Linguistics Courses

LING 100 - Communication and Language (3)

Explores the foundations of human language from a variety of perspectives. Young children acquire language effortlessly. How is this possible, and why is it so much more challenging to learn a new language later in life? How does the human brain use complex grammatical systems to communicate? Students will learn new ways to think critically about language and communication. Open to all students. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LING 111 - The Wonder of Words (3)

Introduces students to theories about words and vocabulary. Explores topics such as the roots of the English vocabulary, how we create new words and how we learn them. Also discusses practical applications such as constructed languages for use in science fiction, and word recognition in artificial intelligence. Open to all students. Students with credit for LING 110 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LING 160 - Language, Culture and Society (3)

Examines the relationship between language use and social structure. Considers how social factors such as gender, class, age, and ethnicity may be reflected in language use, as well as "big picture" topics that include multilingualism, dialect variation, language policy and linguistic stereotypes. Encourages students to think critically about the social dimensions of language. Open to all students. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LING 190 - The Science of Speech (3)

Introduces the scientific study of speech, focusing on the mechanisms of speech production and perception, the ways in which speech is described and analyzed, the relationship between speech and technology, and the practical applications of phonetic science. Open to all students. Students with credit for LING 290 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Social Sci/Science.

LING 200 - Foundations of English Grammar (3)

Provides a practical overview of English grammar based on linguistic principles. Explores fundamentals of English sentence structure, grammatical categories and grammatical analysis through lectures and hands-on work in the classroom. Develops skills that are applicable in language analysis, writing and communication. Open to all students.

LING 220 - Introduction to Linguistics (3)

Explores how language works. Introduces students to the systematic nature of language by exploring the patterns of sounds, words, sentences and meanings in English and other languages. Develops problem-solving and critical thinking skills through hands-on training in pattern recognition and language data analysis. Open to all students. Breadth-Social Sciences.

LING 250 - Computational Text Analysis (4)

Introduces basics of text analysis through Python programming. Core concepts include: data capture and manipulation; data cleaning and preprocessing; database management; big data; natural language processing; introductory machine learning; text classification. Students with credit for SDA 250 may not take this course for further credit.

LING 280 - Linguistics in the Real World (3)

Examines “real-world” issues from a linguistic perspective. Topics may range across a wide spectrum: in-depth analysis of specific languages, social issues (stereotypes, inequality), business matters (linguistics in advertising, legal language), the role of linguistics in the technology sector, as well as more general workplace applications for linguistics. As topics examined may vary by term, this course may be repeated once for credit if the topic is different. Open to all students.

LING 282W - Writing for Linguistics (3)

Develops skills in language analysis by focusing on reading and writing of linguistic argumentation. Explores the foundations of such argumentation in the core areas of linguistics. Students read and discuss primary literature in linguistics in order to understand how to formulate hypotheses and evaluate them. They also learn how to use writing to construct their own solutions to challenging linguistic problems. Prerequisite: LING 220. Writing/Quantitative.

LING 301W - Linguistic Argumentation (3)

Advanced study of the styles of written argumentation that are used in linguistic research. Prerequisite: LING 282W. Students with credit for LING 301 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.

LING 309W - Sociolinguistics (3)

A systematic approach to the study of linguistic variation in different areal, social, and cultural settings. Prerequisite: LING 282W. Recommended: LING 160. Writing.

LING 315 - Psychology of Language (3)

Explores how language works in human cognition. Investigates how people produce and understand language (whether written, spoken or signed). Uses evidence from the production and comprehension of speech sounds, words, and sentences to introduce psychological and cognitive systems for human language. Prerequisite: LING 220.

LING 321 - Phonology (3)

An overview of theoretical principles in phonology. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 322 - Syntax (3)

Introduces theories of sentence structure. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 323 - Morphology (3)

Word structure in natural languages and its relationship to phonological and syntactic levels of grammar. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 324 - Semantics (3)

Basic formal aspects of meaning (e.g. compositional semantics, truth conditional semantics and quantification in natural language) and how they are distinguished from pragmatic aspects of meaning. Prerequisite: LING 282W. Quantitative.

LING 330 - Phonetics (3)

A survey of methods of speech sound description and transcription. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 350 - First Language Acquisition (3)

Introduction to the study of language acquisition from the point of view of linguistic structure. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 360 - Introduction to Applied Linguistics (3)

Theoretical and practical aspects of second language learning. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 362 - Introduction to Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults (3)

Application of linguistic principles to the teaching of English as a second language. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 363 - Practicum in Teaching English as a Second Language to Adults (3)

Implementation of linguistic principles in the teaching of English as a second language, including classroom teaching practice with adult learners of English. This course is graded on a pass/fail basis. Prerequisite: LING 360, 362.

LING 400 - Formal Linguistics (3)

Formal systems and their relation to linguistic methods and theory. Topics include the mathematical properties of natural languages, and rigorously defined frameworks for linguistic analysis and their formal properties. Prerequisite: LING 322. Recommended: PHIL 210. Quantitative.

LING 401 - Topics in Phonetics (3)

Advanced training in speech sound description and analysis in the impressionistic and instrumental modes. Prerequisite: LING 330.

LING 408 - Field Linguistics (3)

The investigation and description of an unfamiliar language. Prerequisite: LING 321 and 322.

LING 410 - Theories of Applied Linguistics (3)

Explores the range of theories that are used within applied linguistics, including issues of theory evaluation and application. Prerequisite: LING 360 and 9 units of upper division Linguistics. Students with credit for LING 480 or LING 481 with this topic may not take this course for further credit.

LING 411 - Topics in Applied Phonetics (3)

Application of principles from phonetics to a number of practical problems in such areas as second language learning and teaching, forensics, communications, commerce and the arts. Prerequisite: LING 321 or 330, and 9 additional units of upper division Linguistics.

LING 415 - Neurolinguistics (3)

Explores language as a system of the human brain, including specific topics such as the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of language; language production, perception and processing; bilingualism, language learning and brain plasticity; and aphasia, dyslexia, deafness and sign languages. Prerequisite: 12 units of upper division linguistic courses.

LING 430 - Indigenous Languages and Language Revitalization (3)

Structural and genetic characteristics of Indigenous languages of the Americas and beyond, with a focus on the application of linguistic knowledge in community-based language revitalization. The course may include a detailed examination of one language or language family. Prerequisite: 60 units.

LING 431 - Language Structures I (3)

Detailed examination of the structure of a selected language. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 432 - Language Structures II (3)

Detailed examination of the structure of a selected language. Prerequisite: LING 282W.

LING 450 - Computational Linguistics (3)

Introduction to theoretical and applied issues in the computational processing of natural language. Prerequisite: LING 250 or SDA 250.

LING 480 - Topics in Linguistics I (3)

Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. This course may be repeated once for credit if the topic is different. Prerequisite: Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.

LING 481 - Topics in Linguistics II (3)

Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. This course may be repeated once for credit if the subject is different. Prerequisite: Requirements will vary according to the topic offered.

LING 482W - Topics in Linguistics III (3)

Investigation of a selected area of linguistic research. The course will be writing-intensive. This course may be repeated once for credit if the subject is different. Prerequisite: Requirements will vary according to the topic offered. Writing.

LING 490 - Honours Essay (3)

Topic of a specific nature to be agreed upon by the student and a particular faculty member. Prerequisite: A minimum of 35 units of upper division linguistic courses counting toward the honours degree.

LING 491 - Directed Research (3)

Directed study aimed at gaining knowledge and practical experience in designing, conducting, analyzing, and documenting linguistics research. To register, a student must have (i) prior written agreement from a Linguistics Department faculty member or associate member who will act as a research supervisor; and (ii) permission from the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Chair. Prerequisite: LING 220, 60 units, and permission of the Undergraduate Committee Chair.

LING 800 - Phonology (3)

An overview of contemporary phonological theory and its relation to phonetics, morphology and psycholinguistics.

LING 801 - Syntax (3)

Introduction to formal syntactic analysis. Topics include categories, phrase structure, word order, grammatical relations, binding, and long-distance syntactic dependencies.

LING 802 - Semantics (3)

An introduction to formal approaches to meaning. Topics include truth conditions, compositionality, quantification, variable binding and relationship between semantic aspects of meaning and pragmatic aspects of meaning. Formal approaches are also compared to cognitive approaches.

LING 803 - Discourse and Pragmatics (3)

Introduction to the analysis of discourse as the use of language in context, and the general discipline of pragmatics. Topics to be covered include coherence, reference, implicature, speech acts and information structure.

LING 804 - Field Methods (3)

Students elicit, transcribe, organize, and analyze linguistic data collected from a native speaker of an unfamiliar, understudied, and often-unwritten language.

LING 805 - Historical and Comparative Linguistics (3)

Introduction to the mechanisms of language change and the methods used to investigate them, including the comparative method and linguistic reconstruction.

LING 806 - Sociolinguistics (3)

Introduction to the most prominent aspects of the interface between language and society, and the qualitative and quantitative methods that are used to investigate it.

LING 807 - Computational Linguistics (3)

Introduction to theoretical and applied issues in the computational processing of natural language.

LING 810 - Topics in Linguistics I (3)

In-depth treatment of a selected area of Linguistics. Specific topics will vary from offering to offering.

LING 811 - Topics in Linguistics II (3)

In-depth treatment of a selected area of Linguistics. Specific topics will vary from offering to offering.

LING 812 - Topics in Linguistics III (3)

In-depth treatment of a selected area of Linguistics. Specific topics will vary from offering to offering.

LING 813 - Topics in Linguistics IV (3)

In-depth treatment of a selected area of Linguistics. Specific topics will vary from offering to offering.

LING 820 - Formal Linguistics (3)

Formal systems and their relation to linguistic methods and theory. Topics include the mathematical properties of natural languages, and rigorously defined frameworks for linguistic analysis and their formal properties.

LING 821 - Phonetics (3)

A survey of articulatory, acoustic, and auditory phonetics. Topics include theories of speech production and perception, neurophonetics, first and second language speech acquisition, and computerized methods for speech analysis.

LING 830 - Phonetics and Phonology of an Indigenous Language (4)

An introduction to the phonetics and phonology of a particular Indigenous Language, with special reference to pronunciation and perception.

LING 831 - Morphology and Syntax of an Indigenous Language (4)

An introduction to the morphology and syntax of a particular Indigenous Language, with special reference to sentence structure and word architecture.

LING 832 - Narrative and Discourse Structure of an Indigenous Language (4)

Transcription, creation, and analysis of the rhetorical and discourse structure of narratives in an Indigenous language.

LING 833 - Socio-cultural and Cognitive Aspects of an Indigenous Language (4)

An investigation of a particular Indigenous language in its cultural, social, and cognitive context. Topics include: areal features, language families and dialects of Northwest languages, contact linguistics, gender, numeral classification, kin terms, anchoring language in time and space, expressing speaker’s viewpoint, oral traditions, place names, and ethnobiology.

LING 834 - Effective Pedagogies and Materials Development for Indigenous Language (4)

Theoretical and practical aspects of teaching and learning Indigenous languages. Topics include an overview of innovative methods and the development of materials that enrich the language learning environment, with examples from multiple Indigenous languages.

LING 850 - Foundations of Applied Linguistics (3)

Introduction to areas where linguistics is applied, with a particular focus on language learning and acquisition.

LING 851 - Research Techniques and Experimental Design (3)

Introduces the use of experimental methods and laboratory techniques for carrying out research in speech and language sciences. Topics include reading research literature, research design and hypothesis testing, statistical methods and data analysis, and research paper write-up.

LING 855 - Topics in Applied Linguistics (3)

In-depth treatment of a particular area of applied linguistics. Topic will vary from offering to offering.

LING 880 - Advanced Linguistic Research for Professional Development (3)

Designed to help students develop practical skills that will support their professional development as linguists, including writing research articles and preparing conference presentations, as well as critically evaluating and discussing influential works in the field. It is designed for second year students who are actively working on research projects, theses, and qualifying papers, so that they can share key literature related to their research and present their on-going work to benefit from the feedback of their cohort.

LING 890 - Graduate Seminar I (1)

An introduction to professional aspects in the field of Linguistics. Course consists of seminars, lectures and workshops. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

LING 891 - Graduate Seminar II (1)

An introduction to professional aspects in the field of Linguistics. Course consists of seminars, lectures and workshops. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

LING 893 - Linguistics MA Project (6)

Students who are working on their MA capstone project enroll in this course. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

LING 894 - Qualifying Paper I (6)

Qualifying Paper for a PhD student. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: All PhD coursework in Linguistics.

LING 895 - Qualifying Paper II (6)

Qualifying Paper for a PhD student. Grading Basis: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory. Prerequisite: All PhD coursework in Linguistics.

LING 896 - Directed Research (3)

Topic of a specific nature to be agreed upon by the student and a faculty member.

LING 898 - MA Thesis (18)

Students who are working on their Master of Arts thesis enroll in this course. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.

LING 899 - PhD Thesis (18)

Students who are working on their PhD thesis enroll in this course. Graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.