Linguistics
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
For questions about specific courses, contact the department.
Courses
Course Number
LING3101W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Mo 11:40-12:55We 11:40-12:55Section/Call Number
001/11717Enrollment
192 of 300Instructor
William FoleyOf the world’s estimated 7,000 languages – representing migrations and historical
developments thousands of years old – the majority are primarily oral, little documented,
and increasingly endangered under the onslaught of global languages like English. This
course will take the unprecedented, paradoxical linguistic capital of New York City as a
lens for examining how immigrants form communities in a new land, how those
communities are integrated into the wider society, and how they grapple with linguistic and
cultural change. Drawing on sociolinguistics, anthropology, and history, the course will
focus on texts from and encounters with members of three of the city’s fastest-growing but
least-studied communities (Indigenous Americans, Himalayans, Central Asians) before
closing with a series of classes exploring broader questions around mapping, education,
policy, the role of linguists, revitalization and the future of language and mobility.
Course Number
LING3102W001Format
In-PersonPoints
3 ptsFall 2024
Times/Location
Tu 16:10-17:25Th 16:10-17:25Section/Call Number
001/13831Enrollment
60 of 60Instructor
Ross PerlinThe ability to speak distinguishes humans from all other animals, including our closest relatives, the chimpanzees. Why is this so? What makes this possible? This course seeks to answer these questions. We will look at the neurological and psychological foundations of the human faculty of language. How did our brains change to allow language to evolve? Where in our brains are the components of language found? Are our minds specialized for learning language or is it part of our general cognitive abilities to learn? How are words and sentences produced and their meanings recognized? The structure of languages around the world varies greatly; does this have psychological effects for their speakers?