World Languages, Literatures and Culture (WLC)
WLC 301. Anthropological Linguistics. 3 Credit Hours.
An introduction to the science of linguistics, with an emphasis on the social and cultural aspects of language. Topics to be considered are: 1) language and human nature; 2) linguistic and non-linguistic forms of communication; 3) literate and oral cultures; 4) the basic components of language (phonology, morphology, syntax); 5) meaning in language and speech; 6) socio- linguistics (class, race, gender); and 7) the relationship between language and cultural knowledge systems, especially those of non-western cultures. The instructor will dram from linguistic and cultural materials that she has collected in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. We also read an in-depth study of the social and cultural contexts of language usage in a Muslim Bedouin society of North America. Fulfills Core Requirements: Diversity (DIV) and Cultural Elective (CE).
WLC 302. Introduction to Language and Linguistics. 3 Credit Hours.
This course will provide an introduction to language and linguistics as scientific fields of inquiry. The course will focus on the nature of language and linguistic knowledge through a descriptive analysis of its individual components (phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax). During the final weeks of the course, an introduction to selected topics will be covered bases, in part, on student interest. Such topics may include language use (e.g., dialectal and social variation),language change (e.g., the evolution of French and Spanish from Latin), and language acquisition. Linguistic data from a variety of languages will be examined. Course will be taught in English.