Courses - Fall 2026
LING200
Introductory Linguistics
Credit only granted for: HESP120 or LING200.
Additional information: This course serves as the prerequisite for further courses in linguistics.
An exploration of the nature of human language. Introduction to the basic concepts and methodology of modern linguistic analysis (sound systems, word formation, sentence structure). Examination of the factors that contribute to dialect differences and the social implications of language variation. Additional topics may include: semantics, pragmatics, language change, writing systems, typology, language universals, comparison with other communication systems.
LING240
Language and Mind
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in LING200.
Additional information: Required for Linguistics majors and recommended for students in related fields.
The study of language as a cognitive phenomenon. Ways of representing people's knowledge of their native language, ways in which that knowledge is attained naturally by children, and how it is used in speaking and listening. Additional topics may include: animal communication, language and the brain, language and thought.
LING248
Introduction to Laboratory Research in Linguistics
Credits:
2 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg
LING260
Meaning through Language: Why are we so good at it?
What is it about us humans and our languages that allows us to communicate in ways unmatched by other animals or powerful AI models? The question is ancient, but recent decades have seen great progress in the cognitive science of language, while expanding the diversity of languages investigated. We know much more about how languages vary, how they develop in children, how they are encoded in the mind, and relate to other domains of cognition. Major developments in statistical computation and research on animal cognition also illuminate what is (not) possible without the particular structure of the human mind. We bring this all to bear on our Big Question: What makes human language special from the viewpoint of meaning? Students will come to understand the major features of language as a vehicle for complex thought and a tool for communication. They will use this understanding in analyzing common semantic patterns and everyday conversational dynamics.
LING262
Additional information: One class per week will be in-field instruction in collecting data from heritage speakers.
An interdisciplinary examination of the phenomenon of heritage language (a bilingual's home language which is distinct from the dominant language of the wider society). Relationship between linguistic structure, cultural and social aspects of language use, and language change. Interpretations of experimental and theoretical work. Relevance of heritage languages for linguistic theory, language policy, and education.
LING311
Syntax I
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: LING240.
Basic concepts, analytical techniques of generative syntax, relation to empirical limits imposed by viewing grammars as representations of a component of human mind. Aspects of current theories.
LING320
Phonetics
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in LING200 or LING240.
Additional information: This course counts as a core course for the linguistics major. Only one of Ling320 or HESP403 can be used to count towards the Linguistics major.
Representations and models of acoustic and articulatory phonetics. Develops concepts and skills for description, measurement and scientific analysis of the sound systems of human languages, including various varieties of English.
LING321
Phonology I
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: LING240.
Properties of sound systems of human languages, basic concepts and analytical techniques of generative phonology. Empirical limits imposed by viewing grammars as cognitive representations. Physiological properties and phonological systems; articulatory phonetics and distinctive feature theory.
LING410
Grammar and Meaning
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor; or LING311.
The basic notions of semantic theory: reference, quantification, scope relations, compositionality, thematic relations, tense and time, etc. The role these notions play in grammars of natural languages. Properties of logical form and relationship with syntax.
LING419A
Topics in Syntax
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING419T
Topics in Syntax
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING429C
Topics in Phonology
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING448
Advanced Laboratory Research in Linguistics
Credits:
2 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg
LING449U
Topics in Psycholinguistics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING460
Diversity and Unity in Human Languages
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: LING240 or LING200.
Fundamentals of grammatical typology as they relate to issues in social attitudes towards language. Linguistic structure of standard and non-standard languages and dialects. Relationship of different writing systems to linguistic structure. Issues in bilingualism and multilingualism.
LING499
Directed Studies in Linguistics
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING499C
Directed Studies in Linguistics; Teaching Assistantship
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
Designed for students that will be teaching assistants for LING200.
LING499H
Directed Studies in Linguistics
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, P-F, Aud
LING610
Syntactic Theory
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: LING312.
Intensive introduction to transformational syntax.
LING625
Morphology and the Lexicon
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
The structure of words and investigation of how word formation processes interact with other components of grammar.
LING644
Language Acquisition
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Prerequisite: LING640.
Interpretations of observational and experimental work on children's language development, and relationship between developmental stages and theories of human language faculties.
LING660
Introduction to Semantics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Restriction: Permission of instructor.
Basic concepts and methods of contemporary semantic theory including basic set theory, elementary propositional and predicate calculus, the structure of predicates and propositions, quantification binding. Prepares students for study of more advanced topics in semantics.
Cross-listed with PHIL688T. Credit granted for LING660 or PHIL688T.
LING678
Linguistic Field Methods
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
LING689
Independent Study
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
LING698
Directed Study; Seminar
Credits:
1 - 3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
LING698C
Directed Study; Computational Psycholinguistics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
LING698P
Directed Study; Professional Methods for Linguistics
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
LING698T
Directed Study; Pedagogy for Linguistics
Credits:
1
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Required for LING200 Teaching Assistants.
LING723
Natural Language Processing
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in CMSC422; and permission of CMNS-Computer Science department.
Cross-listed with: CMSC723, INST735.
Credit only granted for: CMSC723, LING723, or INST735.
Additional information: CMSC students may only receive PhD Comp. credit for CMSC723 or CMSC823, not both.
Introduce fundamental concepts, techniques, and algorithms for the computational handling of natural language. Statistical and machine learning techniques, models, and algorithms that enable computers to deal with the ambiguity and implicit structure of human language. Approaches that focus on uncovering linguistic structure, such as syntactic or semantic parsing, as well as those that focus on manipulating text in useful ways, such as question answering or machine translation.
LING798
Research Papers in Linguistics
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg
LING799
Master's Thesis Research
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
S-F
LING848A
Seminar in Computational Linguistics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
Predictive Processing and Sentence Structure. This seminar will focus on two closely related facts about language understanding. First, processing sentences fundamentally involves relating sequential input with underlying hierarchical structure; and second, there is a large body of work suggesting that sentence processing involves an interplay between top-down predictions and bottom-up evidence. We will establish background and look at relevant literature from multiple perspectives, including psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, and computational modeling.
LING849C
Seminar in Psycholinguistics; Computational Psycholinguistics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
LING879C
Seminar in Semantics
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud, S-F
LING888
Doctoral Research Paper
Credits:
1 - 6
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
LING889
Directed Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
LING896
Research Paper in Minor Area
Credits:
3
Grad Meth:
Reg, Aud
Prerequisite: LING888.
This course is designed to strengthen the students' ability to do research in a minor area of expertise, and to help them create a publishable piece. In addition, the course constitutes part of a set of requirements to advance to doctoral candidacy.
LING898
Pre-Candidacy Research
Credits:
1 - 8
Grad Meth:
Reg
LING899
Doctoral Dissertation Research
Credits:
6
Grad Meth:
S-F
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