Romance Syntax (LING-UA 42)

Introduces the syntax of Romance languages, primarily French, Italian, and Spanish, but also various Romance dialects. Considers what they have in common with each other (and with English) and how best to characterize the ways in which they differ from each other (and from English).

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2020)


LING-UA 42-000 (18682)
09/02/2020 – 12/13/2020 Mon,Wed
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Kayne, Richard

Grammatical Diversity (LING-UA 27)

Introduces the syntax of languages quite different from English, from various parts of the world. Considers what they may have in common with English and with each other and how to characterize the ways in which they differ from English and from each other.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2019)


LING-UA 27-000 (19064)
09/03/2019 – 12/13/2019 Mon,Wed
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Thoms, Gary · Kayne, Richard

Neural Bases of Language (LING-UA 43)

A state-of-the-art survey of the cognitive neuroscience of language, a rapidly developing multidisciplinary field at the intersection of linguistics, psycholinguistics, and neuroscience. Covers all aspects of language processing in the healthy brain, from early sensory perception to sentence-level semantic interpretation, as well as a range of neurological and development language disorders.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 14 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2019)


LING-UA 43-000 (10444)
09/03/2019 – 12/13/2019 Tue,Thu
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Pylkkanen, Liina


LING-UA 43-000 (10445)
09/03/2019 – 12/13/2019 Tue
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Blanco-Elorrieta, Esti

Language Change (LING-UA 14)

The methods of genealogical classification and subgrouping of languages. Examines patterns of replacement in phonology, morphology, and syntax. Focuses on internal and comparative phonological, morphological, and syntactic reconstruction. Considers phonological developments such as Grimm’s, Grassmann’s, and Verner’s Laws.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2019)


LING-UA 14-000 (10088)
01/28/2019 – 05/13/2019 Tue,Thu
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by

Grammatical Analysis II (LING-UA 16)

Introduces primary literature in syntactic theory and leads to an independent research project. Topics vary: binding theory, control, case theory, constraints on movement, antisymmetry, argument structure and applicatives, ellipsis, derivation by phase, etc.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 16-000 (19354)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Harves, Stephanie · Kayne, Richard

Field Methods (LING-UA 44)

Analysis (LING-UA 13), or permission of the instructor. Offered every year. Collins, Gallagher, Gouskova. 4 points. Students interview a native speaker of an unfamiliar language to study all aspects of the language’s grammar: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics. We evaluate and organize real, nonidealized linguistic data and formulate generalizations that serve as the basis for research.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 44-000 (9373)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Gallagher, Gillian · Collins, Christopher

Linguistics as Cognitive Science (LING-UA 48)

Approaches from linguistics, philosophy, and psychology. Topics: the evidence for constructing grammars, the interpretation of grammatical rules as cognitive or neural operations, the significance of neo-behaviorist approaches to language and computational modeling for a cognitive theory of language, the connection between linguistics theory and genetics, and the importance of sociocultural and historical variation for understanding the nature of language.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 48-000 (9629)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Marantz, Alec

Bilingualism (LING-UA 18)

Considers social forces that favor or inhibit bilingualism, as well as the educational consequences of bilingual education (and of monolingual education for bilingual children). Examines the impact of bilingualism on the languages involved. Special attention to code switching, with particular reference to its psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic aspects.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 18-000 (8465)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Vrzic, Zvjezdana · Møller Krogh, Simone

Language and Mind (LING-UA 3)

Introduces the field of cognitive science through an examination of language behavior. Begins with interactive discussions of how best to characterize and study the mind. These principles are then illustrated through an examination of research and theories related to language representation and use. Draws from research in both formal linguistics and psycholinguistics.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 3-000 (8921)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon,Wed
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Cournane, Ailis · McElree, Brian


LING-UA 3-000 (8922)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Wed
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Grosu, Ioana


LING-UA 3-000 (8923)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Thu
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Flower, Nigel

Sound and Language (LING-UA 11)

Phonetic and phonological theory at an elementary level. Topics include the description and analysis of speech sounds, the anatomy and physiology of speech, speech acoustics, and phonological processes. Students develop skills to distinguish and produce sounds used in the languages of the world and to transcribe them using the International Phonetic Alphabet.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Fall 2022)


LING-UA 11-000 (8045)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Tue,Thu
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Davidson, Lisa


LING-UA 11-000 (8046)
at Washington Square
Instructed by


LING-UA 11-000 (8047)
09/01/2022 – 12/14/2022 Mon
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Repetti-Ludlow, Chiara

Indigenous Languages of the Americas (LING-UA 9)

Focuses on phonology and phonetics (i.e., sound structure), but also addresses the structure of words and phrases. Topics: bilingualism, language contact, language loss, indigenous language education, literacy, orthography, and language policy. Emphasis on the Quechuan languages of the Andes in South America, spoken in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Intro to Morphology at An Advanced Level (LING-UA 55)

The building blocks of words and sentences: the atomic units of word structure, their hierarchical and linear arrangement, and their phonological realization(s). An introduction to fundamental issues including allomorphy, morpheme order, paradigm structure, blocking, and cyclicity. Interactions of morphology with syntax, phonology, semantics, and variation.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 55-000 (20018)

Structure of The Russian Language (LING-UA 10)

An introduction to the morphosyntax of Russian. Students learn how to analyze the underlying structures of this language by using formal tools in syntactic theory. The core areas of Russian grammar: case, aspect, argument structure alternations, topic/ focus structure, negation, binding, control, and wh-movement. No knowledge of Russian required.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 10-000 (20310)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Harves, Stephanie

Morphology (LING-UA 29)

Introduces rules for composing words and sentences from the smallest units of linguistic combination (morphemes). Why can the same message be expressed in one word in some languages but require an entire sentence in others? Why do the shapes of prefixes, suffixes, and roots change depending on their semantic and phonological context? What rules do different languages use for forming new words? No previous background in linguistics is required.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 29-000 (20308)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Gouskova, Maria · Tabachnick, Guy

Language in Latin America (LING-UA 30)

How and why American varieties of Spanish and Portuguese differ from European varieties, as well as the distribution and nature of dialect differences throughout the Americas. Examines sociolinguistic issues: class and ethnic differences in language, the origin and development of standard and nonstandard varieties, and the effects of contact with Amerindian and African languages. Considers Spanish- and Portuguese-based creoles and the question of prior creolization.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 30-000 (10062)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Guy, Gregory


LING-UA 30-000 (10063)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Stuck, Matthew

Advanced Semantics (LING-UA 19)

Builds a solid command of predicate logic and elements of the lambda calculus. Introduces the principles of compositional model theoretic semantics. Analyzes constituent order and a set of specific phenomena, possibly varying from year to year.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 19-000 (20307)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Szabolcsi, Anna

Sex, Gender, & Language (LING-UA 21)

How linguistic practices reflect and shape our gender identity. Do women and men talk differently? Are these differences universal or variable across cultures? How does gendered language intersect with race and class-linked language? What impact does gendered language have on social power relationships?

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 21-000 (8360)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Shapp, Allison


LING-UA 21-000 (8361)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Akanegbu, Anuli

Grammatical Analysis (LING-UA 13)

What determines the sequencing of words in a given language? How can we explain word-order variation within and across languages? Are there universal syntactic properties common to the grammar of all languages? Presents the modern generative approach to the scientific study of language and systematically develops a model that will account for the most basic syntactic constructions of natural language.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 13-000 (8358)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Collins, Christopher


LING-UA 13-000 (8359)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Thu
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Gotah, Selikem

Phonological Analysis (LING-UA 12)

How languages organize sounds into highly constrained systems. Topics: What do the sound systems of all languages have in common? How can they differ from each other? What is the nature of phonological processes, and why do they occur?

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 12-000 (8357)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Stanton, Juliet


LING-UA 12-000 (8963)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Mason, Alicia

Language (LING-UA 1)

Language is a social phenomenon, but languages share elaborate and specific structural properties. Speech communities exist, exhibit variation, and change within the strict confines of universal grammar, part of our biological endowment. Universal grammar is discovered through the careful study of the structures of individual languages, by cross-linguistic investigations, and the investigation of the brain. Introduces fundamental properties of the sound system and of the structure and interpretation of words and sentences against this larger context.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 1-000 (8354)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Champollion, Lucas


LING-UA 1-000 (8355)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Thu
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Grosu, Ioana


LING-UA 1-000 (8356)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Thu
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Okon, Thaddeus


LING-UA 1-000 (9146)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon,Wed
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Thoms, Gary


LING-UA 1-000 (9147)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Wed
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Blix, Hagen


LING-UA 1-000 (9148)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Thu
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Late afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Zhao, Zhuoye

Patterns in Language (LING-UA 6)

Can machines think? Do patterns in online searches predict the spread of the flu? Did Shakespeare really write that sonnet? Scientists use patterns in language to answer these questions, using the same concepts that underlie search engines, automatic translators, speech recognition, spell-checkers, and auto-correction tools. Focuses on the technological and linguistic ideas behind these applications and offers hands-on experience and insight into how they work. No programming experience required.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Language & Society (LING-UA 15)

Considers contemporary issues in the interaction of language and society, particularly work on speech variation and social structure. How social factors affect language. Topics: language as a social and political entity; regional, social, and ethnic speech varieties; bilingualism; and pidgin and creole languages.

Linguistics (Undergraduate)
4 credits – 15 Weeks

Sections (Spring 2022)


LING-UA 15-000 (20304)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Tue,Thu
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Davidson, Lisa · MacKenzie, Laurel


LING-UA 15-000 (20305)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon
11:00 AM – 12:00 AM (Morning)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Repetti-Ludlow, Chiara


LING-UA 15-000 (20306)
01/24/2022 – 05/09/2022 Mon
12:00 AM – 1:00 PM (Early afternoon)
at Washington Square
Instructed by Pena, Jailyn