Inside Language

REVISED

Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 quarters

Faculty

Diego de Acosta linguistics

Fields of Study

communications, language studies and linguistics

Preparatory for studies or careers in

linguistics, communication, and education.

Description

This two-quarter program explores the fascinating world of languages.  What do you know when you know a language?  How do you get that knowledge?  Are there properties that all languages share?  How do languages change over time?  Why are half of the world's languages now under threat of extinction?  How are communities held together or torn apart by the languages they speak?  How does the way we classify the world through words circumscribe our relationships with others?

We will consider these questions and others through the lens of linguistics.  Topics to be examined include:  phonetics and phonology, language change, the history of English and English dialects, language and gender, orality and literacy, wordplay, and swearing.  We will look at well-known languages and lesser-known languages and discover why they matter in our lives today.  Through the course of the program students will learn a variety of conceptual and empirical techniques, from analyzing speech sounds to interpreting the rationale behind current language policy.

This program will be an intensive examination of topics requiring a significant amount of reading as well as regular problem sets and essays.  You will be expected to spend at least 40 hours per week on the program.

Location

Olympia

Online Learning

Enhanced Online Learning

Books

Greener Store

Offered During

Day

Program Revisions