Introduction to Linguistics

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Course Objectives

The course provides an overview of the current state of affairs in Linguistics. Emphasis is placed on specific trends depending on student's orientation, interests and preparedness level. Major topics:

  •  Human language: structure and core properties
  •  Generative Grammar
  •  Semantics
  •  Pragmatics
  •  Cognitive Linguistics
  •  Linguistic Typology
  •  Computational Linguistics
  •  Linguistic theories of humor

     

    Course Materials

    • Hauser, Marc; Chomsky, Noam, and W. Tecumseh Fitch. The Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It Evolve? Science. 298. 1569. 2002 (pdf version)
    • Comrie, Bernard. Linguistic Typology. Annual Review of Anthropology. Vol 17 (1988). 145-159. (pdf version with questions)
    • Witherspoon, Gary. Language in Culture and Culture in Language. International Journal of American Linguistics. Vol 46, No 1 (1980) 1-13 (pdf version)
    • Lucy, John. Linguistic Relativity. Annual Review of Anthropology, Vol 26 (1997). 291-312 (pdf version)
    • Slobin, Dan I. From "Thought and Language" to "Thinking for Speaking" (pdf version)
    • Anderson, Stephen R. The Logical Structure of Linguistic Theory. Language. Volume 84, Number 4 (2008): 796-814 (pdf version). 

                         

     

    • © 2009 Max Petrenko