Linguistics
370 Temple, Rm 204, 432.2450
M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Chair
Stephen Anderson
Director of Graduate Studies
Stanley Insler [F] (323 HGS, 432.2455, stanley.insler@yale.edu)
Maria Piñango [Sp] (370 Temple, Rm 307, 432.4145, maria.pinango@yale.edu)
Professors
Stephen Anderson (on leave [F]), Paul Bloom, Carol Fowler (Adjunct), Roberta Frank, Stanley Insler (on leave [Sp]), Frank Keil, Zoltán Szabó
Associate Professor
Maria Piñango
Assistant Professors
Maria Babyonyshev, Ashwini Deo, Gaja Jarosz, Darya Kavitskaya, Jelena Krivokapic
Lecturers
Itamar Francez, Dianne Jonas, Nihan Ketrez
Director, African Language Program
Ann Biersteker
Supporting Faculty in Other Departments
J. Joseph Errington (Anthropology), William Hallo (Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations)
Fields of Study
Fields include linguistic theory (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics), experimental phonetics, brain and language, language and cognition, historical linguistics, and African linguistics.
Special Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree
Language Requirements: Students must demonstrate knowledge of two research languages, either by passing a translation examination or by presenting a research paper which relies in significant part on sources in the foreign language. A one-term language description course, a field methods course, or a course in the structure of a non-Indo-European language is also required.
Course Requirements: Minimum of 12 term courses at the graduate level during the first 3 terms of study, covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and historical linguistics. In terms 4 through 7, students are required to enroll in one seminar course for credit each term. Besides the Graduate School requirement of a grade of Honors in at least two term courses, a grade of Failure in any two courses constitutes grounds for immediate dismissal from the Ph.D. program.
Program Requirements: At the end of the second year, each student will submit a portfolio of work demonstrating the ability to conduct linguistic research, including satisfactory performance of an examination in some subfield of linguistics, and three samples of work, one each in the areas of syntax, phonology, and either semantics or historical linguistics. By the end of the third year, the student should have presented, to the department or at a conference, two substantial research papers of publishable quality in different areas of linguistics. A student must defend a dissertation prospectus by the end of the seventh term in order to advance to candidacy. One vetted chapter or detailed outline (with comprehensive bibliography) of the dissertation is required by the end of the eighth term. The latter is necessary for eligibility for a University Dissertation Fellowship.
Dissertation Requirements: Students are expected to complete their dissertations by the end of the fifth year. An open dissertation defense is required after submission.
Teaching Fellow and Research Assistantship Requirements: Teaching experience is regarded as an integral part of the graduate training program in Linguistics. All students are required to serve as Teaching Fellows for a minimum of two terms, usually beginning in the third year. Two additional terms of assistantship are also required, either in the form of additional participation in the Teaching Fellow Program, through participation in externally supported, supervised research (e.g., NSF-funded research grant), or by serving as an assistant on a research project. Research assistantships are provided by the Linguistics faculty (usually from research grants) and by various Yale and Yale-affiliated units. Before accepting a research assistantship in fulfillment of the academic requirement, students must receive approval from the director of graduate studies. To be approved, an assistantship must meet the following criteria: (1) It must be supervised by a departmental faculty member or faculty of an affiliated unit, such as the Haskins Laboratories or the Yale School of Medicine. (2) It must provide research experience that complements the student’s academic plan of study. (3) It must provide at least 10 hours of experience per week. If an approved research assistantship is accepted and does not provide a stipend equal to the standard departmental stipend, a University Fellowship will be provided to bring the combined stipends to the standard departmental level.
Master’s Degrees
M.Phil. See Degree Requirements.
M.A. (en route to the PH.D.). Students in the doctoral program who successfully complete the examinations and work samples required by the end of the second year of graduate study (see above) may petition for the M.A. degree.
Program materials are available upon request to the Department of Linguistics, Yale University, PO Box 208366, New Haven CT 06520-8366.
Courses
LING 502a, Advanced Old English. Roberta Frank.
M 9.25–11.15
Readings in a variety of pre-Conquest vernacular genres, e.g., scriptural poetry, hagiography, prose fiction, riddles, homily, colloquy, prognostics, praise poetry, and laws. Supplementary reading in current scholarship. Also ENGL 502a.
LING 510bu,Introduction to Linguistics. Darya Kavitskaya.
TTh 1–2.15
The goals and methods of linguistics. Basic concepts in phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Techniques of linguistic analysis and construction of linguistic models. Trends in modern linguistics. The relations of linguistics to psychology, logic, and other disciplines.
LING 512au,Historical Linguistics. Ashwini Deo.
MW 11.35–12.50
Types of change that a language undergoes in the course of time: sound change, analogy, syntactic and semantic change, borrowing. Techniques for recovering earlier linguistic stages: philology, internal reconstruction, the comparative method. Language change and linguistic theory. The role of language contact in language change.
[LING 513au,Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics.]
[LING 515u, Elementary Sanskrit I.]
LING 517au,Psycholinguistics. Maria Piñango.
TTh 11.35–12.50
Knowledge of language as a component of the mind: mental grammars, the nature and subdivisions of linguistic knowledge in connection to the brain. The logical problem of language acquisition. The “universal grammar hypothesis,” according to which all humans have an innate ability to acquire language. The connection between language acquisition and general cognitive abilities. Representation of language in the brain. Use of linguistic knowledge in speaking: processing. Comparison between human spoken natural language and other systems (signed languages; nonhuman communication). Taught in Beijing.
LING 520au,General Phonetics. Jelena Krivokapic.
MW 2.30–3.45
Investigation of possible ways of describing the speech sounds of human languages. Tools to be developed: acoustics and physiology of speech; computer synthesis of speech; practical exercises in producing and transcribing sounds.
[LING 530bu,Evolution of Language.]
LING 532au,Introduction to Phonological Analysis. Darya Kavitskaya.
TTh 11.35–12.50
The structure of sound systems in particular languages. Phonemic and morphophonemic analysis, distinctive-feature theory, formulation of rules, and problems of rule interpretation. Emphasis on problem solving.
LING 535bu,Phonological Theory II. Gaja Jarosz.
TTh 1–2.15
Topics in the architecture of a theory of sound structure. Levels of representation; classical phonological rules and their interaction. Ordering paradoxes; cyclicity and Lexical Phonology. Motivations for replacing a system of rules with a system of constraints. Optimality theory: constraint types and their interactions. Correspondence theory. Opacity and stratal OT. Prerequisite: LING 532 or permission of instructor.
LING 541au,Language and Computation. Gaja Jarosz.
TTh 4–5.15
The computational study of natural language and the use of linguistic theories in applied problems. Topics include finite state tools, computational morphology and phonology, grammar and parsing, discourse models, machine translation, and language learning in children and machines. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
LING 546bu,Language, Sex, and Gender. Laurence Horn.
MW 1–2.15
Sex-based asymmetries in language structure and language use. Role of language as encoding/reflecting/reinforcing social attitudes and behavior; the Whorfian question. The “he/man” lexicon: sex-marking, reform, and resistance. Gender and sexual diversity as linguistic variables. Real and perceived differences between male and female dialects, conversational styles, and linguistic communities.
LING 553au,Syntax I. Dianne Jonas.
TTh 1–2.15
An introduction to the syntax (sentence structure) of natural language. Introduction to generative syntactic theory and key theoretical concepts. Syntactic description and argumentation. Topics include phrase structure, transformations, and the role of the lexicon.
[LING 563bu,Language Acquisition.]
LING 580bu,Morphology. Maria Piñango.
TTh 11.35–12.50
The theory of word structure within a formal grammar. Relation to other areas of grammar (syntax, phonology); basic units of word structure; types of morphology (inflection, derivation, compounding). Prerequisites: LING 532 and LING 553, or permission of instructor.
[LING 582au,Introduction to Old Norse.]
LING 590au,Topics in the History of Linguistics: The Linguistic Wars. Laurence Horn.
T 3.30–5.20
Controversies in the history of generative grammar in the late 1960s and 1970s, focusing on the struggle between generative semanticists (Lakoff, Ross, McCawley, Postal) and adherents of Chomsky’s “Extended Standard Theory” paradigm. Echoes of those disputes in more recent clashes between formal and functional approaches to language.
[LING 592b, Historical Syntax.]
[LING 593au,Historical Morphology.]
[LING 602bu,Comparative Old Germanic.]
LING 614bu,Structure of Yorùbá. Oluseye Adesola.
TTh 4–5.15
Examination of selected grammatical topics in Yorùbá, including word order, constituent structure, serial verb constructions, nominalization, focus constructions, and tense marking. Discussion of broader issues of typology, language acquisition, and language universals. Prerequisite: LING 553.
[LING 621bu,The Relation of Speech to Language.]
[LING 622bu,Topics in Phonetics.]
[LING 624au,Formal Foundations of Linguistic Theories.]
[LING 625, Second-Year Sanskrit.]
LING 631au or bu,Neurolinguistics. Maria Piñango.
TTh 1–2.15
The study of language as a cognitive neuroscience. The interaction between linguistic theory and neurological evidence from brain damage, degenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia), neuroimaging, and neurophysiology. The connection of language as a neurocognitive system to other systems such as memory and music. Taught in Beijing in fall term.
LING 632au,Universals of Language. Stephen Anderson.
Th 3.30–5.20
Survey of phenomena that have been argued to be universal in human language, and consideration of their origins and status in grammatical theory. Putative universals of phonological, morphological, and syntactic structure. Alternative accounts in terms of historical change or the nature of the acquisition process are contrasted with claims that these features should be attributed to the structure of the human language faculty (Universal Grammar). Prerequisites: LING 532 and LING 553 or permission of instructor.
LING 636bu,Articulatory Phonology. Jelena Krivokapic.
TTh 11.35–12.50
Introduction to phonology as a system for combining units of speech (constriction gestures of the vocal organs) into larger structures. Course includes both theory (reading) and practice (analysis of articulatory movement data; modeling using techniques of dynamical systems). Emphasis on universal vs. language-particular aspects of gestural combination and coordination.
LING 640bu,Topics in Phonology: Prosody. Darya Kavitskaya.
T 7–8.50 P.M.
Topics in the prosodic systems of the world’s languages. Discussion of stress, pitch accent, tone, and their interaction with intonation. Development and typology of prosodic systems and theoretical approaches to prosody. Prerequisite: one course in phonology or permission of instructor.
LING 641au,Field Methods. Darya Kavitskaya.
MW 2.30–3.45
The principles of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics are applied to the collection and interpretation of novel linguistic data. Working directly with a speaker of a relatively unstudied language, the class as a group collects and analyzes the data.
[INDC 642a, Old Iranian.]
[LING 642au,Topics in Phonology: Phonetic and Phonological Components of Syllable Weight.]
[LING 647bu,Structure of Swahili.]
LING 649bu,Structures of Romance Languages: Rumantsch. Stephen Anderson.
Th 2.30–4.20
Survey of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the Rhaeto-Romance languages of Switzerland, focusing on Surmiran (Central Rumantsch). The primary focus is on the synchronic structure of the language, though with some attention to historical and comparative considerations.
LING 651bu,Learnability and Development. Gaja Jarosz.
T 9.25–11.15
An interdisciplinary investigation of language learning from an integrated perspective of computational learning and language development. Topics include formal learning theory, formal and computational modeling of language acquisition, statistical learning in infants and machines, and nativism versus empiricism. The course covers development and learnability at various levels of linguistic structure. Prerequisite: LING 541 or permission of instructor.
[INDC 652b, Vedic Prose.]
LING 654bu,Syntax II. Nihan Ketrez.
MW 1–2.15
Recent developments in syntactic theory: government and binding, principles and parameters, and minimalist frameworks. In-depth examination of the basic modules of grammar (lexicon, X-bar theory, Theta-theory, case theory, movement theory). Comparison and critical evaluation of specific syntactic analyses.
[LING 656bu,Grammatical Relations.]
[LING 660au,Topics in Syntax: The Syntax-Semantics Interface.]
LING 661bu,Topics in Syntax: Minimalism. Dianne Jonas.
W 1.30–3.20
Introduction to minimalist syntax and comparison with earlier theories. Topics include grammatical operations, clause structure, and close study of recent minimalist analyses. Prerequisites: two courses in syntax or permission of instructor.
LING 662au,Topics in Syntax: Specific Language Impairment. Maria Babyonyshev.
W 2.30–4.20
An exploration of the nature of Specific Language Impairment (SLI), a developmental linguistic disorder with a genetic basis, from a linguistic perspective. Topics include precise characterization of the impairment, distinct subtypes of SLI, cross-linguistic variation in SLI, changes in the symptoms of SLI over time, and recent theoretical models of the impairment. Prerequisite: one course in syntax or permission of instructor. Also PSYC 649au.
LING 663au,Introduction to Semantics. Laurence Horn.
MW 1–2.15
Introduction to truth-conditional and lexical semantics. Survey of propositional and predicate logic. Compositional theories of sense and reference. Entailment and presupposition. Opacity, intentionality, and belief contexts. The relation between semantics and pragmatics. Special topic: ambiguity, vagueness, and underspecification.
LING 664bu,Semantic Theory. Ashwini Deo, Itamar Francez.
MW 11.35–12.50
The model-theoretic approach to semantics and its treatment of core linguistic phenomena. Topics to be discussed include quantification, tense/aspect/modality, context and interpretation, and the semantics-pragmatics interface. Prerequisite: LING 563 or permission of instructor.
LING 670au,Topics in Semantics. Ashwini Deo.
W 3.30–5.20
Theories of lexical semantic representation and event structure. Cross-linguistic variation in mapping of event structure to syntax and argument realization. Case studies include experiencer predicates, (in)transitivity of two-argument verbs, variation in motion verbs, and unaccusative predicates.
[LING 675au,Pragmatics.]
[LING 676bu,Implicature and Pragmatic Theory.]
LING 690bu,Negation and Polarity. Laurence Horn.
T 2.30–4.20
The grammar and meaning of negation and negative polarity. The asymmetry of negation vs. affirmation. Semantic and pragmatic factors in the meaning of negative sentences: contradictory vs. contrary opposition; conditions on affixal negation; metalinguistic vs. descriptive uses of negation. The cross-linguistic representation of sentence negation; NegP and negative heads; the Neg-criterion. Negative concord and double negation. The roles of configuration, scope, entailment, and implicature in the licensing of polarity items. Prerequisite: some background in syntax, semantics, and/or pragmatics, or permission of instructor.
LING 710b, Predication. Itamar Francez.
W 7–8.50 p.m.
Predication plays a crucial role in the organization and composition of sentences and/or propositions. The notion of predication is notoriously difficult to situate in a theory of grammar. This seminar examines the notion of predication in formal semantics and the syntax-semantics interface. We discuss major conceptions of and approaches to predication in semantic theory, and focus on challenges posed by various recalcitrant natural language phenomena such as existential constructions and possessives, and theoretical constructs such as Generalized Quantifiers and events. Also PHIL 710b.
[LING 720bu,Basics of Digital Signal Processing and Speech Acoustics.]
[LING 760b, Seminar in Information Structure.]
INDC 771b, Middle Indic: Pali and Prakrit. Stanley Insler.
Th 1.30–3.20
Introduction to the old Indic vernaculars. Readings from the Buddhist Canon. Inscriptions of Asoka and Prakrit literary texts.
INDC 772, Research in Old Indian Epics. Stanley Insler.
HTBA
The seminar deals with narrative and structural parallels in several epic traditions of India. Texts examined include the Mahabharata, Ramayana, Paumacariya, and Vasudevahindi. Advanced Sanskrit and Middle Indic are prerequisites.
[LING 777b, Current Research in Phonetics.]
LING 830a or b, Directed Research in Linguistics.
By arrangement with faculty.
LING 831a or b, Directed Research in Phonetics.
By arrangement with faculty.
LING 840a or b, Directed Research in Phonology.
By arrangement with faculty.
LING 850a or b, Directed Research in Grammar.
By arrangement with faculty.
LING 860a or b, Directed Research in Semantics.
By arrangement with faculty.
The following courses are also of particular value to students in Linguistics:
ANTH 513au,Language, Culture, and Ideology. J. Joseph Errington.
ANTH 533bu,Bilingualism in Social Context. J. Joseph Errington.
ANTH 619au,Language and the Public Sphere. J. Bernard Bate.
ANTH 661bu,The Ethnography of Speaking. J. Bernard Bate.
ENGL 500a, Old English. Traugott Lawler.
ENGL 500b, Beowulf. Roberta Frank.
PHIL 567au,Mathematical Logic I. Sun-Joo Shin.
PHIL 600bu,Frege. Susanne Bobzien.
PHIL 630bu,The Liar Paradox and Other Challenges to Bivalence. Susanne Bobzien.
PHIL 631au,The Nature of Modality. George Bealer.
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