Spring 2018

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Linguistics courses
Course number Course title Section Instructor Days Time Room

GRS LX 631

Semantics & Pragmatics: Introduction to Linguistic Meaning

web A1 Coppock TR 11-12:15 EPC 205
Systematic examination of how meaning is encoded in words and sentences, and how it can emerge from the complexity of the grammar. This course also touches on various aspects of pragmatics—the study of how meaning is shaped by context. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
[Meets with CAS LX 331; Previously offered as CAS LX 502 "Semantics I"]
  • Carries humanities divisional credit in CAS.

GRS LX 649

Bilingualism

 web A1 Chang TR 12:30-1:45 CAS 320
The psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics of life with two languages. Topics include bilingual language use, processing, acquisition, organization; effects of bilingualism on cognition and development; the bilingual brain; the bilingual speech community; bilingual education; bilingualism in the media and public eye. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
[Meets with CAS LX 349; Previously offered as CAS LX 545 "Bilingualism"]

GRS LX 670

Romance Linguistics

 web A1 Myler MWF 10:10-11 MCS B25
This course covers sound and morphosyntactic change since Latin, plus various topics in the comparative grammar of modern Romance languages. In addition, there is a module introducing students to the grammatical systems of certain less-studied Romance languages. Students deepen their linguistic knowledge and analytic skills by applying what they have learned in other Linguistics courses to this language family, and learn how data from Romance languages have contributed to our understanding of how language works in general. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor; PLUS prior study of Latin or a Romance language at the 4th semester level or higher (e.g., CAS LF 212 or CAS LI 212 or CAS LS 212 or CAS LP 212 or equivalent).]
[Meets with CAS LX 370; Previously offered as CAS LX 532 "Romance Linguistics"]

GRS LX 683

The Sounds of Spanish

 web A1 Erker TR 9:30-10:45 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: One 300-level Spanish course and CAS LX 250 or consent of instructor]
[Meets with CAS LX 383; Also offered as CAS LS 507; Previously offered as CAS LX 507 "The Sounds of Spanish"]
  • If you are trying to register for this course as CAS LS 507 and it appears full, you can just as well register for the LX number. These courses are identical, meet together, and satisfy all of the same requirements :-) .
  • This course can satisfy requirements for both the Spanish and the Spanish & Linguistics majors; it can also satisfy the Linguistics major requirement for a course in the linguistic analysis of a specific language, as well as counting toward both the Spanish and Linguistics minors.

GRS LX 691

Linguistic Field Methods

 web A1 Myler MWF 9:05-9:55 MCS B25
An in-depth investigation of the phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and lexicon of an African or other non-Indo-European language. Weekly sessions with language consultant. [Prereq: CAS LX 250 Introduction to Linguistics or consent of instructor.]
[Meets with CAS LX 391; Previously offered as CAS LX 501 "Linguistic Field Methods"]

GRS LX 705

Prosody

 web A1 Barnes TR 2-3:15 CAS 220
Exploration of the melodic and rhythmic aspects of the languages of the world. Emphasis on theoretical and experimental approaches to cross-linguistic typology. Specific topics include: syllables and syllable-weight, rhythm and speech timing; stress and metrics; tone and intonation. [Prereq: CAS LX 301/ GRS LX 601 Phonetics & Phonology: Introduction to Sound Systems (or CAS LX 510) or consent of instructor.]
[Meets with CAS LX 405; Previously offered as CAS LX 525 "Prosody"]

GRS LX 722

Intermediate Syntax: Modeling Syntactic Knowledge

 web A1 Hagstrom MWF 1:25-2:15 CAS 312
Using linguistic data drawn from a wide variety of languages, students develop a precise model of syntactic knowledge through evaluation of hypotheses and arguments. Exploration of major discoveries and phenomena from the linguistic literature. [Prereq: CAS LX 321/ GRS LX 621 Syntax: Introduction to Sentential Structure (or CAS LX 522) or consent of instructor]
[Meets with CAS LX 422]

GRS LX 733

Intermediate Pragmatics: Meaning in Context

 web A1 Coppock TR 3:30-4:45 CAS 204B
Covers the main areas of linguistic pragmatics, the study of language use and the relation between meaning and context. We will study pragmatic phenomena such as presuppositions, implicatures, anaphora, and focus, from the perspective of linguistic semantics. [Prereq: CAS LX 331/ GRS LX 631 Semantics & Pragmatics: Introduction to Linguistic Meaning (or CAS LX 502) or consent of instructor.]
[Meets with CAS LX 433; Previously offered as CAS LX 504 "Topics in Pragmatics"]

GRS LX 754

Acquisition of Syntax

 web A1 Hagstrom MWF 11:15-12:05 CAS 424
Exploration of the character and course of acquisition of syntactic knowledge in both first and second language contexts. Covers methodological principles for conducting studies and analyzing data, and topics such as development of verb movement, binding theory, and tense. [Prereq: CAS LX 321/ GRS LX 621 Syntax: Introduction to Sentential Structure (or CAS LX 522) or consent of instructor]
[Meets with CAS LX 454; Previously offered as CAS LX 540 "Acquisition of Syntax"]

GRS LX 795

Quantitative Methods in Linguistics

 web A1 Erker TR 12:30-1:45 CAS 220
Introduces students to quantitative approaches to linguistic data, including visualization, hypothesis testing, and data modeling. Students will gain proficiency in R, an open-source statistical environment, and learn the logic behind statistical techniques, as well as practical skills for using them. [Prereq: Graduate standing in the Linguistics program, or consent of instructor]
 
Related courses at BU
Course number Course title Section Instructor Days Time Room

CAS AN 524

Seminar: Language and Culture Contacts in Contemporary Africa

 web A1 Ngom MWF 10:10-11 PLS 102
Concepts and theoretical approaches to study language variation and change in sociolinguistics/linguistic anthropology. This course examines internal and external factors that trigger language variations and changes and the social attitudes associated with them. The nexus between diachronic and synchronic changes will also be reanalyzed in light of the Labovian variationist model. While the course will focus on language variations and changes in Africa, it will draw from existing literature to provide students with a strong foundation on the scholarship in the field of contact linguistics, language variation and change, types of variations, the relationships between these variations and gender, ethnicity, religion, youth culture, and globalization. It will conclude by introducing students to the new field of forensic linguistics (the interface between language, crime and law). Using actual cases from the US and Europe, the use of linguistic features as evidence in criminal investigations, in authorship disputes, and in asylum cases will be examined. The course will consist of lectures and class discussions, practical exercises dealing with issues on language variation and change and their various implications in the 21st century. The course will provide students with the tools necessary to plan and execute studies on language variation and change in the world's speech communities. [Prereq: CAS AN 351 or consent of instructor]

GRS PH 633

Logic

 web A1 Floyd TR 2-3:15 CAS 325
Study of the basics of modern logic, including propositional logic, quantifiers, identity and functions, completeness and incompleteness. A special emphasis is placed on strategies of deductive reasoning. [Prereq: one philosophy course or sophomore standing.]
[Meets with CAS PH 360]

SAR SH 505

Introduction to Phonological Disorders

 A1 Boucher WF 12:20-2:05 SAR 104
This course provides an overview of current models of normal and disordered phonological development. Students examine and practice evidenced-based principles and practical applications of assessment, analysis, diagnosis, and remediation approaches and procedures to facilitate critical thinking and problem-solving abilities to apply to working with individuals with a variety of phonological disorders. [Prereq: SAR SH 521 and SH 524 ]