Ling 100

Course Description:

This course provides a general introduction to the study of human language. We will understand what linguistics is and we will cover the major subfields of descriptive linguistics: 1) the study of words and their parts (morphology), 2) sounds and sound patterns (phonetics and phonology), 3) the structure, meaning and use of phrases and sentences (syntax, semantics, and pragmatics). We will also study the social aspects of language variation and use (sociolinguistics), how children and adults learn language (language acquisition), and how language is processed by the brain (neurolinguistics).

Classes will be a combination of lectures, discussions, and group work, and in class-exercises.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this course you should be able to:

- Find systematic patterns in language

- Distinguish between descriptive grammar and prescriptive grammar

- Think scientifically about language and language use

- Describe ways in which languages are similar and different

- Formulate linguistic arguments based on language data

- Describe how words are formed

- Transcribe American English using the International Phonetic Alphabet

- Explain why non-native speakers (and native speakers!) have accents

- Describe sources of ambiguity in language

- Pester your friends and family with strange questions about language