minimum grade of a ‘B’ in the above courses.
LING 391O Advanced Grammatical Analysis: Crow
This is a course in advanced linguistic analysis. It focuses on the endangered Siouan language, Crow. Students will learn how to do linguistic research through a critical analysis of existent Crow texts and explore various aspects of Crow grammar.* Prereq: LING-201, LING-303, LING-322, and a minimum grade of a ‘B’ in these courses.
*Topics may include any aspect of morphology, syntax, or narrative discourse structure.
