Linguistics

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Introduction of the fundamentals of American Sign Language: comprehension skills, grammatical structures, practice in the production aspects of the language, and exposure to Deaf culture.
American Sign Language I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of American Sign Language: comprehension skills, grammatical structures, practice in the production aspects of the language, and exposure to Deaf culture.
American Sign Language II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
This course is designed to hone students' reading, writing, and research skills, through investigations in the study of language. Specific linguistic topics investigated may vary by semester. The course satisfies the second half of the reading and composition requirement.
Topics in Linguistic Science: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2008, Fall 2007
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of American Sign Language; comprehension skills, grammatical structures, practice in the production aspects (expressive and receptive) aspects of the language, and increased exposure to Deaf Culture.
American Sign Language 3: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
If representatives from an alien species appeared on earth from outer space, how would we communicate with them?What if they were not organic creatures, but were instead machines?What would an alien species sound like?What kinds of changes will happen to languages over the next several centuries?The genre of science fiction raises many such linguistic questions, but the science of linguistics has rarely been applied to science fiction texts. But key science fiction tropes like aliens,robots,and time travel richly reward linguistic investigation.In this class, we will apply current linguistic theory to various works of science fiction, asking first and foremost: How linguistically plausible are the scenarios, tropes, and narratives depicted?
Language and Linguistics in Science Fiction: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Fall 2013
Students will explore the common structures and enormous variability observed in human languages. We will introduce elements of basic linguistic description at the level of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and use them to compare, contrast, and classify the languages of the world. Students enrolled in the course will benefit from critically examining preconceptions about language in its many forms.
Linguistic Diversity: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2023, Fall 2022
A general survey of the field of linguistics. Students are introduced to a wide range of data from diverse languages to basic principles of linguistic analysis.
Language and Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Not yet offered
This course introduces foundational knowledge of language and linguistics to explore global and local perspectives on bi-/multilingualism. Bilingualism is examined at the level of the individual through phenomena like language acquisition, language and cognition, the construction of social identity. Topics relevant to multilingual communities and societies will also be discussed including language ideologies, language maintenance and shift, issues in language policy and planning
Introduction to Bilingual Individuals and Societies: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2022, Fall 2019
In this course, students will learn the fundamentals of speech production and perception with special emphasis on the sounds of English. Students who take this course will learn the basics of vocal tract anatomy and speech production. Using English as a case study, they will gain a deeper knowledge of a language they already speak. They will also gain tools to study other languages inventories and phonological processes. The course focuses on practical skills, such as ear and production training. Students will have practice in distinguishing and producing sounds of various dialects of English. This course also lays a foundation for further study in phonetics and phonology.
The Sounds of English: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2014, Fall 2010
Examines different writing systems in terms of their historical origin and their cognitive properties. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
Writing Systems: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2019, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
The sources and the resources of the English lexicon. The structures, meanings, formational principles, and pronunciation of complex words in English. Native and borrowed word-formational processes. The development of technical terminologies. Etymology and semantic change.
The English Vocabulary: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020
Introduction to the study of the fundamentals of Nahuatl; comprehension skills, grammatical structures, speaking practice; and exposure to Nahua culture, history and modern life.


Nahuatl Beginning I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020
Continuation of the study of the fundamentals of Nahuatl; comprehension skills, grammatical structures, speaking practice; and continued exposure to Nahua culture, history and modern life.
Nahuatl Intermediate I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Continuation of the study of Nahuatl; advanced level language comprehension (speaking, reading, writing and listening), knowledge of the language structure, as well as cultural competence and sensibility, in order to facilitate students’ ability to communicate effectively, correctly, creatively and respectfully in and outside Nahua villages.
Nahuatl Advanced I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Second semester of the beginning level Nahuatl course: introduction to the study of the fundamentals of Nahuatl; comprehension skills, grammatical structures, speaking practice; and exposure to Nahua culture, history and modern life.
Nahuatl for Beginners II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2021
Second semester of the beginning level Nahuatl course: introduction to the study of the fundamentals of Nahuatl; comprehension skills, grammatical structures, speaking practice; and exposure to Nahua culture, history and modern life.

Nahuatl Intermediate Level II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Fall 2011
An introduction to the major ways in which the English language has changed over the past 1,200 years. Students will be expected to learn and be able to apply a few basic linguistic concepts in order to understand better the developments we observe. We will investigate data from both literary and non-literary texts.
Introduction to the History of the English Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2013 10 Week Session, Summer 2013 Second 6 Week Session
Introduction to linguistic principles through analysis of sexual terminology and collocations. Exploration of sociolinguistic issues related to sex, gender, and sexuality. Examination of how societal attitudes about sexuality are reflected in language, and how different languages express sexual concepts differently.
Language and Sex: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2023
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment limited to 15 freshmen.
Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Fall 2017, Spring 2015
The ways in which language is used in advertising. An introduction to basic linguistic principles of how speech acts work, the semantic effects of framing, and the contribution of language to multimodal print and video advertising: the division of labor between images and words, and different strategies in integrating them into a single message. Cultural differences both in advertising "message strategies" (what content is presented) and in "formal strategies" (how is it presented?).
Language of Advertising: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
An overview of major communication disorders, and an introduction to career options in speech/language pathology and related career paths. The characteristics of all major types of adult aphasia and several other common adult-onset communication disorders, including dysarthria, apraxia of speech, and communication disorders accompanying right-hemisphere disorders. Principal differences and similarities between symptoms of aphasia and the effects of aging in neuro-typical speakers, and between symptoms of aphasia and effects of dementia on language processing. Career paths related to language disorders, such as speech language pathology, and how to prepare for them. Resources for people living with aphasia in the Bay Area and U.S.
Language and Communication Disorders: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
A linguistic view of the history, society, and culture of the United States. The diversity of languages spoken in this country and the issues surrounding them: language and ethnicity; politics of linguistic pluralism vs. societal monolingualism; language shift, maintenance, and revitalization; language and education. The course will pay particular attention to the history and diversification of American English dialects, the historical and current situation of Native American language communities, and the development and structure of African-American English, examining its origins and its role in American society today.
The American Languages: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2012 Second 6 Week Session
This course investigates the musical characteristics of human language. Major questions include: the relationship between musical and linguistic structures, such as tone, stress, and rhythm; the role of ethnomusicology in language study; how music and language are perceived and processed in the brain differently; and the acoustic properties of speech and music.
Music and Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2017
This course is for people who want to learn a Native American language, understood to include any of the hundreds of indigenous languages of North, Central, and South America. Since most of these languages are not taught in the usual formal educational settings, a major emphasis of the course is helping students develop strategies for self-directed language learning and effective teaching methods to help others learn as well. The course will also provide a basic introduction to principles of linguistic analysis that will make materials developed by specialists more accessible and useful to learners.

Working with Grammar: Linguistic Tools for Learning and Teaching a Native American Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Fall 2013, Spring 2011
Group study of a topic not included in the regular department curriculum.
Directed Group Study: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 8 Week Session
An intensive introduction of linguistic analysis, including core areas such as phonetics and phonology, morphology, and syntax and semantics, with data from a range of languages. Argumentation and writing skills are developed through substantial weekly homework assignments.
Introduction to Linguistic Science: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2021 8 Week Session
Introduction to linguistics, the study of language. The course includes sections on the study of speech sounds (phonetics),how those sounds are structured to form words (phonology), the structure of complex words (morphology),the structure of sentences (syntax),and the study of word meaning and how words combine to form propositions (semantics).We will also address common misperceptions about what language is and what it isn’t, including notions of linguistic “correctness” and how different individuals use language (sociolinguistics),how languages are related to each other and change over time (historical linguistics), and how children learn languages (language acquisition).This course draws on data from languages all around the world.
Introduction to Linguistic Science: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Summer 2019 8 Week Session, Spring 2019
Conceptual systems and language from the perspective of cognitive science. How language gives insight into conceptual structure, reasoning, category-formation, metaphorical understanding, and the framing of experience. Cognitive versus formal linguistics. Implications from and for philosophy, anthropology, literature, artificial intelligence, and politics.
Cognitive Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2021, Fall 2019
The role of metaphor in structuring our everyday language, conceptual system, and world view. Topics include cross-cultural differences, literary metaphor, sound symbolism, and related theoretical issues in philosophy, linguistics, psychology and anthropology.
Metaphor: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Fall 2017, Spring 2017
Psycholinguistics is the study of the mechanisms underlying the human ability to talk and to
understand language. The goal of this course is to provide an introduction to questions, methods, and key findings in
Psycholinguistics for undergraduate students.

Psycholinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2019, Spring 2018
This course is an introduction to key psycholinguistic, sociocultural, and individual factors shaping bilingualism and bilingual education, examining research in Psycholinguistics with implications for education and pedagogy, and, conversely, research on education with implications for Psycholinguistics.
Bilingualism: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Introduction to (1) phonetic transcription of speech using the International Phonetic Alphabet, (2) acoustic analysis of speech, (3) physiological and cognitive aspects of speech production and perception, and (4) phonological analysis of language sound systems.
Phonetics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Introduction to cross-linguistic phenomena and methods of analysis in phonology, including phonological categories, features, alternations, and phonological models for capturing related generalizations; as well as syllable structure, tone and stress, and morphologically conditioned phonology.
Phonology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Practical training in experimental phonetics; acoustic, physiological, and perceptual analysis of speech.
Experimental Phonetics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
Introduction to important cross-linguistic morphological phenomena as well as standard methods of description and analysis.
Morphology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
An introduction to the study of the structural properties of sentences and the connections between sentence structure and sentence meaning.
Syntax: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2022
This course provides an introduction to the study of linguistic meaning. It focuses
on the application of formal tools drawn from set theory and logic (including the lambda
calculus) to make explicit claims about the meaning of words and sentences.
Formal Semantics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2016, Fall 2014
Issues in language typology and linguistic universals. An examination of various linguistic subsystems in different languages. Topics will include interrogatives, pronominal systems, relative clause formation, case systems, etc.
Linguistic Typology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2019, Fall 2017
The relation between language use and human actions. Some topics to be emphasized are conversational logic, speech act theory, politeness, social role, psychological perception of oneself and language, variation in language use.
Pragmatics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Spring 2011, Spring 2010
This course explores how discourse within small group interaction is structured by socio­cultural forces such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, and regional/political affiliation. It looks at various contexts of interaction, from weblogs to political debates to casual chat, in audio, video and text form, covering topics and methods in pragmatics, conversation and discourse analysis, and sociolinguistics.
Discourse: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2015 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2014 First 6 Week Session
Everyone gestures – even when they might not realize it. This course seeks to uncover what we can learn about cognition and culture through the lens of this integral aspect of our communicative and cognitive selves. We will consider the relationship between language and gesture including its role in language acquisition and in signed languages, and study how gestures help us communicate and help us think. We will also look at cross-cultural differences in gesture, the role of gesture in child development, applications of gesture from education to politics, and unpack the possibility of the gestural origins of human language.
Gesture, Cognition, and Culture: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2019
Literary texts provide unique material for linguists: good authors manage to use everyday grammatical forms in exceptional ways. In this course, students will read scholarly linguistic works on literary analysis, and also analyze literary texts using the tools they acquire. Linguistics readings will focus on narratology and cognitive linguistic approaches, including mental spaces theory, conceptual metaphor theory, and work on iconicity, viewpoint, and causal structure.
Linguistic Analysis of Literature: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Methods of reconstruction. Types and explanations of language change. Dialectology. The establishment of language relationships and subgroupings.
Comparative and Historical Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2018, Fall 2014, Spring 2008
The affinities of the Indo-European languages and the reconstruction of their common ancestor.
Indo-European Comparative Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Fall 2015
An introduction to best practices in applying linguistic analysis to Slavic languages. Development of critical thinking and analytical skills.
Introduction to Slavic Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2013, Spring 2010, Spring 2006
Linguistic background and the general principles of language spread. Mechanisms of language spread, including creolization-decreolization, language planning, and the role of bilingualism. Case studies in language spread, including Austronesian, Indo-European, Amerindian, Uralic, African, Sinitic, and Australian languages. Relationship of language spread to immigration and culture spreads.
Language Spread: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
Covers the methods and practice in collecting, processing, and analyzing data based on work with a native speaker of a particular language. Requires students to discriminate and transcribe sounds, collect texts, and to describe and analyze grammatical phenomena from their own data. The language varies each time the course is taught, at the choice on the instructor.
Field Methods: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2022
This seminar explores the relation of language and thought. Is language uniquely human, and if so, what does this reveal about the human mind? Does the particular language you speak affect the way you think, or do human languages reflect a universal conceptual repertoire? The goal of this class is to familiarize you with a set of classic arguments on these themes, together with current research that evaluates these arguments, through weekly reading and discussion.
Language and Thought: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 Second 6 Week Session
An overview of topics and theories in language acquisition: early development of speech perception and production, word learning, generalizing linguistic structure, and differences between first language acquisition, second language acquisition, and bilingualism. We will also compare different theoretical approaches, and address the classic "nature vs. nurture" question by examining both traditional generativist approaches and more recent usage based models.
Language Acquisition: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
An overview of topics and theories in language acquisition: early development of speech perception and production, word learning, generalizing linguistic structure, and differences between first language acquisition, second language acquisition, and bilingualism. We will also compare different theoretical approaches, and address the classic "nature vs. nurture" question by examining both traditional generativist approaches and more recent usage based models.
Language Acquisition: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2020, Fall 2016
This class will explore phonological development, focusing primarily on first language acquisition. How do young children acquire the phonological and phonetic patterns of the language surrounding them? It is well-established that children exhibit pronunciation patterns that differ from those of adult speakers. We will examine a range of factors that might contribute to this: perceptual, articulatory, speech-planning, grammatical. In the last part of the course we will briefly discuss phonological delays and second-language acquisition. Students will gain knowledge of phonological development, experience in reading, critiquing and presenting journal articles, and hands-on experience analyzing transcribed acquisition data.
Phonological Development: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019
The principles and methods of sociolinguistics. Topics to be covered include linguistic pragmatics, variation theory, social and regional dialectology, and oral styles.
Sociolinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Intro to core concepts, theories, and methodologies of sociolinguistics,
one of the major subfields of contemporary linguistics. We will
examine of how language reflects social characteristics and categories including age, gender,
socioeconomic status, regional affiliation, race and ethnicity, individual and group
identity, and style. Broad topics include multilingualism and language contact, regional
linguistic differentiation (dialectology), language variation, language change, and language
policy and planning.
Concepts, Theories, and Methodologies of Sociolinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2022
Sociolinguistics: Topics in Language and Society
Sociolinguistics: Topics in Language and Society: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
An overview of research over the past 30 years on the relationship between language and gender: how women's use of language differs from men's, in U.S. and other cultures; how men and women are spoken of differently; how women and men have different amounts of access to power via public discourse; gender differences in nondominant groups (e.g., lesbians and gays; African Americans); the role of stereotyping in linguistic differences between the sexes; role of gender in discourse genres.
Language and Gender: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 2001, Fall 1998
This course will cover various pidgins and creoles of the world, examining their linguistic and sociohistorical significance, as well as their use in the modern world.
Pidgin and Creole Languages: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
Even within a single language or dialect, speech can vary greatly. Variation occurs between groups, between individuals, and even within individuals in different contexts. The primary influence for such speech variation is social factors such as gender or class. While many differences can be found in word choice or sentence structure, most variability occurs in pronunciation. The study of social influences on pronunciation is known as 'sociophonetics', an interface of the two subfield, sociolinguistics and phonetics. In this course we will explore the development of the field, the linguistic features which vary, the social factors influencing these differences, questions of how children acquire knowledge of sociophonetic variation, as well
Speech in Society: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2017
This course will explore a range of theories and practices that undergird efforts by linguists and language activists to revitalize and revalorize endangered languages in communities around the world, with a focus on the Americas. Beginning with an exploration of how linguistic diversity, language vitality, and language politics interact, the course will narrow focus toward individual student projects that explore language revitalization issues in the context of a specific language or community, including the option to create usable revital- ization materials for that community.
Language Revitalization: Theory and Practice: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2023, Summer 2022 First 6 Week Session
This course explores and analyzes the linguistic landscape of the United States throughout American history from the languages of the indigenous people of America to those of immigrants from all over the world. Because language and identity are inextricably intertwined, the story of languages in contact is also about the negotiation of identity, power, conflict, and politics. As we study language change and social movement since colonial times, matters of culture and identity, attitude, and racial discrimination will be highlighted.
Language in the United States: a Capsule History: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025
The existence of linguistic variation is an easily observable fact about the way that humans speak. How can we quantify this type of variation in a way that is scientifically sound? In this course, you will learn how to observe, measure, and describe sociolinguistic variation that exists across all the ways speakers produce sounds. You will also learn about research ethics, time management, and professionalism in linguistics. Finally, you will see how to design, propose, and conduct a collaborative research project, as well as write and submit an abstract for an academic conference.
Sociophonetics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2012, Fall 2002, Fall 2001
An introduction to computational methods for linguists. No prior programming experience required. Students will learn how to program, and will use that knowledge to manipulate and analyze linguistic datasets, including corpora. The course will also prepare students for further study in computational modeling.
Computational Methods: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
An introduction to quantitative methods for linguistic analysis and applications. Students will be introduced to statistical modeling techniques for linguistic datasets, as well as models that have applications in natural language processing. The class will make use of programming languages (R and/or Python) as necessary—e.g., for data visualization and modeling.
Quantitative Methods in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023
In this course, students explore with a faculty member the history, structure, and sociolinguistics of a particular language. Generally, this is a language that is a research interest of the professor. The language investigated changes with each offering of this course.
History, Structure, and Sociolinguistics of a Particular Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Spring 2013, Spring 2011
Introduction to the native languages of the Americas.
American Indian Languages: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2016, Spring 2013
Lectures and exercises in the description of word meanings, the organization of lexical systems, the lexicalization of particular semantic domains (kinship, color, etc.), and contrastive lexicology: lexicalization pattern differences across languages.
Lexical Semantics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session
This is a college level introduction to language creation and language study. Language creation lies somewhere between the realms of art and science, drawing heavily on both. Students will acquire the fundamentals of the scientific study of language, and will be encouraged to take that information and employ it creatively in the field of conlanging (language creation). This course will feature in class lectures, group discussion, classroom activities, and at home study.
The Linguistics of Game of Thrones and the Art of Language Invention: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2022
This course approaches writing as a cognitive activity, an attempt to translate ideas into written form which readers will understand. Creativity in writing, then, is cognitive creativity – including creative construction of reception. This approach to writing foregrounds linguistic framing as the means to reduce infinitely rich experience or concepts to finite communicative objects. We will employ Frame Semantics and Cognitive Metaphor Theory in analyzing and creating written texts. The course examines a range of genres including popular media, academic writing, and poetry; student essays involve both creative text-building and self-reflection on their writing process.
Writing as Framing: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Summer 2022 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session
How can we use data science methods to understand human language? Linguistics involves
the study of language sounds, words, meanings, context, structure and change. This course
provides students with the computational skills necessary to analyze linguistic data from
these areas. We will draw on data from languages around the world and use computer
programming and data visualization techniques from Foundations of Data Science.
LINGUISTIC DATA: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
A two-semester course consisting of independent study of an advanced topic, supervised by a facutly member, and culminating with a senior honors thesis which will be evaluated by a faculty honors committee. Thesis is due on the Monday of the 13th week of the second semester, and honors students will be invited to present their research at an Undergraduate Colloquium.
Linguistics Honors Course: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Spring 2018, Spring 2017
A two-semester course consisting of independent study of an advanced topic, supervised by a facutly member, and culminating with a senior honors thesis which will be evaluated by a faculty honors committee. Thesis is due on the Monday of the 13th week of the second semester, and honors students will be invited to present their research at an Undergraduate Colloquium.
Linguistics Honors Course: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2022, Spring 2022, Fall 2021
Individual research on projects in the subfields of Linguistics, sponsored by a faculty member; written reports required.
Research Practicum: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Fall 2020

Directed Group Study and Research: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Spring 2022, Summer 2021

Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Required of graduate students during first year in program. An introduction to linguistics as a profession, its history, subfields, and methodologies.
Graduate Proseminar in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
The course is designed to help students become professional linguists by showing them how to write abstracts of papers, how to prepare papers for presentation at conferences, and how to prepare written versions of papers for submission as qualifying papers (and for journal publication), as well as to give students practical experience in the public presentation of their work.
Advanced Graduate Proseminar in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014
The goal of the course is to help second-year graduate students navigate the graduate program and develop professional skills.
Second-Year Proseminar in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2015, Fall 2014
The course is designed to help students become professional linguists by showing them how to write abstracts of papers, how to prepare papers for presentation at conferences, and how to prepare written versions of papers for submission as qualifying papers (and for journal publication), as well as to give students practical experience in the public presentation of their work.
Advanced Graduate Proseminar in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Spring 2018
This will be an advanced course in cognitive linguistics. Among the topics covered will be cognitive bases for aspects of grammatical structure, cognitive constraints on language change and grammaticalization, and motivations for linguistic universals (i.e., constraints on variability).
Advanced Cognitive Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2019, Spring 2019
This is a graduate-level introduction to psycholinguistics. This course provides an overview of key questions and research findings in psycholinguistics. Psycholinguistics focuses on the mechanisms underlying human language production and comprehension. Central to psycholinguistics is the formulation of conceptual and computational models of those mechanisms.
Advanced Psycholinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Fall 2021
A reading course focusing on theories of speech production, perception, and acoustics as they relate to phonetic and phonological patterns found in the languages of the world. Students write 5-8 "responses" to target articles, and the class as a whole reads background articles and books that place the target articles into their context.
Advanced Phonetics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Introduction to phonological theory at the graduate level with an emphasis on cross-linguistic phonological patterns.
Advanced Phonology I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2023, Fall 2021, Fall 2020
Continuation of 211A focusing on topics of current interest in phonological theory.
Advanced Phonology II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2019, Spring 2016
The goal of this course is to provide graduate students with advanced practical training in experimental methods within phonetics. This is a rotating topics course. The specific techniques taught will depend on the instructor.
Advanced Experimental Phonetics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2018, Fall 2015
Examination of complex morphological systems. Issues in the theory of word morphology.
Advanced Morphology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025
This Course focuses on sociolinguistic variation at the suprasegmental level, including intonation, pitch, and voice quality. We will review literature in the growing area of socioprosodic variation, as well as learn to use a number of modern tools and methods for such analyses. In this course, you will also design and conduct a collaborative research project, as well as write and submit an abstract for an academic conference.
Prosody and Social Identity: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
This course aims at developing a solid conceptual, analytical, and empirical foundation for doing research in syntax and semantics. The emphasis is on gaining familiarity with the central empirical phenomena, as well as core theoretical notions, methodology, and argumentation.
Advanced Syntax I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2022
This course continues 220A with an in-depth examination of selected syntactic and semantic phenomena and the methods of their analysis. The phonomena investigated varies with each offering of the course.
Advanced Syntax II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the core principles and empirical issues addressed by formal semantics and to familiarize them with the analytical tools involved in conducting research in this domain. The focus of this class is truth-conditional aspects of meaning and the compositional interpretation of phrases and sentences. Students will develop skills in semantic analysis and argumentation by focusing on semantic questions that arise in the analysis of a range of different phenomena, including quantification, the semantics of definite/indefinite descriptions, and relative clauses.
Advanced Formal Semantics I: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2023
Students will continue to be introduced to various foundational issues and results in formal semantics. This course will provide a thorough introduction to intensionality as a phenomenon of natural language, as well as the core techniques and results of intensional (possible-world) semantics and the semantics of tense. In particular, we will examine in depth the semantics of sentential complements, the de re / de dicto distinction, modal auxiliaries, and tense and aspect morphemes. We will pay special attention to the ways that languages may vary with respect to these phenomena. Students will gain exposure to primary literature in the field of semantics through: key course readings, in-class presentations and final research project
Advanced Formal Semantics II: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2019
This course is a graduate level introduction to linguistic typology that covers quantitative, formal, and functional approaches to the typology of morphosyntactic and phonological phenomena. Students will be introduced to: 1) influential frameworks and tools for typological research including implicational hierarchies, semantic maps, and combinatorial typologies; 2) the status of universals in typology and formal, functional, and diachronic explanations for universals; 3) key topics in typology, including word order correlations and sampling methodology, grammatical relations typology, areal typology, and phonological typology.
Advanced Linguistic Typology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2015
Construction grammar arose in cognitive linguistics from phenomena showing how thought structures language and how language also structures thought, and from grammatical phenomena that could not be accounted for by transformational grammars. Over the past three decades two major theoretical approaches have evolved: One based on embodied cognition results, conceptual metaphor, and the neural modeling of brain mechanisms necessary to account for thought and language; and another theoretical approach that is disembodied, purely formal, and uses feature structures and head-driven grammars. The course will discuss these and other approaches.

Construction Grammar: The Relationship Between Thought and Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
The scholarly tradition of historical and comparative linguistics. Methods of reconstruction.
Advanced Comparative and Historical Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2013, Spring 2012
A survey of Indo-European (IE) linguistics, intended for general linguists interested in learning about the most fully developed sub-area of historical linguistics and for language-area specialists interested in how specific language areas relate to IE as a whole. All areas of the field will be surveyed (phonology, morphology, syntax, lexical semantics, cultural reconstruction, and subgrouping and diversification), with special emphasis on issues of broad current research interest.
Indo-European Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
Training in elicitation and analysis of linguistic data in a simulated field setting. The same language is used throughout the year. Linguistics 240B is the continuation of 240A.
Advanced Field Methods: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
Training in elicitation and analysis of linguistic data in a simulated field setting. The same language is used throughout the year. Linguistics 240B is the continuation of 240A.
Advanced Field Methods: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
This course provides a graduate-level introduction to the relation of language and cognition, through the lens of computation. We will explore universal aspects of cognition that underlie language, and the effect of one's native language on cognition. We will do this by: (1) reading a mixture of classic and recent papers on these issues,(2) replicating or extending computational analyses in those papers,(3) identifying interesting questions that are left open by the material covered, and (4) designing and conducting research to answer those open questions.
Language, Computation, and Cognition: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2016, Spring 2010
Graduate level survey of anthropological linguistics which seeks to understand the role of culture in linguistic meaning, language use, and the development of linguistic form and, conversely, the role of linguistic form and structure in social action and in cultural practices.
Anthropological Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2008
This series of courses is designed to give graduate students in linguistics and related fields advanced training in current theories and methods in sociolinguistics. The five courses (Variation; Language Contact; Language and Gender; Conversation/Discourse Analysis; Endangered Languages) represent five major foci of current sociolinguistic interest. Students will be exposed to historical overviews, readings, discussions, and demonstrations of methods and will be expected to do original field research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a 15- to 25-page research paper.
Sociolinguistic Analysis: Variation: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2008
This series of courses is designed to give graduate students in linguistics and related fields advanced training in current theories and methods in sociolinguistics. The five courses (Variation; Language Contact; Language and Gender; Conversation/Discourse Analysis; Endangered Languages) represent five major foci of current sociolinguistic interest. Students will be exposed to historical overviews, readings, discussions, and demonstrations of methods and will be expected to do original field research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a 15- to 25-page research paper.
Sociolinguistic Analysis: Language Contact: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2010, Spring 2009, Spring 2005
This series of courses is designed to give graduate students in linguistics and related fields advanced training in current theories and methods in sociolinguistics. The five courses (Variation; Language Contact; Language and Gender; Conversation/Discourse Analysis; Endangered Languages) represent five major foci of current sociolinguistic interest. Students will be exposed to historical overviews, readings, discussions, and demonstrations of methods and will be expected to do original field research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a 15- to 25-page research paper.
Sociolinguistic Analysis: Language and Gender: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2012, Fall 2009, Fall 2007
This series of courses is designed to give graduate students in linguistics and related fields advanced training in current theories and methods in sociolinguistics. The five courses (Variation; Language Contact; Language and Gender; Conversation/Discourse Analysis; Endangered Languages) represent five major foci of current sociolinguistic interest. Students will be exposed to historical overviews, readings, discussions, and demonstrations of methods and will be expected to do original field research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a 15- to 25-page research paper.
Sociolinguistic Analysis: Conversation/Discourse Analysis: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2008
This series of courses is designed to give graduate students in linguistics and related fields advanced training in current theories and methods in sociolinguistics. The five courses (Variation; Language Contact; Language and Gender; Conversation/Discourse Analysis; Endangered Languages) represent five major foci of current sociolinguistic interest. Students will be exposed to historical overviews, readings, discussions, and demonstrations of methods and will be expected to do original field research, the results of which are to be presented orally and in a 15- to 25-page research paper.
Sociolinguistic Analysis: Endangered Languages: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2019
This course provides consistent engagement with indigenous languages, speakers, and texts. It gives an overview of historical and social contexts that produce language endangerment and loss; definitions and debates over terms and methods associated with language revitalization; ethical and methodological issues in language revitalization work; practical skills in language documentation and linguistic analysis; and case studies and outcomes in language revitalization.

Indigenous Language Revitalization: Contexts, Methods, Outcomes: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2022
This is the core course for graduate students who intend to complete the interdisciplinary Designate Emphasis in Indigenous Language Revitalization, and is open to non-DE graduate students as well. The course will provide consistent engagement with indigenous languages, speakers, and texts. The course will provide an overview of historical and social contexts that produce language endangerment and loss; definitions and debates over terms and methods associated with language revitalization; ethical and methodological issues in language revitalization work; practical skills in language documentation and linguistic analysis; and case studies and outcomes in language revitalization.
Indigenous Language Revitalization: Contexts, Methods, Outcomes: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2021
This course provides a graduate-level introduction to computational linguistics. We will explore computational principles and methods that cross-cut different branches of linguistics, and will apply those principles to replicate and extend computational analyses in a selection of published papers.
COMPUTATIONAL LINGUISTICS: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course is an introduction to the study of the linguistic and social phenomena that arise when speakers of different languages come in contact with one another, or when a community of speakers makes use of multiple languages. We will attend closely both to the grammatical dimensions of language contact processes and outcomes, and to the socio-historical and cultural conditions under which these processes take place. A major focus of the course will be to critically examine the notion that language contact gives rise to a set of clearly distinguishable language types (pidgins, creoles, and mixed languages), as well as the notion that each of these types arise under determinate socio-historical conditions.
Language Contact: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2023, Spring 2023
This course is a graduate-level introduction to the major theories and methodologies of sociolinguistics, which addresses the relationship between linguistic structure and the social and cultural contexts in which language is embedded. The course focuses on the variationist tradition but includes readings from allied areas (linguistic anthropology, the sociology of language, etc.).
Advanced Sociolinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This course addresses the theoretical status and grammatical locus of sociolinguistic variation and develops practical research skills in the quantitative analysis of sociolinguistic variables.
Advanced Sociolinguistics: Variation: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2025
This course provides a graduate-level introduction to statistical models often used in linguistics, primarily mixed-effects linear and logistic regression (LMER) models and Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMM). We will discuss, replicate and extend published analyses drawing on various branches of linguistics, using the R programming environment.
Advanced Quantitative Methods in Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2018
An analysis of the language structure of a particular language. The language investigated changes from year to year.
Structure of a Particular Language: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2016, Spring 2016
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Syntax: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2015
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Semantics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2022, Spring 2020, Fall 2019
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Pragmatics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2019, Spring 2017
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Phonology: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2014, Fall 2012, Fall 2010
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Diachronic Linguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2011, Fall 1999, Fall 1998
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Linguistic Reconstruction: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2024, Fall 2021, Fall 2020
Seminar or special lecture courses on linguistic topics.
Additional Seminar on Special Topics to Be Announced: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2023, Spring 2021, Spring 2018
Seminars or special lecture courses.
Topics in Linguistic Theory: Psycholinguistics: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019
Mentor undergraduates in research on projects in the subfields of linguistics, sponsored by a faculty member; written report required.
Research Mentorship: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2023

Special Group Study: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2014, Spring 2013

Special Individual Study: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Course may be repeated for credit, but credit for the instructional training portion is to be given only once for each individual course taught by a T.A. For graduate students currently serving as T.A.s in the Department's undergraduate courses. Two units of credit are given for the teaching experience each time a student serving as T.A. enrolls in this course; two more units are given for teaching instruction, this taking the form of weekly consultations between instructors and their T.A.s.
Teaching Practice and Instruction: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
A teaching-methods "clinic" for first-time Linguistics GSI's. Sessions will deal with the presentation of linguistic concepts in each of the foundation courses, the creation of homework assignments and examination, policies and practices regarding correction of students' work, grading, and feedback.
Training for Linguistics Teaching Assistants: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012
Individual study for the comprehensive or language requirements in consultation with the field adviser.
Individual Study for Master's Students: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013, Fall 2012
Individual study in consultation with the major field adviser, intended to provide an opportunity for qualified students to prepare themselves for the various examinations required of candidates for the Ph.D.
Individual Study for Doctoral Students: Read More [+]

Terms offered: Fall 2021, Fall 2020, Fall 2019
Colloquium lecture presentations by Berkeley faculty and students, and invited visitors, on topics in language and linguistics. Department students and faculty offer feedback, suggestions, and critiques on work in progress.
Colloquium: Read More [+]