Fall 2013

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Linguistics courses
Course number Course title Section Instructor Days Time Room

CAS LX 235

Language in the Contemporary World: Technology, Society, and the Law

 A1 Baronian TR 11-12:30 CAS 229
Exploration of the role of human language in a range of activities and endeavors, focusing on issues of technology, governmental policy, education, gender roles, legal language, language crimes, and the use of language in both media and politics to shape perceptions.
  • Satisfies CAS Divisional Studies course requirements for the Humanities.

CAS LX 250

Introduction to Linguistics

 A1 Neidle TR 2-3:30 LSE B01
S1 TBA F 9-10 KCB 104
S2 TBA F 10-11 KCB 104
S3 TBA F 11-12 KCB 104
S4 TBA F 12-1 KCB 104
S5 TBA F 1-2 KCB 104
S6 TBA F 2-3 KCB 104
Study of the fundamental properties that all languages share, and of how languages differ, with respect to structure (sound system, word formation, syntax), expression of meaning, acquisition, variation, and change; cultural and artistic uses of languages; comparison of oral, written, and signed languages.
  • Satisfies CAS Divisional Studies course requirements for the Humanities.
  • Students signing up for CAS LX 250 A1 should also sign up for one of the Friday discussion sections.

CAS LX 500

Topics in Linguistics: Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory

 A1 Hagstrom TR 12:30-2 KCB 104
A general introduction to the study of first and second language acquisition within the framework of generative grammar. The course will cover theoretical approaches to syntactic, semantic, and phonological development, reviewing studies and methodologies both classic and current. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]

CAS LX 502

Semantics I

 A1 Alrenga MWF 11-12 KCB 107
Semantics is the study of linguistic meaning. In this course, we will examine meaning from a variety of perspectives, including: how it is encoded in words and sentences, how native speakers interpret language, and how truth and falsehood can emerge from the complexity of the grammar. We will also touch on various aspects of pragmatics - the function of meaning in a communicative setting. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
  • Satisfies CAS Divisional Studies course requirements for the Humanities.

CAS LX 503

Semantics II

 A1 Alrenga MWF 2-3 KCB 102
Introduction to the semantics of natural language at an intermediate level. Topics include (but are not limited to) predication and quantification, scope and anaphora, problems of discourse analysis, various issues at the interface of semantics and pragmatics, and crosslinguistic semantics. [Prereq: CAS LX 502 Semantics I or consent of instructor.]

CAS LX 510

Phonetics

 A1 Barnes MWF 10-11 CAS 316
Introduction to phonetic and phonological theory at an elementary level. Transcription and production of sounds, International Phonetic Alphabet, the anatomy and physiology of speech, speech acoustics, phonological rules, analysis of data from a variety of languages. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
  • Satisfies CAS Divisional Studies course requirements for the Humanities.

CAS LX 513

Phonology

 A1 Barnes MWF 12-1 KCB 103
Introduction to the sound system of language. Study and analysis of physical and mental aspects of sound production in speech and the system in which sounds are organized. Phonological rules, processes, and universals are examined through consideration of various languages. [Prereq: CAS LX 510 Phonetics or consent of instructor.]

CAS LX 522

Syntax I

 A1 Hagstrom TR 3:30-5 CAS B18A
Introduction to the logical structure and organization of language, and to generative theory. Application of principles of syntactic analysis to students' own and other languages through data-oriented problems from different language types. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
  • Satisfies CAS Divisional Studies course requirements for the Humanities.
 
Related courses at BU
Course number Course title Section Instructor Days Time Room

CAS AN 351

Language, Culture, and Society

 A1 Smith-Hefner MWF 12-1 CAS 216
Introduction to basic concepts, problems, and methods used by anthropologists in the investigation of relationships among language, culture, and society. Topics include language and conceptual systems, language and role, language and social context, and language and thought.

CAS AN 532

Literacy and Islam in Africa

 A1 Ngom MWF 4-5 PLS 505
Ajami comes from the Arabic word for non-Arab, or foreigner. It also refers to the practice of writing other languages using a modified Arabic script. Although written records are rarely regarded as part of sub-Saharan Africa’s intellectual heritage, important bodies of Ajami materials have existed in numerous communities in Africa for centuries. In South Africa, Muslim Malay slaves produced the first written record of Afrikaans in Ajami. Africa’s Ajami traditions developed in communities with a long history of practicing Islam, and who sought to adapt the Arabic alphabet to their own tongues, first for religious purposes such as prayers, writing magical protective devices, and disseminating religious materials and edicts, and later for secular functions such as commercial and administrative record-keeping, writing eulogies and family genealogies, recording important events such as births, deaths and weddings, and writing biographies, poetry, political satires, advertisements, road signs, public announcements, speeches, and personal correspondence. The course will examine both major and minor African Ajami traditions. It will investigate (1) the Islamization of Africa and the subsequent development of Ajami literary traditions in the continent, (2) the forms, contents, and goals of Ajami materials, (3) their role in the spread of Islam and the reverse effect of African influences on Islam, (4) the past and current secular functions of Ajami materials, and (5) the Arabic and Ajami materials written by enslaved Africans in the Americas. The primary goal of this course is to enable students to have access to the unique sources of knowledge generally missed in the studies on Africa written in Arabic and European languages, and to provide them with a deeper understanding of the spread of Islam and its Africanization in the continent. The course will open new research opportunities for students interested in the histories and traditions of sub-Saharan African Muslim communities. [Prereq: Consent of the instructor]

CAS EN 518

Linguistic Problems in TESOL

 A1 Saitz T 4-7 CAS 318
Application of linguistic concepts to the teaching of English as a foreign language. Includes description of contemporary English grammatical structures that pose problems for learners and teachers. [Prereq: consent of instructor.]

CAS LF 504

History of the French Language

 A1 Baronian TR 2-3:30 CAS 225
(Conducted in French) Prosodic, phonetic, and morphosyntactic changes from Classical Latin to Modern French, highlighting the common roots between French and other Romance languages. Lexical influences (Gaulish, Frankish, etc.). Comparative linguistic study of texts in Old or Middle French. Sociopolitical events in the history of the French language. Standardization, linguistic unification of France after the Revolution, and the worldwide spread of the language.

Changements prosodiques, phonétiques, et morphosyntaxiques du latin classique au français moderne, mettant en relief les racines communes qui unissent le français aux autres langues romanes. Influences lexicales (gaulois, francique, etc.). Comparaison linguistique de textes en ancien ou moyen français. Evénements sociopolitiques dans l'histoire de la langue. Standardisation, unification linguistique de la France après la Révolution, et diffusion du français dans le monde.
[Prereq: CAS LF 303 and CAS LX 250 or equivalent, or permission of instructor.]

CAS LS/LX 420

Spanish in the United States

 A1 Erker TR 2-3:30 CAS 235
(Conducted in Spanish) An ethnographic survey and sociolinguistic analysis of the Spanish language as it is spoken in urban USA. The course will focus on issues of language and dialect contact, language change, the fraught notion of 'heritage' speakers, and also code-switching as a sociolinguistic phenomenon. [Prereq: CAS LS 212 and CAS LX 250]
  • This course can substitute for CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish language for satisfaction of requirements for both the Spanish and the Spanish & Linguistics majors, and it can also fulfill Elective requirements in both; it can also satisfy the Linguistics major requirement for a course in the linguistic analysis of a specific language.

CAS LS/LX 507

The Sounds of Spanish

 A1 Erker TR 9:30-11 CAS 323A
(Conducted in Spanish) The goal of this course is to introduce students to the linguistic analysis of speech, with a focus on the Spanish language. We examine the vowels and consonants of Spanish from the perspective of articulatory and acoustic phonetics. In addition, the course introduces core concepts in phonological analysis, surveying the phonemic inventory and phonological organization of Spanish. We also investigate a range of regional variation demonstrated by so-called ‘dialects’ of Spanish, with an emphasis on the historical and social significance of such variation in Spain, Latin America, and the United States. In summary, this course aims to examine the sounds of Spanish as physical, mental, and social phenomena. [Prereq: CAS LS 303 and CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor]
  • This course can substitute for CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish language for satisfaction of requirements for both the Spanish and the Spanish & Linguistics majors, and it can also fulfill Elective requirements in both; it can also satisfy the Linguistics major requirement for a course in the linguistic analysis of a specific language.

CAS PH 160

Reasoning and Argumentation

 A1 Webb MWF 9-10 CAS 211
B1 Bokulich TR 11-12:30 CAS 313
A systematic study of the principles of both deductive and informal reasoning, calculated to enhance students' actual reasoning skills, with an emphasis on reasoning and argumentation in ordinary discourse.

CAS PH 261

Puzzles and Paradoxes

 A1 Floyd TR 2-3:30 CAS 325
Some of our most basic beliefs, when scrutinized, lead to absurd conclusions. For example, using only beliefs that seem uncontroversial, we can conclude that motion is impossible, that everyone is bald, and that it is impossible to give a surprise exam. Carefully scrutinizing the reasoning that leads to these absurdities often yields substantial philosophical insight. This course examines a number of such puzzles and paradoxes in detail. [Prereq: CAS PH 160 or consent of instructor]

SAR SH 523

Introduction to Speech Science

 A1 Stepp MW 1-2:30 SAR 104
Lecture, laboratory, and demonstrations. Introduction to the basic physics of sound, including the decibel scale, spectral analysis, and sound resonance. Acoustic theory of speech production. Effects of contact on speech acoustics. Suprasegmental characteristics of speech production. Introduction to speech perception. [Prereq: SAR SH 521]

SAR SH 531

Introduction to Communication Disorders

 A1 Constantino TR 9:30-11 SAR 218
Introduction to various speech and language disorders found across linguistically and culturally diverse populations. Characteristics underlying biological systems and methods for evaluation and treating a variety or communication disorders are examined. Exploration of the professions of speech pathology and audiology