This course examines potential ways to avert the massive language endangerment and death the world is experiencing. A variety of approaches and methods are considered, including linguistic documentation, teaching language courses, immersion (pre)schools, and the master-apprentice program. The course also covers ethical issues, goals of communities, and the balance between linguists and communities. Graduate-level requirements include 2 additional writing assignments, additional readings, and a longer (25 page) research paper.

Study of the acoustic and articulatory properties of sounds and patterns of sounds that occur in human language. Focus on the significance of the properties of sounds for phonological theory, in particular, distinctive feature theory. Role of psycho-acoustic studies as a source of evidence for phonological theory. Graduate-level requirements include an additional project or research paper.

Investigation of the evidence and arguments for non-linear representations (autosegmental and metrical) and of the organization of the phonological component of grammar, including evidence for its interaction with morphological structures and rules.

Investigation of the principles that underlie current phonological theory, concentrating on the representation of sounds and the regular patterns of sound in natural language. Topics include distinctive feature theory, syllable theory, the core skeleton, rule formulation and rule interactions. Graduate-level requirements include a greater number of problems.

This course presents information on how vision, language comprehension and motor behaviors have constrained and shaped the evolution of writing systems. The course includes three segments: (1) a review of writing in pre-history, the early evolution of symbol systems, the Greco-Roman alphabet, script writing; (2) a review of the visual and auditory processes that influence writing systems, particularly the alphabet, the shape of letters and spelling conventions; (3) printing since Gutenberg, the evolution of fonts, punctuation, formatting conventions, and modern techniques for presenting text. A thread throughout the course is the impact of different stages of writing technology on society and individuals. Graduate-level requirements include additional readings and an extra 25 page research paper.

Students are introduced to computer programming as it pertains to collecting and analyzing linguistic data. The particular programming language is chosen at the discretion of the instructor. Graduate-level requirements include more challenging exams; 50% greater contribution to their respective group projects; 9 instead of 6 assignment; additional readings from the primary literature.

Students will learn to use the statistical methods common in linguistics and related fields in order to apply them in the design and analysis of their own research. Methods covered will include ANOVA, ANCOVA, correlation, regression, and non-parametric tests, as well as some specialized analyses such as Multidimensional Scaling Analysis. The course will focus primarily on methods and problems of psycholinguistic, phonetic, and sociolinguistic research. Discussion of the statistical analyses in published articles in these areas will form a substantial part of the course, and application of the methods covered in the course to the students' own research will also be discussed. The course will include instruction in use of statistical software packages.

A continuation of 503, this class compares alternative non-Chomskyan theoretical approaches to syntactic theory. Including Relational Grammar, Head Driven Phrase Structure Grammar, Categorical Grammar and Lexical Functional Grammar.

A continuation of LING 503, Foundations of Syntactic Theory I, taught within the Minimalist approach to syntactic theory, with a focus on principles of theory construction and empirical issues in binding, control, movement, structure, and the interfaces with semantics and morphology.

An introduction to syntactic theory with an emphasis on data analysis, critical thinking, and theory development. Taught within the generative Principles and Parameters approach to syntax. Graduate-level requirements include a greater number of problems.