This one-quarter program is designed to allow advanced students to develop their understanding of how languages are structured and how they change over time. We will consider linguistic structure at various levels, from the sounds and gestures of speech to the structure and meaning of words and sentences. We will also work to understand the complex relationship between an individual's knowledge of language and the broader function of language in human society and history. Throughout the quarter, we will look at a variety of languages from around the world and learn to analyze, describe and compare them. Topics for the quarter will include phonetics and phonology, historical linguistics, comparative linguistics and dialectology, language and gender, and field methods. Our work for the quarter will include discussions of linguistic theory, extensive reading of primary and secondary scientific literature, regular problem sets and an independent research project.