Courses for Spring 2025 | Department of Linguistics

	Title	Instructors	Location	Time	Description	Cross listings	Fulfills	Syllabus URL
LING 0001-001	Introduction to Linguistics	Gareth Roberts	DRLB A8	MW 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-201	Introduction to Linguistics	Hector Javier Vazquez Martinez	WILL 215	R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-202	Introduction to Linguistics	Alexander John Hamo	WILL 218	R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-203	Introduction to Linguistics	Brittany Valerie Zykoski	WILL 216	R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-204	Introduction to Linguistics	Hector Javier Vazquez Martinez	WILL 203	R 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-205	Introduction to Linguistics	Alexander John Hamo	WILL 315	F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0001-206	Introduction to Linguistics	Brittany Valerie Zykoski	WILL 24	F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	A general introduction to the nature, history and use of human language, speech and writing. Topics include the biological basis of human language, and analogous systems in other creatures; relations to cognition, communication, and social organization; sounds, forms and meanings in the world's languages; the reconstruction of linguistic history and the family tree of languages; dialect variation and language standardization; language and gender; language learning by children and adults; the neurology of language and language disorders; the nature and history of writing systems. Intended for any undergraduate interested in language or its use, this course is also recommended as an introduction for students who plan to major in linguistics.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0054-301	Bilingualism in History	Marlyse Baptista	WILL 25	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	This course introduces the foundations of linguistics - the scientific study of language - through exploration of multilingualism in the USA and in different societies around the world. Contacts between groups of people speaking different languages are documented from earliest records, and around the world it remains the norm to find more than one language in regular use in a single community. In this course we will see that multilingualism is a catalyst for linguistic change: sometimes languages are lost; sometimes new languages are created; sometimes the structure of a language is radically altered. We will consider: Which parts of linguistic structure are most susceptible to change under conditions of bilingualism? Does language contact - whether a result of trade, education, migration, conquest, or intermarriage - influence language structure in predictable ways? How do individual speakers handle multiple languages? How have attitudes to speakers of multiple languages changed through history? How have socio-historical events shaped the linguistic situation in the USA?		History & Tradition Sector
LING 0500-001	Introduction to Formal Linguistics	Annika Lea Heuser Muhammed Ileri Florian Schwarz	LEVN 111	MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	In this course, we study formal mathematical tools for the analysis of language that help us understand and classify the complex structures and rules that constitute language and grammar. These tools include set theory, formal language and automata theory, as well as aspects of logic, and will be applied to the syntax and semantics of natural language. In addition to learning something about formal tools for analyzing language, this will also enhance your general skills in analytical reasoning.		Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector Formal Reasoning & Analysis
LING 0600-001	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Meredith J Tamminga	STIT 263	MW 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	Human language viewed from a social and historical perspective. Students will acquire the tools of linguistic analysis through interactive computer programs, covering phonetics, phonology and morphology, in English and other languages. These techniques will then be used to trace social differences in the use of language, and changing patterns of social stratification. The course will focus on linguistic changes in progress in American society, in both mainstream and minority communities, and the social problems associated with them. Students will engage in field projects to search for the social correlates of linguistic behavior, and use quantitative methods to analyze the results.		Quantitative Data Analysis Society Sector	https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=LING0600001
LING 0600-201	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Wesley Mark Lincoln	WILL 304	R 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	Human language viewed from a social and historical perspective. Students will acquire the tools of linguistic analysis through interactive computer programs, covering phonetics, phonology and morphology, in English and other languages. These techniques will then be used to trace social differences in the use of language, and changing patterns of social stratification. The course will focus on linguistic changes in progress in American society, in both mainstream and minority communities, and the social problems associated with them. Students will engage in field projects to search for the social correlates of linguistic behavior, and use quantitative methods to analyze the results.		Society Sector Quantitative Data Analysis
LING 0600-202	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Wesley Mark Lincoln	WILL 305	F 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	Human language viewed from a social and historical perspective. Students will acquire the tools of linguistic analysis through interactive computer programs, covering phonetics, phonology and morphology, in English and other languages. These techniques will then be used to trace social differences in the use of language, and changing patterns of social stratification. The course will focus on linguistic changes in progress in American society, in both mainstream and minority communities, and the social problems associated with them. Students will engage in field projects to search for the social correlates of linguistic behavior, and use quantitative methods to analyze the results.		Society Sector Quantitative Data Analysis
LING 0600-203	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Mikaela Belle Martin	WILL 316	F 12:00 PM-12:59 PM	Human language viewed from a social and historical perspective. Students will acquire the tools of linguistic analysis through interactive computer programs, covering phonetics, phonology and morphology, in English and other languages. These techniques will then be used to trace social differences in the use of language, and changing patterns of social stratification. The course will focus on linguistic changes in progress in American society, in both mainstream and minority communities, and the social problems associated with them. Students will engage in field projects to search for the social correlates of linguistic behavior, and use quantitative methods to analyze the results.		Quantitative Data Analysis Society Sector
LING 0750-401	Language and Thought	Catherine Apgar Abigail B Laver John C. Trueswell	LEVN AUD	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course describes current theorizing on how the human mind achieves high-level cognitive processes such as using language, thinking, and reasoning. The course discusses issues such as whether the language ability is unique to humans, whether there is a critical period to the acquisition of a language, the nature of conceptual knowledge, how people perform deductive reasoning and induction, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact.	PSYC1310401
LING 1750-401	Psychology of Language	Delphine Dahan	GLAB 101	MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course describes the nature of human language, how it is used to speak and comprehend, and how it is learned. The course raises and discusses issues such as whether language ability is innate and unique to humans, whether there is a critical period for the acquisition of a language, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact.	PSYC2310401	Quantitative Data Analysis
LING 2220-401	Phonetics II: Data Science	Aletheia Cui	WLNT 313C	MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This is a methodology course, which focuses on how to conduct phonetics research using very large speech corpora. Topics include scripting and statistical techniques, automatic phonetic analysis, integration of speech technology in phonetics studies, variation and invariability in large speech corpora, and revisiting classic phonetic and phonological problems from the perspective of corpus phonetics.	LING5220401
LING 2300-401	Sound Structure of Language	Aletheia Cui	WILL 27	MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	An introduction to phonetics and phonology. Topics include articulatory phonetics (the anatomy of the vocal tract; how speech sounds are produced); transcription (conventions for representing the sounds of the world's languages); classification (how speech sounds are classified and represented cognitively through distinctive features); phonology (the grammar of speech sounds in various languages: their patterning and interaction) and syllable structure and its role in phonology.	LING5300401
LING 3020-401	Linguistic Field Methods	Jianjing Kuang Julie Legate	WLNT 313C WLNT 326C	M 9:00 AM-10:00 AM W 4:00 PM-6:00 PM	Instruction and practice in primary linguistic research, producing a grammatical sketch and a lexicon through work with a native-speaker consultant and some reference materials. Consultant work is shared with LING 5020.	LING5020401
LING 3690-401	Pidgins and Creoles	Marlyse Baptista	WLNT 313C	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course provides a thorough introduction to the study of Pidgin and Creole languages, including an overview of their history and development. It focuses on the socio-historical context of their genesis, their morpho-syntactic properties, diachronic development, cognitive processes at work in creole formation and the resulting linguistic make-up. The status of creoles and their use in education are also examined. In addition to an individual mid-term and final paper, students will conduct a collaborative project consisting of comparing linguistic features in a set of creoles to other languages in their environment. The class will use data from the Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Structures (2013) and from Pidgin, Creoles and Mixed Languages (Velupillai, 2015) in addition to multiple other sources. Diachronic data for some of the creoles will also be examined.	LING5690401
LING 3750-401	Psycholinguistics Seminar	Delphine Dahan	MCNB 309	R 12:00 PM-2:59 PM	This course examines how people use language. We will focus on Herb H. Clark’s book “Using Language” (1996). In this book, Clark proposes that language use is a form of joint action, and extensively develop what this claim entails and how it accounts for people’s linguistic behavior. The course will consist of a detailed examination of Clark’s thesis.	PSYC3310401
LING 3850-401	Experiments in the Study of Meaning	Anna Papafragou	WILL 203	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course provides an introduction to the experimental study of meaning in natural language. We begin by introducing some basic notions of formal semantics and pragmatics and review relevant technical background. Next we discuss recent developments in studying meaning-related phenomena experimentally, which, in addition to theoretical questions, involve issues in the acquisition and processing of semantic information. In the course of this, we will also introduce the basics of experimental design and relevant psycholinguistic methodology. In addition to readings and homework assignments, students will embark on a small research project (individually or jointly), which will be presented in class at the end of the semester and written up as a term paper.	LING5850401	Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 5020-401	Linguistic Field Methods	Jianjing Kuang Julie Legate	WLNT 313C WLNT 326C	M 9:00 AM-10:00 AM W 4:00 PM-6:00 PM	Instruction and practice in primary linguistic research, producing a grammatical sketch and a lexicon through work with a native-speaker consultant and some reference materials. Consultant work is shared with LING 3020.	LING3020401
LING 5170-001	Evolutionary Linguistics	Gareth Roberts	WLNT 300C WLNT 326C	W 9:00 AM-10:30 AM R 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	Evolutionary linguistics Scholars have been interested in the origins and evolution of language for hundreds of years, and work was published on the topic throughout the twentieth century. The end of the century, however, saw a considerable upsurge in serious scientific interest, leading to increasing interdisciplinary communication on the topic and the development of new empirical tools. This course offers an introduction to the literature in this field, bringing together research from a diverse range of disciplines, and laying out what questions remain and how they might possibly be answered.
LING 5220-401	Phonetics II: Data Science	Aletheia Cui	WLNT 313C	MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This is a methodology course, which focuses on how to conduct phonetics research using very large speech corpora. Topics include scripting and statistical techniques, automatic phonetic analysis, integration of speech technology in phonetics studies, variation and invariability in large speech corpora, and revisiting classic phonetic and phonological problems from the perspective of corpus phonetics.	LING2220401
LING 5300-401	Sound Structure of Language	Aletheia Cui	WILL 27	MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	An introduction to phonetics and phonology. Topics include articulatory phonetics (the anatomy of the vocal tract; how speech sounds are produced); transcription (conventions for representing the sounds of the world's languages); classification (how speech sounds are classified and represented cognitively through distinctive features); phonology (the grammar of speech sounds in various languages: their patterning and interaction) and syllable structure and its role in phonology.	LING2300401
LING 5320-001	Phonology II	Rolf Noyer	WLNT 326C	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	Second half of a year-long introduction; continues LING 530. Topics to be surveyed include syllable structure and moraic theory; the prosodic hierarchy; the properties and representation of geminates; templatic and prosodic morphology; reduplication and emergence of the unmarked; and metrical phonology (properties of stress, foot typology, and issues of constituency). Emphasizes hands-on analysis of a wide range of data.
LING 5450-001	Mental Lexicon	David Scott Embick	WLNT 326C	M 8:30 AM-11:29 AM	An investigation of the psychological representations and processing of words. Topics include: the extraction of words from speech; lexical access and production; the induction of morphological and phonological regularities in word learning; decomposition of morphologically complex words; frequency effects in morphological processing; storage vs. computation in the lexicon; the past tense debate; morphological change. This course makes extensive use of linguistic corpora. Students will also be familiarized with experimental design issues in the psycholinguistic study of the lexicon.
LING 5520-001	Syntax II	Matthew Hewett	WLNT 326C	MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	The second half of a year-long introduction to the formal study of natural language syntax. Topics to be covered include grammatical architecture; derivational versus representational statement of syntactic principles; movement and locality; the interface of syntax and semantics; argument structure; and other topics. The emphasis is on reading primary literature and discussing theoretical approaches, along with detailed case-studies of specific syntactic phenomena in different languages.
LING 5690-401	Pidgins and Creoles	Marlyse Baptista	WLNT 313C	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course provides a thorough introduction to the study of Pidgin and Creole languages, including an overview of their history and development. It focuses on the socio-historical context of their genesis, their morpho-syntactic properties, diachronic development, cognitive processes at work in creole formation and the resulting linguistic make-up. The status of creoles and their use in education are also examined. In addition to an individual mid-term and final paper, students will conduct a collaborative project consisting of comparing linguistic features in a set of creoles to other languages in their environment. The class will use data from the Atlas of Pidgin and Creole Structures (2013) and from Pidgin, Creoles and Mixed Languages (Velupillai, 2015) in addition to multiple other sources. Diachronic data for some of the creoles will also be examined.	LING3690401
LING 5820-001	Semantics II	Paloma Jeretic	WLNT 326C	MW 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	The first part of the course expands the system from LING 580 to include intensional contexts. In particular, we discuss analyses of modals, attitude verbs, and conditionals, as well as the scope of noun phrases in modal environments. The second part of the course discusses a selection of topics from current work in semantics, such as the semantics of questions, tense and aspect, donkey anaphora, indefinites, genericity, degree constructions, events and situations, domain restriction, plurality and focus.
LING 5850-401	Experiments in the Study of Meaning	Anna Papafragou	WILL 203	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course provides an introduction to the experimental study of meaning in natural language. We begin by introducing some basic notions of formal semantics and pragmatics and review relevant technical background. Next we discuss recent developments in studying meaning-related phenomena experimentally, which, in addition to theoretical questions, involve issues in the acquisition and processing of semantic information. In the course of this, we will also introduce the basics of experimental design and relevant psycholinguistic methodology. In addition to readings and homework assignments, students will embark on a small research project (individually or jointly), which will be presented in class at the end of the semester and written up as a term paper.	LING3850401
LING 6100-301	Seminar in Historical and Comparative Linguistics	Donald A Ringe	WILL 306	T 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	Selected topics either in Indo-European comparative linguistics or in historical and comparative method.
LING 6700-301	Topics in Psycholinguistics	Kathryn Schuler	WLNT 313C	T 12:00 PM-2:59 PM	Topics in Psycholinguistics			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202510&c=LING6700301
LING 6770-301	Topics in Cognitive Science	Charles Yang	WLNT 326C	W 9:45 AM-11:45 AM	This seminar extends the methods and models from the formal study of language to other domains of cognition and perception including learning, memory, development, judgement and decision making, and organizational behavior in social networks. The aim to restore the centrality of language in the study of the mind and artificial intelligence.
LING 9997-001	Research Topics	David Scott Embick	WLNT 313C	R 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	A reading course on specialized topics in linguistics. Arranged by instructor.