Course descriptions index


Linguistics


LING F100 Language, Education, Linguistics (h)

3 Credits     Offered Spring

Introduction to the field of linguistics as it pertains to the field of education. Includes discussions of language structure, acquisition and bilingualism, and variation and public policy. The course does not satisfy requirements for the B.A. in Linguistics. (Cross-listed with ED F100.) (3+0)


LING F101 Nature of Language (h)

3 Credits     Offered Fall

The study of language: systematic analysis of human language and description of its grammatical structure, distribution and diversity. Also available via Independent Learning. (3+0)


LING F216 Languages of the World (h)

3 Credits     Offered As Demand Warrants

A comprehensive survey of the world's languages -- past and present. Topics include genetic relationships among languages, linguistic change, language universals, language classification and language families, as well as the interaction of culture and language. (3+0)


LING F303W,O Language Acquisition

3 Credits     Offered As Demand Warrants

Theories of the acquisition and development of first and second languages, including consideration of biological and sociocultural factors. Survey of traditional and contemporary theories, and implications for pedagogy and public policy. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X; ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor. Recommended: LING F101. (Cross-listed with ED F303.) (3+0)


LING F308W,O Language and Gender (s)

3 Credits     Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years

Examination of relationships between language and gender, drawing on both ethnographic and linguistic sources. Topics include power, socialization and sexism. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X; ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with ANTH F308; WMS F308.) (3+0)


LING F318 Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology (h)

3 Credits     Offered Spring

Scientific study of human speech sounds, mechanism of their production, and sound systems of languages. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F320 Introduction to Morphology (h)

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Study of principles and processes of word construction in language. Morphological structure of Alaska Native languages and other non-Indo-European languages. Prerequisites: LING F318 or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F402 Second Language Acquisition

3 Credits     Offered Fall

Central issues in second language acquisition research. Includes a critical review of SLA theories and research. Prerequisites: LING F101 or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F410O Theory and Methods of Second Language Teaching

3 Credits     Offered Spring

Theory and practice of teaching a second language, including methodological approaches, second language acquisition theory, materials and testing. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X. (3+0)


LING F420 Semantics (h)

3 Credits     Offered Spring Even-numbered Years

A systematic exploration of the nature of meaning in human language. Focus is on historical and contemporary approaches to understanding problems of reference, categorization and lexical relationships in meaningful contexts. Prerequisites: LING F101 or permission of instructor. (Stacked with LING F620.) (3+0)


LING F430 Historical Linguistics (h)

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Introduction to comparative and historical linguistics: methods of linguistic reconstruction, historical change, genetic relationships, dialectology. Includes Indo-European and Alaskan languages. Prerequisites: LING F318. (Stacked with LING F630.) (3+0)


LING F431 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics I

3 Credits     Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years

Introduction to general issues in language field work and to issues specific to working with little studied and/or endangered languages in particular. Focus on introduction to writing systems, making recordings, computers and transcriptions, planning consultant sessions, working with consultants, interviewing and ethics in the field. Projects include making transcriptions of familiar language, and later, working on an unfamiliar language with a language consultant, selecting and carrying out a well- defined project, resulting in a term paper. Prerequisites: LING F318, LING F320, or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with ANTH F432. Stacked with ANTH F632; LING F631.) (3+0)


LING F434 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics II

3 Credits     Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years

Second semester of Field Methods sequence. Plan linguistic field project, including field trip, caring for equipment, data handling, community contacts, intellectual property, and repatriation. Course work includes lectures and group elicitation with a speaker of a non-Indo-European language. Projects may involve either the traditional field work involving finding and working with a consultant, or work involving research of archival materials on languages no longer spoken. Prerequisites: ANTH F432 or LING F431. (Cross-listed with ANTH F434. Stacked with ANTH F634; LING F634.) (3+0)


LING F440W Aspects of Bilingualism (h)

3 Credits     Offered As Demand Warrants

Cognitive, linguistic, sociopolitical and educational aspects of bilingualism at both the individual and societal levels, including factors contributing to language maintenance and language shift. Prerequisites: ENGL F111X; ENGL F211X or ENGL F213X; LING F101; or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F450O Language Policy and Planning (s)

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Consideration of minority languages, including Alaskan Native Languages, in light of their histories, current status and factors affecting future maintenance. Prerequisites: COMM F131X or COMM F141X. (Stacked with LING F650.) (3+0)


LING F482 Seminar in Linguistics

3 Credits     Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years

Current issues in various subfields of linguistics including semantics and pragmatics, discourse analysis, bilingualism, lexicography, language philosophy and issues within a particular language or language group, e.g. Eskimo phonology, Athabaskan morphology. May be repeated once. (3+0)


LING F600 Research Methods for Applied Linguistics

3 Credits     Offered Spring

Review of quantitative and qualitative research paradigms, data gathering techniques and analytical tools (questionnaires, surveys, observations, testing) used in the study of applied linguistics. Topics will include ethical issues in human subjects research, how to conduct a literature review, how to conduct classroom-based research. Prerequisites: Graduate standing. (3+0)


LING F601 Principles of Linguistic Analysis

3 Credits     Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years

Provides experience in working with various languages to determine systematic principles of transcribing and organizing sounds; isolating morphemes; categorizing words into semantic categories; and understanding narrative and other rhetorical structures. For students whose specialty is other than linguistics who could benefit from a graduate-level introduction to linguistic methods. (3+0)


LING F602 Second Language Acquisition

3 Credits     Offered Fall

Central issues in second language acquisition research. Includes a critical review of SLA theories and research. Prerequisites: LING F101 or LING F601; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F603 Phonetics and Phonology

3 Credits

Scientific approach to the study of human speech sounds and the mechanism of their production (phonetics), as well as the exploration of the fundamental concepts of the sound systems of languages (phonology) and theories which allow for the analysis of real language data. (3+0)


LING F604 Morphology and Syntax

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

The study of how meaning is encoded in words in languages of the world. Morphological and morphophonemic processes, lexical categories, derivation and inflection, productivity, tense, aspect, mode, case, concord, valence changes, morphological typologies. Similarities and differences among languages in the grammatical devices used to signal relations between nouns and verbs, negation, comparison, attribution. Prerequisites: LING F101 or LING F601; graduate standing; or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F610 Theory and Methods of Second Language Teaching

3 Credits     Offered Spring

Theory and practice of teaching a second language, including methodological approaches, second language acquisition theory, materials, and testing. (3+0)


LING F611 Second Language Curriculum and Materials Development

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Exploration/discussion of theoretical perspectives in Second Language curriculum and materials development. Emphasis on the interconnectivity of materials, syllabus, curriculum and learning. As a result of this course, students will be able to choose, adapt and construct a variety of language teaching materials and understand the ramifications of syllabus and curriculum design. Prerequisites: LING F602 and LING F610. Recommended: LING F601. (3+0)


LING F612 Assessment for the Second Language Classroom

3 Credits     Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years

Exploration/discussion of theoretical perspectives in second language assessment, practical considerations in creating language tests, and statistical methods used for analyzing test data. As a result of this course, students will be able to choose, adapt and construct a variety of language assessments for classroom and institutional purposes as well as evaluate the validity of existing assessments. Prerequisites: LING F602 and LING F610. Recommended: LING F601. (3+0)


LING F620 Semantics

3 Credits     Offered Spring Even-numbered Years

A systematic exploration of the nature of meaning in human language. Focus is on historical and contemporary approaches to understanding problems of reference, categorization and lexical relationships in meaningful contexts. Prerequisites: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. (Stacked with LING F420.) (3+0)


LING F621 Cultural Aspects of Language Acquisition

3 Credits

An expended view of the ways in which individuals become socialized into particular patterns of first and second language and literacy. The ongoing acquisition of both oral and written language(s) from early childhood through adult life. Topics will include the cultural dimensions of language development, the relationship between communication and culture, bilingualism and the role of language in the transmission of sociocultural knowledge. (Cross-listed with ED F621.) (3+0)


LING F627 Introduction to Linguistic Description and Documentation

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

General introduction to lexicography, field phonetics, grammatical documentation, investigation of narrative, other levels of linguistic documentation, the distinction between description and documentation, and differences in structure and method between pedagogical and academic materials resulting from field work. Prerequisites: LING F601 or equivalent, and demonstrated background in phonology and morphology, or permission of instructor. (3+0)


LING F630 Historical Linguistics

3 Credits     Offered Spring Even-numbered Years

Introduction to comparative and historical linguistics: methods of linguistic reconstruction, historical change, genetic relationships, dialectology. Includes Indo-European and Alaskan languages. Prerequisites: LING F318. (Stacked with LING F430.) (3+0)


LING F631 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics I

3 Credits     Offered Spring Odd-numbered Years

Introduction to general issues in language field work and to issues specific to working with little studied and/or endangered languages in particular. Focus on introduction to writing systems, making recordings, computers and transcriptions, planning consultant sessions, working with consultants, interviewing, and ethics in the field. Projects include making transcriptions of familiar language, and later, working on an unfamiliar language with a language consultant, selecting and carrying out a well- defined project, resulting in a term paper. Prerequisites: LING F627 or permission of instructor. (Cross-listed with ANTH F632. Stacked with ANTH F432; LING F431.) (3+0)


LING F634 Field Methods in Descriptive Linguistics II

3 Credits     Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years

Second semester of Field Methods sequence. Plan linguistic field project, including field trip, caring for equipment, data handling, community contacts, intellectual property and repatriation. Course work includes lectures and group elicitation with a speaker of a non-Indo-European language. Projects may involve either traditional field work involving finding and working with a consultant, or work involving research of archival materials on languages no longer spoken. Prerequisites: ANTH F632 or LING F631. (Cross-listed with ANTH F634. Stacked with ANTH F434; LING F434.) (3+0)


LING F650 Language Policy and Planning

3 Credits     Offered Fall Odd-numbered Years

Consideration of minority languages, including Alaska Native Languages, in light of their histories, current status, and factors affecting future maintenance. (Stacked with LING F450.) (3+0)


LING F651 Topics in Athabascan Linguisitics

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Graduate level introduction to important topics in Athabascan linguistics, including both foundational literature and current research. Topics may include laryngeal features; tonogenesis; syntax-morphology interface; argument structure; lexical semantics; and discourse. Course may be repeated once. Prerequisites: LING F601 or equivalent; graduate standing. Recommended: LING F603; LING F604. (Cross-listed with ANL F651.) (3+0)


LING F652 Linguistics Applications

3 Credits

In-depth investigation of linguistic problems in selected languages. Includes phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic issues. Students will produce a grammatical sketch of a chosen language. Prerequisites: LING F318; LING F320; LING F601; or relevant course work. (3+0)


LING F660 Internship

3 Credits     Offered Fall Even-numbered Years

Student works as an apprentice to a language teacher or a linguist doing fieldwork. Maintain a log and a portfolio of work. If teaching, goal would be to develop appropriate lesson plans and do mentored teaching. If doing fieldwork, goal would be to develop appropriate materials for teaching. Prerequisites: LING F603; LING F604; ANTH F632 or LING F610. (3+0)