Linguistics
Head: Nicole Rosen
Campus Address/General Office: 534 Fletcher Argue Building
Telephone: 204 474 9596
Email Address: lingdpt@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/linguistics
Program Information
The linguistics approach to language is based on the analysis of sound, the structure of words and sentences, and the meanings they transmit. But it also has to deal with the way sounds change, words come and go, and meanings shift. Linguistics is the humanities discipline that is closest to being a science in the generally accepted sense of the word. Partly because human language, the subject of linguistics, is almost entirely acquired subconsciously, it is a massive and intricate structure that is free to develop in accordance with natural rather than with consciously determined social laws.
For entry, continuation and graduation requirements for the General Degree, Advanced Degree and Honours Degree, see: Basic Faculty Regulations for the B.A. General, Advanced and Honours Degree Programs.
Major Program
For entry to the Major, the prerequisite is a grade of “C” or better in LING 1010 or the former LING 1200 or written consent of the department head.
A minimum "C" average in all courses that comprise the Major is required to graduate including the higher grade of repeated courses and excluding failed courses.
Minor (Concentration) Program
For entry to the Minor (Concentration), the prerequisite is a grade of “C” or better in LING 1010 or the former LING 1200 or written consent of the department head.
Honours Program
For entry to the Honours program see: Basic Faculty Regulations for the B.A. General, Advanced, and Honours Degree Programs.
Co-operative Education Option
Students interested in alternating employment terms and academic terms as part of the Single Advanced Major or the Single Honours programs may apply to enter the Co-operative Education option upon completion of their second year in the program (min. 48 credit hours total). The course and grade requirements for entry to these options are the same as those required for entry to the regular four-year Single Advanced Major and Single Honours programs, respectively. Students should refer to the general faculty regulations for Cooperative Options for more information.
Other
In addition to its core concentration in Linguistic Theory and Analysis and such other areas of study as Applied Linguistics, Verbal Arts, etc., Linguistics also offers:
A pre-professional concentration in Applied Linguistic Science, which will be of special interest to students planning a career in speech/language pathology; contact department general office for information; and
A program in American Sign Language/English Interpretation is offered jointly with Red River College. This program is currently undergoing revisions; interested students should contact the department general office for information.
Students intending to Major in Linguistics are strongly encouraged to undertake the in-depth study of a second language.
Programs
| Degree/Diploma | Years to Completion | Total Credit Hours | Has Co-op Option |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics, B.A. Double Advanced Major | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics, B.A. Double Honours | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics, B.A. General | Years to Completion 3 | Total Credit Hours 90 | Has Co-op Option no |
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics, B.A. Single Advanced Major | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option Yes |
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics, B.A. Single Honours | Years to Completion 4 | Total Credit Hours 120 | Has Co-op Option Yes |
| Degree/Diploma Linguistics Minor (Concentration) | Total Credit Hours 18 | Has Co-op Option no |
Courses
Linguistics
Introduction to the scientific study of human language. Basic principles of sound systems, word structure, sentence structure, and meaning across the languages of the world. May not be held with the former LING 1200.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 1200
Attributes: Social Science, Recommended Intro Courses
Language as a communication system embedded in a particular geographical, historical, and social context. Psychological and neurological aspects of language. Acquisition of first and second languages. May not be held with the former LING 1200.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 1200
Attributes: Social Science, Recommended Intro Courses
What are the criteria that are used to distinguish "good" from "bad" grammar? What are the rules we need to know in order to speak and write "properly"? In focusing on basic concepts in traditional grammar, this course reviews parts of speech, the English tense system, sentence types (e.g., active vs. passive), question formation and types of embedded clauses. It examines the rules of traditional grammar and explores the linguistic structures that lie behind the rules. This course is not intended for students learning English; it presupposes native or near-native competence in English. Not open to students who are currently enrolled in, or have previously obtained credit in LING 2400 or the former LING 2200.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2200, LING 2400
Attributes: Social Science
What is a word? How do the meanings and forms of words change over time? This course provides an introduction to the structure and history of words, with special attention to the origins of English vocabulary.
Attributes: Social Science, Recommended Intro Courses
Fundamentals of the linguistic study of speech sounds. Exercises in phonetic transcription and phonological analysis in a variety of languages. May not be held with the former LING 1380 or the former LING 2420.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 1380, LING 2420
Attributes: Social Science
Study of various aspects of multilingualism from psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives. The course introduces concepts such as bilingualism, diglossia, pidgins and creoles, code-switching, language maintenance, language loss and language shift, and linguistic landscape.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1010 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
An exploration of the multiple relationships between language and gender. How are gender differences manifested and perpetuated through language use? How are these differences acquired, and what do they reflect? How does gender interact with other factors such as class, sexual orientation, and ethnicity in language? May not be held with the former LING 1420.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 1420
Attributes: Social Science
The study of how language interacts with media. Investigation of the forms of language found in media discourse; how patterns in such language use contribute to recognizable media genres and styles; social themes and consequences that arise from media language. May not be held with the former LING 1620.
Equiv To: LING 1620
Attributes: Social Science
A survey of the causes and effects of language shift and language loss, as well as techniques for the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages. Students may not hold credit for both LING 2340 and the former LING 3820 when titled "Language Endangerment and Language Revitalization."
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3820
Attributes: Social Science
A survey of the linguistic structure, history, and current status of the languages and language families used in Canada. Discussion will also include language politics, including official bilingualism, and the categorization of official and unofficial languages in Canada. May not be held with the former LING 1360.
Equiv To: LING 1360
Attributes: Social Science
Fundamentals of the linguistic study of the structure of words and sentences. Exercises in morphological and syntactic analysis in a variety of languages. May not be held with the former LING 2200 or the former LING 2460.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 1440, LING 2200, LING 2460
Attributes: Social Science
This course introduces students to basic theories of semantics and pragmatics, with application to the analysis of linguistic data. Topics covered include sense vs. reference, lexical relations, presupposition and topicality, participant roles, information structure, speech acts, metaphor, and metonymy.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
Puns, punchlines, slogans and the chant of the auctioneer are as much instances of verbal art as are rhetorical flourishes and formal literary structures. With spoken language as its major focus, this course draws on a variety of languages, sources and genres to study artistic and playful uses of language.
Attributes: Social Science
A survey of interpretation theory, including specifics of language use and problems in the transfer of linguistic, cultural, and pragmatic information in interpretation, the interpreter's access to meaning, and the development of theories of interpretation. This course draws heavily on the field of ASL/English interpretation for illustration, but knowledge of ASL is not a requirement.
Attributes: Social Science, Written English Requirement
A general introduction to the major pathologies of speech, language and hearing as viewed against the background of normal linguistic structures and functions. The distinction between mechanically- and neurologically-based disorders is illustrated in terms of aetiology, diagnosis and approaches to treatment.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
An intensive survey of the principal organs of speech and hearing, their embryology, and the general features of their evolutionary history. Some consideration will also be given to their pathological impairment. May not be held with the former LING 2830.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Equiv To: LING 2830
Attributes: Social Science
A survey of the structures of the central and peripheral nervous systems as they relate to the production and perception of speech and the processing of language. Includes a survey of linguistic aphasiology and a review of neurological deficits associated with abnormal language behaviour. May not be held with the former LING 2850.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Equiv To: LING 2850
Attributes: Social Science
Key concepts in segmental and suprasegmental phonology. Emphasis on the development of skills in analysis and argumentation. May not be held with the former LING 2420.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 2100 or the former LING 1380] or written consent of instructor
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2420
Attributes: Social Science
The physical principles involved in the production, propagation and reception of sound. The subjective characteristics of sounds (loudness, pitch and quality) are related to their objective parameters (intensity, frequency and spectrum). The physical methods and the types of equipment used to analyze the basic physical properties of sounds will be demonstrated. May not be held with the former LING 2880.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 2100 or the former LING 1380] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2880
Attributes: Social Science
Study of the relationship between language and its social context. This course explores aspects of linguistic variation within and across speech communities, and considers language variation according to the socio-economic status, ethnicity, age, gender, and geographical distribution of its speakers. It will also cover other topics such as identity and ideology. May not be held with the former LING 2620.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: [LING 1010 (or the former LING 1200) and LING 2100 (or the former LING 1380) and LING 2210 (or the former LING 1420)] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2620
Attributes: Social Science
Every language has unique properties that deepen our overall understanding of linguistic structure. In this course, the phonology, morphology, and syntax of a specific language are systematically explored on the basis of field records and descriptions which have become classics. The language of study will vary from year to year. May not be held with the former LING 3200.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: [LING 2100 (or the former LING 1380 or the former LING 2420) and LING 2400 (or the former LING 2200)] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3200
Attributes: Social Science
Introduction to the linguistic analysis of the languages of the Algonquian family through the in-depth study of the structure of a particular Algonquian language. The language of study will vary from year to year. May not be held with INDG 3222, INDG 3224, the former NATV 2320, the former NATV 3222, the former NATV 3224, the former LING 3200, the former LING 3820 when titled "Structure of the Cree Language" or "Structure of the Ojibway Language."
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: [LING 2100 (or the former LING 1380 or the former LING 2420) and LING 2400 (or the former LING 2200)] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
An examination of ASL as a signed, as opposed to spoken, language. Topics include phonetic, phonological, morphological and syntactic structures. May not be held with the former LING 3300.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 2400 or the former LING 2200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3300
Attributes: Social Science
This course situates the structure and use of ASL in a broader context, drawing on perspectives from fields such as discourse analysis, cognitive linguistics, sociolinguistics, and language acquisition. May not be held with the former LING 3300.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1000 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3300
Attributes: Social Science
While it was once thought that gestures were more or less peripheral to language and were used in largely non-principled ways, current studies continue to build evidence that gesture is central to meaning construction. This course looks at current thought and theory regarding the role of gesture from an evolutionary perspective, as semantic and grammatical units, as co-speech elements, and in signed language. Students may not hold credit for both LING 3350 and LING 3840 when titled "Language and Gesture."
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [9 credit hours of Linguistics courses] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3840
Attributes: Social Science
This course investigates how languages change over time at all levels of linguistic structure. Methods for reconstructing earlier linguistic stages. Language families and linguistic prehistory. May not be held with the former LING 2330 or the former LING 2640.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: [LING 1010 (or the former LING 1200) and LING 2100 (or the former LING 1380 or the former LING 2420) and LING 2400 (or the former LING 2200)] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2330, LING 2640
Attributes: Social Science
An exploration of problems in the structure of phrases and clauses, including typological variation and connections with morphology and semantics. Emphasis on the development of skills in analysis and argumentation.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 2400 or the former LING 2200 or the former LING 2460] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
This course examines meaning from a cognitive linguistics viewpoint, including embodied meaning and embodied language, the 'viewer' and the thing being viewed, construal and image schemas, mental network and mental spaces theories, subjective and intersubjective meaning, metaphor and metonymy theory, and the role of language usage in building semantic knowledge.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 2500 (C+) Semantics and Pragmatics] or written consent of instructor.
Attributes: Social Science
The study of first language acquisition from infancy through childhood. Aspects of phonology, morphology, pragmatics and syntax acquisition are discussed, as well as formal theories of acquisition, second language and bilingual acquisition, atypical development and the relationship of language acquisition with literacy. Also offered as PSYC 3860. Students may not hold credit for LING 3860 and any of: PSYC 3860 or the former LING 2860 or the former PSYC 2860.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisites: [9 credit hours of Linguistics courses] or [PSYC 2290 or PSYC 2291] or written consent of department head.
Equiv To: LING 2860, PSYC 2860, PSYC 3860
Attributes: Social Science
Theories, methods, and findings concerning the various aspects of learning a second language. Examination of variables that impact second language acquisition and development. May not be held with the former LING 2720.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 1010 or the former LING 1200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 2720
Attributes: Social Science
Contemporary approaches to the study of sound systems are introduced through the examination of selected phonological issues drawn from the primary research literature. May not be held with the former LING 3140.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 3110 (C+) or the former LING 2420] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3140
Attributes: Social Science
Contemporary approaches to the study of sociolinguistics are introduced through the examination of selected issues drawn from the primary research literature and practical experience in methods of data collection and analysis. May not be held with the former LING 4210.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 3210 or the former LING 2620] or written consent of instructor.
Equiv To: LING 4210
Attributes: Social Science
Working with a speaker of an unfamiliar (and, usually, unrecorded) language, students are apprenticed in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of raw data. May not be held with the former LING 3400.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 3110 (C+) (or the former LING 2420) and LING 3410 (C+) (or the former LING 2200)] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3400
Attributes: Social Science
The goals and tenets of contemporary syntactic theory are introduced through the examination of selected syntactic issues drawn from the primary research literature. May not be held with the former LING 3120.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: [LING 3410 (C+) or the former LING 2200] or written consent of instructor.
Mutually Exclusive: LING 3120
Attributes: Social Science
Topics of current interest in linguistics.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: written consent of instructor. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Attributes: Social Science
Topics of current interest in ASL linguistics.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: written consent of instructor. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Attributes: Social Science
Supervised study on a topic in linguistics.
PR/CR: A minimum grade of C is required unless otherwise indicated.
Prerequisite: written consent of instructor. The course content may vary. Students can earn multiple credits for this course only when the topic subtitle is different.
Attributes: Social Science
American Sign Language
(Lab required) Designed for students with little or no knowledge of ASL. Students learn basic ASL vocabulary and grammatical structures to facilitate conversational practice at the beginning level, including introducing oneself, asking basic questions about family, friends, and surroundings, and discussing day to day activities. Learning and practicing fingerspelling is included for English "loanwords". Aspects of Deaf culture and the Deaf community are introduced.
Attributes: Humanities, Recommended Intro Courses