Courses for Spring 2024 | Department of Linguistics

	Title	Instructors	Location	Time	Description	Cross listings	Fulfills	Syllabus URL
LING 0001-001	Introduction to Linguistics	Aletheia Cui	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	Alexander John Hamo	WILL 307	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	June Choe	COHN 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 0001-203	Introduction to Linguistics	Annika Lea Heuser	WILL 305	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	Annika Lea Heuser	BENN 322	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	June Choe	WILL 304	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 0001-206	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 0054-301	Bilingualism in History	Marlyse Baptista	WILL 723	MW 3:30 PM-4:59 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	Filipe Hisao De Salles Kobayashi Hector Javier Vazquez Martinez	DRLB 3N1H	TR 3:30 PM-4:59 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.		Formal Reasoning & Analysis Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
LING 0600-001	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Meredith J Tamminga	LEVN 111	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
LING 0600-201	Introduction to Sociolinguistics	Aini Li	WILL 5	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.		Quantitative Data Analysis Society Sector
LING 0600-202	Introduction to Sociolinguistics			CANCELED	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	Aini Li	WILL 24	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.		Quantitative Data Analysis Society Sector
LING 1100-001	The History of Words	Beatrice Santorini	BENN 141	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	It is sometimes said that every word has its own history. But there are also general factors affecting how words change over time. In this course, we explore both aspects of the history of words. On the one hand, we explore the ways in which the saying is true, by investigating taboo words, euphemisms, shibboleths, doublets, folk etymology, idioms, paradigm gaps, reanalysis, and other word-specific processes. On the other hand, we discuss the general factors, such as regular sound change (for instance, the Great Vowel Shift), word frequency, and others, as time and interest permit.
LING 1250-001	The Phonetics of Music	Jianjing Kuang Him Nok Lee	DRLB 3N1H MCNB 150	W 1:45 PM-3:14 PM M 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	Singing is an instance of human voice production, and as such can be studied in the way that speech is studied by speech scientists. The scientific study of singing is a small but growing field that uses methods from speech physiology and acoustics to characterize differences among singing voices and performances. This course will introduce students to methods for quantifying aspects of voice production, so that voice samples can be compared across singers, styles, etc. We will also discuss the scientific basis for some of the vocal techniques. Every aspect of voice presented in class will be explored through hands-on lab work with computer programs. We will mostly look at recorded samples of professional singers, but we will sometimes look at students' own vocal productions. However, this is not a course about improving one's singing, and no skill or talent is required to participate.		Physical World Sector
LING 1720-001	Language, Cognition and Culture	Tyler Knowlton	WILL 205	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This is a course on how language relates to other cognitive systems. We will discuss the question of whether and how the language one speaks affects the way one thinks, the relation between words and concepts, the link between language acquisition and conceptual development in children, and the potential role of language in shaping uniquely human concepts. The course incorporates cross-linguistic, cross-cultural and developmental perspectives and combines readings from linguistics, psychology, philosophy, neuroscience and other fields within cognitive science.
LING 2047-401	Structure of American Sign Language	Jami N. Fisher Meredith J Tamminga	WILL 24	MW 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	This course covers the linguistic structure of American Sign Language (ASL), including its phonology (articulatory features, phonological constraints, nonmanuals), morphology (morphological constraints, compounds, incorporation, borrowing), and syntax (syntactic categories, basic phrase structure, common sentence types), Also discussed are the topics of classifiers and deixis. In keeping with the comparative perspective of linguistic theory, parallels and differences between ASL and other (primarily spoken) languages are pointed out where appropriate. Historical and sociolinguistic issues are addressed where they are relevant to elucidating linguistic structure. Though the course focuses on ASL, it necessarily touches on issues concerning sign languages more generally, notably the possible effects of modality (sign vs. speech) on linguistic structure and the implications of the signed modality for general linguistics. Although the course does not presuppose knowledge of ASL, it does require acquaintance with basic concepts of linguistics.	ASLD2047401
LING 2100-001	Introduction to Language Change	Donald A Ringe	WILL 202	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course covers the principles of language change and the methods of historical linguistics on an elementary level. The systematic regularity of change, the reasons for that regularity, and the exploitation of regularity in linguistic reconstruction are especially emphasized. Examples are drawn from a wide variety of languages, both familiar and unfamiliar. The prerequisite for the course is any course in phonetics or phonology, or Ling 001, or permission of the instructor. Note that this course does NOT satisfy any sector requirement.
LING 2170-301	Origins and Evolution of Language	Gareth Roberts	WILL 215	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	While communication is abundant throughout the living world, the human system we call language seems to stand out. Indeed, if humans themselves can be said to stand out among other species on Earth, it may well be language that played the crucial role in getting us here. So where does language come from? This question has been dubbed the hardest problem in science, but the last three decades have seen a notable renaissance in scientific attempts to answer it. This seminar will examine both the results of this multidisciplinary endeavor and the tools that have been employed in it. It will involve discussions of the nature of language and its place among other communication systems and will touch on fundamental questions of what it means to be human.		Living World Sector	https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING2170301
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	Rolf Noyer	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 2900-001	Deep Learning and Large Language Models in Linguistic Research	Mark Yoffe Liberman	WLNT 313C	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	The goal of this course is to give students the concepts and skills they need to apply methods from Deep Learning and Large Language Models in research on speech, language, and communication. We will survey the interesting past, the exciting present, and the promising but uncertain future of these technologies, focusing on their limitations as well as their capabilities. A key idea is moving from local to contextual features, "situated" relative to patterns learned from large bodies of training material. Instead of words in isolation, we look at patterns of words in text; instead of 10-to-30-msec audio windows in isolation, we look at patterns of signal-derived features in phrase-sized contexts. Used as inputs to a wide variety of prediction and classification systems, these approaches lead to large improvements in performance. We will also survey the wide range of architectures and training methods, including the spectrum from supervised to lightly-supervised, self-supervised, and unsupervised methods; and also the integration of these systems with other old and new structures from physics, mathematics, and linguistics. We will explore the relevance of the learning models to the central issues in the science of language and how language is situated in the human cognitive system. The details of coverage will depend in part on the interests of participants. No specific prerequisites are required, though obviously participants will need at least basic programming skills.	LING5900001
LING 3040-301	Structure of a Language	Eugene Buckley	MCNB 395	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	This class focuses on an in-depth study of the grammar of a given language, typically one that is understudied or that has particularly interesting grammatical properties. Different aspects of grammar will be considered, drawing on features of the sound system, morphology, syntax and semantics as appropriate.			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING3040301
LING 3410-001	Morphology I	David Scott Embick	COHN 392	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course will explore some issues concerning the internal structure of words. After a brief introduction to some basic terms and concepts, we will discuss the interaction of morphology with phonology. We will look both at how morphology conditions phonological rules and how phonology conditions morphology. Then we will turn to the interaction of syntax and morphology. We will look at some problems raised by inflectional morphology, clitics and compounds. The main requirement for the class will be a series of homework exercises in morphological analysis and a short paper at the end of the semester.	LING5410001
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 3860-401	Experiments in the Study of Meaning II	Florian Schwarz	WLNT 313C	MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	This course continues the introduction to Experiments in the study of meaning in natural language from LING 455. A large focus will be practical aspects of designing and implementing experiments, while covering a range of current topics from the experimental semantics and pragmatics literature (and exploring new avenues) along the way, e.g., pronouns and definite reference, presuppositions, quantifiers and domain restriction, generics. We'll start with some basic aspects of experimental design, including counter-balancing, controlling for confounds, utilizing fillers, as well as a range of key experimental task paradigms, such as simple truth- value judgments and picture sentence matching, acceptability ratings, reading time studies, and visual world eye tracking. For implementation, we will introduce the PCIbex platform at https://farm.pcibex.net and its relevant functionalities. Students will select a topic area, either individually or in small groups, and start from a survey article or recent journal paper to familiarize themselves with current issues. Next, they will formulate their own question, decide on a suitable task paradigm, and begin fleshing out a full experiment implementation, with the goal of collecting data at the end of the semester (if at all possible). The project will then be written up in a term paper. This provides students with the opportunity to engage in a scientific investigation of their own early on in their career in a domain that is easily accessible and yet central to the general enterprise of the cognitive sciences.	LING5860401		https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING3860401
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	Rolf Noyer	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 5410-001	Morphology I	David Scott Embick	COHN 392	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course will explore some issues concerning the internal structure of words. After a brief introduction to some basic terms and concepts, we will discuss the interaction of morphology with phonology. We will look both at how morphology conditions phonological rules and how phonology conditions morphology. Then we will turn to the interaction of syntax and morphology. We will look at some problems raised by inflectional morphology, clitics and compounds. The main requirement for the class will be a series of homework exercises in morphological analysis and a short paper at the end of the semester.	LING3410001
LING 5520-001	Syntax II	Filipe Hisao De Salles Kobayashi	WLNT 326C	MW 12:00 PM-1:29 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 5600-001	Language Variation & Change			CANCELED	Speech communities as a focus for the understanding of language evolution and change: language variation in time and space. The relationship between language structure and language use; between language change and social change. Populations as differentiated by age, sex, social class, race, and ethnicity, and the relationship of these factors to linguistic differentiation.
LING 5750-301	The Acquisition of Meaning	Anna Papafragou	WLNT 326C	W 1:45 PM-4:44 PM	This is a seminar on the acquisition of a first language by children. We will discuss the acquisition of the meanings of words and sentences, and the pragmatic and social interpretation of sentences in context. We will also consider how language relates to other cognitive systems and to human social reasoning. Particular emphasis will be placed on discovering the mechanisms children possess that enable them to learn and use language.
LING 5820-001	Semantics II	Florian Schwarz	WLNT 326C	MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	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.			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING5820001
LING 5860-401	Experiments in the Study of Meaning II	Florian Schwarz	WLNT 313C	MW 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	This course continues the introduction to Experiments in the study of meaning in natural language from LING 455. A large focus will be practical aspects of designing and implementing experiments, while covering a range of current topics from the experimental semantics and pragmatics literature (and exploring new avenues) along the way, e.g., pronouns and definite reference, presuppositions, quantifiers and domain restriction, generics. We'll start with some basic aspects of experimental design, including counter-balancing, controlling for confounds, utilizing fillers, as well as a range of key experimental task paradigms, such as simple truth- value judgments and picture sentence matching, acceptability ratings, reading time studies, and visual world eye tracking. For implementation, we will introduce the PCIbex platform at https://farm.pcibex.net and its relevant functionalities. Students will select a topic area, either individually or in small groups, and start from a survey article or recent journal paper to familiarize themselves with current issues. Next, they will formulate their own question, decide on a suitable task paradigm, and begin fleshing out a full experiment implementation, with the goal of collecting data at the end of the semester (if at all possible). The project will then be written up in a term paper. This provides students with the opportunity to engage in a scientific investigation of their own early on in their career in a domain that is easily accessible and yet central to the general enterprise of the cognitive sciences.	LING3860401		https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING5860401
LING 5900-001	Deep Learning and Large Language Models in Linguistic Research	Mark Yoffe Liberman	WLNT 313C	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	The goal of this course is to give students the concepts and skills they need to apply methods from Deep Learning and Large Language Models in research on speech, language, and communication. We will survey the interesting past, the exciting present, and the promising but uncertain future of these technologies, focusing on their limitations as well as their capabilities. A key idea is moving from local to contextual features, "situated" relative to patterns learned from large bodies of training material. Instead of words in isolation, we look at patterns of words in text; instead of 10-to-30-msec audio windows in isolation, we look at patterns of signal-derived features in phrase-sized contexts. Used as inputs to a wide variety of prediction and classification systems, these approaches lead to large improvements in performance. We will also survey the wide range of architectures and training methods, including the spectrum from supervised to lightly-supervised, self-supervised, and unsupervised methods; and also the integration of these systems with other old and new structures from physics, mathematics, and linguistics. We will explore the relevance of the learning models to the central issues in the science of language and how language is situated in the human cognitive system. The details of coverage will depend in part on the interests of participants. No specific prerequisites are required, though obviously participants will need at least basic programming skills.	LING2900001
LING 6100-301	Seminar in Historical and Comparative Linguistics	Donald A Ringe			Selected topics either in Indo-European comparative linguistics or in historical and comparative method.
LING 6170-301	Topics in the Cultural Evolution of Language	Gareth Roberts	WLNT 300C	MW 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	Readings in the cultural evolution of language. This encompasses research on the contribution of processes of cultural change to the emergence of language in the human species, the emergence of new languages, and language change viewed as a cultural-evolutionary process. There will be an emphasis on research employing empirical methods, particularly experimentation. Otherwise focus varies from term to term.			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=LING6170301
LING 6500-301	Topics in Natural-Language Syntax	Julie Legate	WLNT 326C	T 9:45 AM-11:45 AM	Detailed study of topics in syntax and semantics, e.g., pronominalization, negation, complementation. Topics vary from term to term.
LING 9997-001	Research Topics	David Scott Embick	WILL 318	R 1:45 PM-2:44 PM	A reading course on specialized topics in linguistics. Arranged by instructor.