LING 101: Introduction to Linguistics

What is Linguistics?

Linguistics is not the study of how to speak many languages, but rather the study of the underlying rules and patterns that govern all human communication. In this class, we will break down language into its fundamental building blocks:

• Phonetics & Phonology: The study of speech sounds, how they are produced, and how they are organized into systems within a language.
• Morphology: The analysis of word structure and how morphemes combine to create meaningful units.
• Syntax: The study of sentence structure and the rules that allow us to generate infinite novel utterances.
• Semantics & Pragmatics: Exploring how meaning is derived from words, sentences, and social context.

Why Take This Course in Summer Session II?

The accelerated nature of the summer term allows students to immerse themselves in linguistic theory without the typical semester-long gaps between lessons. By analyzing data sets daily, students often find they retain the core concepts of language analysis more effectively. This course satisfies several general education requirements and serves as the essential prerequisite for all upper-division coursework in the Department of Linguistics.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

• Transcribe speech accurately using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
• Diagram sentence structures using tree diagrams.
• Identify morphological processes in unfamiliar languages through data problem solving.
• Articulate the difference between descriptive and prescriptive grammar.
• Analyze the impact of social factors, such as dialect and register, on linguistic variation.

Course Format

Given the condensed timeline, the course will rely on a combination of recorded lectures, interactive workshops, and collaborative problem-solving sets. Attendance at synchronous sessions is highly encouraged, as the ability to work through linguistic puzzles in real-time is the best preparation for our examinations.

Academic Integrity

As this is a fast-paced course, students are expected to keep up with the daily readings. All work submitted must be your own. While study groups are encouraged for understanding concepts, final answers on assignments must be drafted independently to ensure mastery of the material.