Program and Courses

Fall 2012

Ling W3101x:  Introduction to Linguistics.  3 pts.  John McWhorter.  Introduction to the study of language from a scientific point of view. // TR 4:10pm–5:25.

Ling W4202x:  Cognitive Linguistics. 3 pts.  Boris Gasparov.  Prerequisites: Ling W3101, previously or concurrently.  Reading and discussion of scholarly literature on the cognitive approach to language, including: usage-oriented approaches to language, frame semantics, construction grammar, theories of conceptual metaphor and mental spaces; alongside of experimental research on language acquisition, language memory, prototypical and analogous thinking, and the role of visual imagery in language processing.  //  MW 6:10pm–7:25pm

NEW (under review by COI) Ling W4307x:  Scripts of Asia and the World.  3 pts.  David Branner.  History and mechanics of the world’s two chief traditions of writing system: Semitic (ancestor of most of the world’s scripts) and Chinese. Topics include oral vs. written language and literate vs. oral societies; the glottography and ideography controversies; loangraphs and kundoku; the five types of script (non-phonetic logogram, phonogram, alphabet, abjad, abugida); writing as art form: typography and calligraphy; computational treatment of scripts and mathematical scripts. Major traditions examined in detail: Chinese and its derived writing systems; Brāhmī and Devanāgarī and their descendants; Hebrew, Arabic, and the Tungusic descendants of Aramaic.
// TR 8:40-9:55am , location tbd

Ling W4376x:  Phonetics and Phonology.  3 pts.  Alan Timberlake. Prerequisite: Ling W3101.  Technical investigation of the sounds of human language, from the perspective of phonetics (articulation and acoustics, including computer-aided acoustic analysis) and phonology (the distribution and function of sounds in individual languages).  // MW 4:10pm-5:25pm

Psyc W2440x. Language and the Brain.  3 pts. (#70576) M. Miozzo.  Prerequisites: PSYC W1001 or instructor permission [permission given to linguists]  Introduction to psychological research on human language and communication and to brain mechanisms supporting language processing.  Topics include comprehension and production of speech sounds, words and sentences; reading and writing; bilingualism; communication behavior.  // TR 10:10-11:25am,  Room 614,  Schermerhorn Hall.

Spring 2013

Anth V3906y:  Functional Linguistics & Linguistic Typology.  4 pts.  Paul Kockelman.
This course introduces students to functional linguistics and language typology.  Functional linguistics involves describing, classifying and phonology, explaining the relation between linguistic form (e.g. various grammatical patterns embodied in morphology, and syntax) and linguistic function (e.g. the ends communicative utterances serve and the meanings grammatical categories encode).  Language typology involves describing and comparing the forms and functions of the world’s languages in order to uncover, classify and explain cross-linguistic patterns. //W 11:00am-12:50pm

Ling W4108y:  Language History.  3 pts.  Alan Timberlake.
This course examines how language changes, firstly, as a self-contained system that changes organically and autonomously, and secondly, in time, space, and in communities.  Prerequisite:  Introduction to Linguistics (Ling W3101) or equivalent  // MW 6:10pm-7:25pm

Hung W3343.  Descriptive Grammar of Hungarian.   3 pts. Carol Rounds.  The study of Hungarian, a language of the Finno-Ugric family, offers the opportunity to learn about the phonology of vowel harmony, the syntax of topic-comment discourse, verb agreement with subjects and objects, highly developed case systems and possessive nominal paradigms.  No knowledge of Hungarian required.   // TR `1:10­2:5pm 

Fall 2011

LING W3101 Introduction (McWhorter or Gasparov)

LING W4190 Discourse (Gasparov)

LING (?) (NEW) Field Methods (new course, pending funding for adjunct)

Spring 2012

LING W4903 Syntax (Timberlake)

LING W4800 Language and Society (Timberlake or McWhorter)

Majors and Concentrations
I have discussed petitions for majors with a handful of students, and I have written the COI about some of them.  If you have applied for (or are in the process of constructing a petition to apply for) a Major, could you please tell me, so your petition does not slip through the cracks?  March 1 was the deadline for declaration of majors, but that deadline is not firm.  But we must get everything done by spring break, I hope by this coming Monday (March 7).

Changes in your major programs:  in your original petition you were  expected to list all courses you wish to count for the major and state when you will take this or that course.  But of course our staffing changes and the courses we offer change, and sometimes other valuable courses appear.  I need to hear from you if courses you thought of taking do not appear and you need to substitute courses.  If your program is thoroughly changed, we need to inform COI and get approval.  If the change is minor, then there is no need.  Still, I would like to be kept abreast of changes.

In that vein, I would also like to hear about other changes in your programs—adding or deleting other majors or concentrations.  Strictly speaking, once a major in Linguistics has been approved, its status will not change if you add or delete another degree program (major or concentration); the Linguistics major is not affected by other changes.  But as part of responsible advising, I would like to hear about changes.

Language Requirement, Global Core
As a general rule, one course cannot be used in two degree programs—for example, a course in Natural Language processing can be used either for a major or concentration in Computer Science or in Linguistics, but not in both.

Language requirements are different.  The same language can be used to satisfy the College’s general language requirement and the language requirement for a Concentration or Major in Linguistics.

I am not sure about courses in global cultures, now being revamped.  I am thinking of offering one in Spring 2012 (possibly co-opting McWhorter’s course on Language and Society); I will find out if such a course can count both for Linguistics and for Core.  I think so, but I’m not sure.

FLAS fellowships:
FLAS (=Foreign Language and Area Studies) fellowships are funded by the federal government for US citizens and green-card holders.

The deadline for applying for FLAS fellowships is March 4.   These fellowships used to be available only to graduates, but the fellowships have been opened up to undergraduates.

FLASes are normally awarded for critical languages and “less commonly taught languages.”   The list is actually quite long.  It includes almost all languages taught at Columbia.  French, Spanish, and German are excluded.  (Russian and Italian are  doubtful.  I am not sure about how likely Chinese is.)  The website says that FLASes are not awarded to beginning students, so in fact you have to already have started studying the language.  Applications are made to a common destination, but then applications are judged by committees run by different area centers.

Information for undergraduates can be found as  HYPERLINK “http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/fellowships/catalog/foreign-language-area-studies-flas-fellowship” http://www.college.columbia.edu/students/fellowships/catalog/foreign-language-area-studies-flas-fellowship, although that site sends students for more information to the graduate site,  HYPERLINK “http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/sub/finaid/cstudents/flas/ay.html” http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsas/sub/finaid/cstudents/flas/ay.html

Governance
I hope the Society will continue its magnificent record of interesting talks and interesting dinners.  For that we will need some juniors or sophomores to make themselves available to replace the irreplaceable Liz and Kayla.  (Which is to say, thanks.)