Course Descriptions
Linguistics 200: Course description
This course provides a broad introduction to what the formal study of language (linguistics) can reveal about how language works, how humans utilize language, and the attendant effects on society. The interdisciplinary scope of this course emerges from topics in linguistics that connect to a wide range of academic fields. Anyone with an interest in what language is, how language works, and how language resonates in society will find this class useful, either in and of itself or for the further study of language beyond this course. By the end of this course, participants will be able to 1) delineate the extent to which language comprises a distinctly human social-biological capacity; 2) understand language as a multiplicity of combinatorial systems containing discrete elements built from sound; and 3) ascertain the impact of the above for human society as speakers systematically deploy language in pursuit of their social and interactional needs.
This course is not a required course for the linguistics major, but is an exceedingly valuable course to do well in required linguistics courses.
Corequisites:
I. Language Corequisites:
Completion of a third year (two semesters) of foreign language study (upper-division courses) – either Indo-European or non-Indo-European – plus a two-semester sequence of another language chosen so that both one Indo-European and one non-Indo-European language are studied.
Non-Indo European languages may be selected from the following:
- ASL 111-112
Elementary Sign Language I & II - ARAB 121-122
Elementary Modern Standard Arabic I & II - ASST 141-142
Elementary Modern Hebrew I & II - CHIN 131-132
Elementary Chinese I & II - JAPANESE 151-152
Elementary Japanese I & II - REST 121-122
Elementary Biblical Hebrew I & II - Or other non-Indo European languages approved by the Linguistics Committee
II. Statistics
Completion of one semester of statistics
- STAT 201
Introduction to probability and probability distributions, data collection techniques, graphical and numerical summaries of data, binomial and normal distributions, inference for a single mean, a single proportion, difference in means and difference in proportions using confidence intervals and hypothesis testing, simple linear regression and correlation, association between categorical variables and use of statistical computing software. Applied course appropriate for a general audience.
Satisfies General Education Requirement: (QR)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): Mathematics 125 or Mathematics 141 or Mathematics 152. - STAT 207
Intended as an alternative to 201 for higher GPA students.
Satisfies General Education Requirement: (QR)
Contact Hour Distribution: Two 50-minute lectures and one 110-minute lab per week.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): Mathematics 125 or Mathematics 141 or Mathematics 152.
Recommended Background: 28 composite ACT or 1250 composite SAT.
Major Requirements - 30 Hours Composed of:
I. Phonetics and Sound
Choose 1 Course
- AUSP 305 - Phonetics
Basic phonetics, including recognition and production of spoken English sounds with analysis of their formation, phonetic transcription of speech, phonetic aspects of dialect variation or - AUSP 320 - Speech and Language Development
Speech and language development in the normal child. Speech and Language Development or - FREN 421 - Phonetics
Foundation in the science of phonetics. Practical exercises and individual performance.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 333. - SPAN 421 – Phonetics and Phonology
Comprehensive introduction to the principles of phonetic analysis and IPA transcriptions, articulatory descriptions, and production of Spanish sounds as contrasted with English sounds to make students aware of differences and help them improve their own pronunciation.
(RE) Prerequisite: Span 323
II. Major Core Course Requirements
- LING 371 – Foundations of the English Language Course Description: Phonology, morphology, and syntax of English. History of the English language to 1800.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 371.) - LING 372 – The Structure of Modern English
Course Description: Descriptive study of contemporary English with emphasis on
phrase, clause, and sentence structure.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 372.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 102 or 118. - LING 423 – The Development of Diachronic and Synchronic Linguistics
Development of western linguistic thought from the Hebrews and Greeks through modern times. Readings from Boas, Sapir, Bloomfield, and others.
Recommended Background: 9 hours of courses (300 or above) required for linguistics concentration. - LING 425 – Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics
Initiation into the theory and practice of techniques of linguistic analysis in the subfields of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and historical linguistics. Discussion of their relevance to the learning and teaching of foreign languages and to the study of literary texts. Writing-emphasis course.
(Cross-listed with German 425; Eng. 425; Russian 425; Spanish 425.)
Recommended Background: Linguistics 200. - LING 426 – Methods of Historical Linguistics
Phonetics, distinctive feature analysis, sound change types, nature of sound change, principles of reconstruction, and fundamental assumptions about language change through time. Non-phonological linguistic changes, language families, and Proto-Indo-European and other proto-languages.
(Cross-listed with French 426; German 426; Russian 426; Spanish 426.)
Recommended Background: Linguistics 200 or two 3rd year foreign language courses
Or
Recommended Background: 6 hours of upper-division foreign language courses, excluding courses in translation or graduate reading courses. - LING 471 – Sociolinguistics
Language in relation to societies. Theoretical and empirical study of language variation in individuals (style-shifting) and among social, cultural, and national/international groups. (Cross-listed with Eng. 471.)
Recommended Background: 371 or 372 or Linguistics 200 or consent of instructor.
III. Linguistics Elective Hours
9 Hours selected from the following:
- AUSP 302 – Acoustics and Perception
Basic acoustics. Introduction to psychoacoustics and speech perception.
(RE) Corequisite(s): 305. - AUSP 320 – Speech and Language Development
Speech and language development in the normal child. - CHIN 471 – Introduction to Chinese Linguistics
Surveys various linguistic aspects of Mandarin Chinese, including phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistics. The class is conducted in English, but students will work with Chinese language data in their reading and written assignments.
(DE) Prerequisite(s): CHIN132 or equivalent. - CMST 412 – Close Relationships
Theory and research examining interactions in friendships, romantic relationships, and/or families.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 312.
Registration Restriction(s): Communication studies majors/minors or consent of instructor. - FREN 421 – Phonetics
Foundation in the science of phonetics. Practical exercises and individual performance.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 333. - FREN 422 – Advanced Grammar
Improving one's written French by studying basic and more refined structures of the French language. Writing creative free-style compositions. Writing-emphasis course.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 333. - LING 321 – Introduction to Old English
Language and literature of English from c.700 to c.1100. Reading of prose works and shorter poetry in Old English. Cultural context of Anglo-Saxon English explored through critical essays, histories, and primary texts in translation. Focus on manuscript evidence and medieval and modern textual practices. Writing-emphasis course.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 321.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 102 or 118. - LING 400 – Topics in Linguistics
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours. - LING 411 – Linguistic Anthropology
Basic linguistic concepts applied to research in cultural anthropology, particularly investigation of relationships between language and culture.
(Cross-listed with Anthropology 411.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 130 or 137 or Linguistics 200. - LING 431 – Topics in Hispanic Linguistics
Introduction to the study of the Spanish language through different areas of linguistics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and second language acquisition. Writing-emphasis course.
(Cross-listed with Spanish 430)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 323.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours. - LING 435 – Structure of the German Language
Course Description: Contrastive English-German segmental and suprasegmental phonemes, contrastive English-German linguistic structures, selected topics in advanced German grammar and syntactic analysis. (Cross-listed with German 435.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): GERM 311 and 312 and two courses from 321, 322, 325. - LING 436 – History of the German Language
Development of the German language from Indo-European through Proto-Germanic, Old High German, and Middle High German to New High German. Internal and external linguistic history of German speech.
(Cross-listed with German 436.) - LING 472 – American English
Phonological, morphological, and syntactic characteristics of major social and regional varieties of American English with attention to their origins, functions, and implications for cultural pluralism.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 472.)
Recommended Background: 371 or 372 or Linguistics 200 or consent of instructor - LING 474 – Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Lang
Introduces major issues surrounding teaching ESL/EFL, including political implications of teaching ESL/EFL. Introduction to second language acquisition, learner variables in language learning, traditional and innovative approaches to ESL/EFL, and basic features of American English grammar necessary for teaching ESL.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 474.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG.102 or 118.
Recommended Background: Second year of a foreign language. - LING 476 – Second Language Acquisition
How humans learn second languages. Examines theoretical models and research on such issues as differences between first and second language acquisition: the effect of age; cognitive factors in second language acquisition; learner variables; sociocultural factors; and implications for second/foreign language development.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 476)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG. 102 or 118 - LING 477 – Pedagogical Grammar for ESL Teachers
Aspects of English syntax and morphology presenting difficulties for non-native learners of English. Basic and complex sentence structures; the noun and article system; and verb tense, aspect, modality, and complementation.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 477.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG. 102 or 118. - LING 485 – Special Topics in Language
(Cross-listed with Eng. 485.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG. 102 or 118.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours. - LING 490 – Language and Law
Language in the Anglo-American legal process. Focus on differences between spoken and written language, lexical and syntactic ambiguity, pragmatics, speech act analysis, and the language rights of linguistic minorities.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 490.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 102 or 118. - LING 491 – Foreign Study
Seeing, studying, and writing about drama as performed in London and Stratford-upon-Avon during the summer. (Cross-listed with Eng.l 485)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG 102 or 118.
Repeatability: May be repeated once with instructor's permission. - LING 492 – Off-Campus Study
Seeing, studying, and writing about drama as performed in New York City.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 492)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): ENG 102 or 118. - LING 493 – Independent Study
Tutorial in subjects not adequately covered in regular courses.
(Cross-listed with Eng. 493)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 102 or 118.
Repeatability: May be repeated. Maximum 6 hours. - PSYC 400 – Advanced Cognitive Psychology
Explores the frontiers of cognitive psychology in areas such as attention, language use, memory, problem-solving, and concept formation.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): PSY 314.
Registration Restriction(s): Minimum student level ― junior. - SPAN 420 – Applied Linguistics
Special emphasis on the theoretical and practical aspects of the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language. Fundamental concepts in linguistics within the context of Spanish grammar and their use in the study of second language acquisition, foreign language learning and foreign language teaching. Conducted in Spanish with readings in both English and Spanish.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): 323. - SPAN 421- Phonetics and Phonology.
Comprehensive introduction to the principles of phonetic analysis, IPA transcriptions, articulatory descriptions, and production of Spanish sounds as contrasted with English sounds to make students aware of differences to help improve their own pronunciation.
(RE) Prerequisite: Span 323
SPAN 422 – Advanced Grammar and Translation
Structure of the grammatical system of Spanish. In-depth analysis of selected syntactic phenomena with practical illustration/application and exercise in Spanish-English and English-Spanish translation. Emphasis on finer points of grammatical structures. Writing-emphasis course.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): Spanish 323.
Comment(s): Not available to native or bilingual students of Spanish without permission of department. - LING 430 – Topics in Hispanic Linguistics
Introduction to the study of the Spanish language through different areas of linguistics such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, dialectology, and second language acquisition. Writing-emphasis course. Class is conducted in Spanish w/ readings in Spanish. (Cross-listed with Spanish 431.)
(RE) Prerequisite(s): Spanish 323
Repeatability: May be repeated with permission of department. Maximum 6 hours. - THEA 326 – Voice and Speech for the Stage Actor
Breath-centered, body-based voice production. Exploration and control of shaping sound. Text work. Geared toward acting for the stage.
(RE) Prerequisite(s): THEA 221. - WLEL 455 – Teaching of World Languages
ACTFL standards-based instructional methods, resources, integrated technologies, second language theories, research and evaluation for world languages. Required for licensure in World Languages.
Recommended Background: Completion or near completion of world language hours for certification.
Registration Restriction(s): Admission to teacher education or consent of instructor. - WLEL 476 – Teaching English as a Second Language
TESOL standards-based ESL pedagogy, practices, research, second language theories, instructional strategies and integrated technologies that accommodate students at all levels of ESL/EFL settings. Required for Tennessee (PreK-12) licensure.
Comment(s): Admission to teacher education.