The scientific study of languages
Ever wondered what makes language such a fascinating human ability? Are you interested in how languages are structured, how sounds are produced, where languages came from, and how they are used in society? Then linguistics is for you!
At Trent you have the opportunity to take a number of courses in linguistics, from an introduction to the field right up to more specialized courses in some of the key topics in the field. As a student of linguistics you will draw upon your intuitive knowledge of the language(s) you speak (although you don't need to speak more than one to take linguistics!) and build an awareness and understanding of how some of the 6,000+ languages of the world are structured, how they sound, and how they relate to one another. You'll quickly discover that among the enormous linguistic diversity that exists, speakers of seemingly unrelated languages do similar things in terms of sounds, word and sentence structures, and other aspects of communication; but each language has many fascinating features that make it distinctive.
The two first-year courses deal with the basics of the field. In LING 1001H (Sounds, Words, and Sentences), you are introduced to the principal elements of linguistics: phonetics and phonology (sounds), morphology and semantics (words), and syntax (sentences). The emphasis is on doing linguistics, and the workshops that complement the lectures give you practice in applying your knowledge to English and a host of other world languages. LING 1002H (Linguistics in Action) extends the toolbox developed in the first half-course to examine how language has changed over time (historical linguistics) and how it is used in a number of contexts: you will look at language acquisition (both first and second), how language is used in society (sociolinguistics), language and the brain (psycholinguistics), along with the development of writing and the ways in which governments can both control and promote language use.
The following is a list of upper-year courses that can be found in the Academic Calendar. Please note that availability may change based on faculty scheduling. For more details, please see the Course Listing link, and check the Academic Timetable for current offerings.
LING-2002H- Phonology: An intermediate course, designed to broaden students' knowledge of phonology and phonological analysis in English and other languages. Topics include phonemic analysis, syllables, morphophonemics, rules and rule ordering, opacity, and tone.
LING-2003H- Morphology: An intermediate course, designed to broaden students' knowledge of morphology and morphological analysis in English and other languages. Topics include methods of morphological analysis, morphophonology, derivation and inflection, the role of the lexicon, and morphosyntax.
LING-2010H- Phonetics: An overview of articulatory and instrumental phonetics, including the mechanics of speech production, the accurate transcription of speech in any language, and the use of instruments to study the physical nature of speech sounds. Students learn all characters and values of the International Phonetic Alphabet, an indispensable tool for linguistic study and research.
LING-2020H-Historical Linguistics: How Language Changes: An overview of the field of historical linguistics. Students are exposed to the principles and methods of historical research on languages, including topics related to language change and the reconstruction of extinct languages from their known daughter languages.
LING-2050H-Languages of the World: An overview of linguistic diversity and universal features of language through a survey of the languages and language families of several world regions. The course also focuses on endangered languages and language revitalization initiatives, with emphasis on indigenous languages in North America and across the world.
LING-3003H- Syntax and Semantics: An intermediate/advanced course, designed to broaden students' knowledge of syntax, syntactic analysis, and semantics, primarily in English but with reference to other languages. Topics include phrase structure and tree drawing, structural relations, X-bar theory, raising, movement, binding, and minimalism, as well as related topics in lexical and formal semantics.
LING-3010H- The Story of English: the First Thousand Years: An exploration of the history of the English language from its origins to the Middle English period. Linguistic features (phonetics, morphology, syntax, and semantics) of both Old and Middle English are examined alongside social forces and other factors causing language change.
LING-3050H: Language and Style: Analyzing How Literary and Non-Literary Texts Make Meaning: An introduction to the methods of stylistics, including linguistic approaches to literary analysis, foregrounding and deviation, applications of stylistics to non-literary texts (journalism, speeches, advertising, etc.), and computer-based methods (corpus stylistics). Students develop practical skills in applying linguistic tools to a wide range of texts.
LING-3060H- Second Language Acquisition: Theory, Methods, and Practice: An overview of the field of second language acquisition and learning, with an emphasis on linguistic applications to the field, individual differences (affective and cognitive), learning and teaching styles, bilingualism, patterns of interlanguage development, fossilization, competence/performance, cultural factors, and the role of the first language.
LING-3070H-Sociolinguistics: Language in Society: An introduction to the study of language in use in society. Topics include varieties of language; pragmatics; ethnographic approaches; discourse analysis; multilingualism; pidgins and creoles; sexist language; language in education; and language policy and planning. Students investigate how language is shaped by factors such as region, sex/gender, age, and identity.
LING-3860H-Field Methods in Linguistics: An introduction to linguistic fieldwork. Students work either individually or in groups with a native language informant in the local community or, by special arrangement, in a remote location. Students develop a research question and complete a final report that focuses on phonetics/phonology, morphology, and/or syntax.
LING-4747H- Writing Systems: Explores primarily non-alphabetic writing systems from linguistic and anthropological perspectives, including ancient writing systems (Sumerian, Egyptian, Anatolian, Mycenean, Mayan, Olmec) and contemporary ones, the transition from writing lists to linguistic texts, and the different social roles of writing from clay accounting tablets of early state bureaucracies to bamboo love letters
These courses--as well as others offered in related departments such as Anthropology, English Literature, Philosophy, and Psychology--can be combined into the Option in Linguistics.