2008-09 2009-10 →

Linguistics

Catalog pages 185-186

Subject abbreviation: LING

Committee in Charge David Kronenfeld, Ph.D., Chair (Anthropology) Adalberto Aguirre, Ph.D. (Sociology) Eugene Anderson, Ph.D. (Anthropology) Curt Burgess, Ph.D. (Psychology) Tenibac (T.S.) Harvey, Ph.D. (Anthropology) William Megenney, Ph.D. (Hispanic Studies) Larry Rosenblum, Ph.D. (Psychology) Melanie Sperling, Ph.D. (School of Education) Stanley Stewart, Ph.D. (English) Howard Wettstein, Ph.D. (Philosophy) Stephen E. Cullenberg, Ph.D. Dean, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, ex officio

Linguistics is the science of language. It seeks to discover the psychological and motor mech - anisms of human speech, the similarities and differences among languages, how languages cha0nge, and the way in which language is acquired. Because linguistics is largely inde- pendent of fields with which the student is like- ly to be familiar, no special background is required for students entering the major.

Linguistics interacts with a wide variety of fields, such as articulatory phonetics (biology), acoustic phonetics (physics), field methods (anthropology), language and culture (anthro- pology), sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, neu- rolinguistics, logic, the philosophy of language, and the study of particular languages (includ- ing their history). This interaction provides opportunities for students with varied interests and can give new perspectives to those in related disciplines.

Major

Upon electing the linguistics major, and cer- tainly no later than the middle of the sopho- more year, a student should see the Director of the Linguistics Committee for advising.

The director can help students find a suitable advisor to file the necessary forms. In consulta- tion with an advisor, a student plans a co herent program of specific courses to meet the requirements below. The student and the advi- sor must then submit a copy of the program to the full Committee on Linguistics for approval. Students interested in the linguistics major should request from the committee director information concerning the many possible course programs. Many of them permit double majors, thus providing strong preparation for further study in two fields.

Students may add variety and depth to their UCR linguistics major by attending a Summer Prog ram in Linguistics (held in various places) or by participating in the Education Abroad Prog ram (EAP). This is an excellent op por tun ity to be come deeply familiar with another country and its culture while earning academic units towards graduation. Stu dents should plan study abroad well in advance to en sure that the courses taken fit with their overall program at UCR. Con sult the departmental student affairs officer for assistance. For further details visit UCR’s International Education Center at internationalcenter.ucr.edu or call (951) 827-4113.

See Education Abroad Prog ram under International Education Center in the Student Services section of this catalog. A list of partici- pating countries is found under Edu cation Abroad Program in the Programs and Courses section. Search for programs by specific areas at eap.ucop.edu/programwizard.

Requirements for the major are as follows:

  • 2. Twenty-four (24) upper-division units distrib-

uted as follows:

LING 141

linguistic electives, to be chosen in consulta- tion with the advisor and with the approval of the Linguistics Program director. (The additional courses may be in linguistics or in related fields. They may relate either to a particular field or specialization or to general linguistics.)

  • 4. Foreign language proficiency equivalent to

six quarters (24 units) of study, including at least fourth-quarter proficiency in one lan- guage. (Students may arrange with the director to satisfy this requirement by exami- nation.)

Honors Program in Linguistics

LING 111, LING 121, LING 141, LING 190, LING 191

the Linguistics Committee

  • 3. Language Requirement — study in at least

two language areas:

  • a) Primary language: 24 units of foreign lan-

guage instruction in a single language (this may include any courses taught in that language) plus courses in the struc- ture, phonetics and history of the primary language, if available

  • b) Secondary language: 16 units of a single

language or at least 8 units in each of two languages (none of which may be mem- bers of the same subfamily of Indo- European as the primary language) plus at least 8 units in the structure, phonet- ics, or history of the language(s) chosen for the secondary area

In fulfilling the language requirement, students interested in earning a degree beyond the B.A. should take into account the foreign language requirements of the graduate schools to which they may apply.

Students must have at least a 3.00 GPA in courses required for the Honors Program.

Courses