Department of Linguistics

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320 O’DOWD HALL (248) 370-2175
Fax: (248) 370-3144

Department Website: oakland.edu/linguistics 

Chairperson: Samuel Rosenthall

Professors emeriti: Carlo Coppola (Hindi-Urdu), Daniel H. Fullmer, William Schwab

Professors: Peter J. Binkert (Linguistics, Classics), Michael B. Smith

Associate professor: Samuel Rosenthall

Assistant professors: Lisa Levinson, Kuniko Nielsen

Associated faculty: Alice S. Horning (Writing and Rhetoric; Linguistics)

Special instructor: Rebecca Gaydos

Chief adviser: Samuel Rosenthall

It is hard to imagine spending one waking moment without language. Whether we are alone or among other people, whether we dream or daydream, whether we write poetry, follow a recipe, cheer for the home team, speak or sing, language is involved. All normal children acquire a native language, no matter where they are born, what the language is or what their home life is like. People who are deaf have language; so do those who are blind, mute, completely paralyzed, intellectually disabled or emotionally disturbed. Language can be disrupted by injury or disease, processed by machines, altered for special occasions and exploited for ulterior motives. Despite this extraordinary presence, versatility and variability, every human language, whether Old English or Modern Japanese, shares universal features. Linguistics is the discipline that studies such matters concerning language.

Because language is so pervasive and so peculiarly human, students of linguistics find careers in many different areas. Some, such as teachers, computer scientists and speech therapists, use linguistics directly; others, such as market analysts, editors and advertising executives, use it indirectly. Still others use their undergraduate major in linguistics as a springboard to careers in law, education, business, artificial intelligence and international relations, as well as graduate study in linguistics and other fields.

Departmental Honors

The Department of Linguistics offers departmental honors to students who achieve a grade point average of 3.60 or above in courses required for the major in both the liberal arts major and the modified major with a minor in computer science. The department also recommends honors for students who have modified majors in other departments with concentrations in linguistics.

Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language

Students may earn a certificate in teaching English as a second language (TESL) by completing the following courses: LIN 201 , ALS 418  and ALS 419 . In all cases a student must complete 12 credits in linguistics courses at OU and must satisfy the eligibility requirement described in Practicum Eligibility to obtain the certificate. Students interested in this certificate should contact an adviser in the Department of Linguistics.

Practicum Eligibility

Eligibility for the Practicum (ALS 419 ) requires completion of ALS 418  with a grade of 3.0 or higher. Non-native speakers of English, in addition, must satisfactorily complete an oral and written examination of English.

Schedule of classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes: sail.oakland.edu.

Programs

• Linguistics Minor
• Linguistics Minor, Teaching English as a Second Language
• Linguistics, B.A.
• Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) Certificate
• Teaching English as a Second Language Minor (TESL)

Courses

• ALS 102 - Studies in Vocabulary and Etymology
• ALS 176 - The Humanity of Language
• ALS 300 - Topics in Applied Language Science
• ALS 317 - Models of Second Language Acquisition
• ALS 320 - Linguistics and Reading
• ALS 334 - Language Development in Children
• ALS 335 - Psycholinguistics
• ALS 340 - The Biology of Language
• ALS 360 - Neurolinguistics
• ALS 374 - Cross Cultural Communication
• ALS 375 - Language and Culture
• ALS 376 - Language and Society
• ALS 418 - The Teaching of English as a Second Language
• ALS 419 - Practicum
• ALS 438 - Theory and Practice in Language Testing
• ESL 050 - Listening and Speaking I
• ESL 051 - Reading and Vocabulary Development I
• ESL 052 - Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes I
• ESL 053 - Conversation I
• ESL 054 - Academic Communication I
• ESL 055 - Introduction to American Culture and Customs
• ESL 056 - Language Lab and Computer Literacy I
• ESL 057 - Topics in English as a Second Language I
• ESL 060 - Listening and Speaking II
• ESL 061 - Reading and Vocabulary Development II
• ESL 062 - Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes II
• ESL 063 - Conversation II
• ESL 064 - Academic Communication II
• ESL 066 - Language Lab and Computer Literacy II
• ESL 067 - Topics in English as a Second Language II
• ESL 068 - Grammar for ESL Students
• ESL 070 - Listening and Speaking III
• ESL 071 - Reading and Vocabulary Development III
• ESL 072 - Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes III
• ESL 073 - Conversation III
• ESL 074 - Academic Communication III
• ESL 075 - ESL Test Preparation
• ESL 076 - Language Lab and Computer Literacy III
• ESL 077 - Topics in English as a Second Language III
• ESL 079 - Independent Study in English as a Second Language
• ESL 080 - Listening and Speaking in the Business Setting
• ESL 081 - Reading and Vocabulary in the Business Setting
• ESL 082 - Writing and Grammar in the Business Setting
• ESL 085 - Cross-Cultural Communication in the Business Setting
• ESL 087 - Topics in the Business Setting
• ESL 090 - English for Instructional Purposes
• ESL 092 - Research Papers and Thesis Writing for Graduate Students
• LIN 177 - Introduction to Language Science
• LIN 180 - Linguistic Analysis
• LIN 181 - Introduction to the Development of the English Language
• LIN 182 - Language and the Brain
• LIN 183 - Formal Rules of Sound Structure
• LIN 184 - Formal Rules of Phrase Structure
• LIN 201 - Introduction to Linguistics
• LIN 207 - Meaning in Language
• LIN 300 - Topics in Linguistics
• LIN 301 - Linguistic Structures
• LIN 302 - Historical Linguistics
• LIN 303 - Introduction to Phonology
• LIN 304 - Introduction to Syntax
• LIN 305 - Phonetic Theory
• LIN 307 - Introduction to Semantics
• LIN 315 - Computer Parsing of Natural Languages
• LIN 357 - Cognitive Linguistics
• LIN 376 - History of the English Language
• LIN 403 - Phonological Theory
• LIN 404 - Syntactic Theory
• LIN 407 - Semantic Theory
• LIN 409 - Studies in the Structure of a Language
• LIN 413 - Advanced Phonology
• LIN 414 - Advanced Syntax
• LIN 417 - Advanced Semantics
• LIN 470 - The History of Linguistics
• LIN 475 - Philosophy of Language
• LIN 480 - Seminar In Linguistics
• LIN 490 - Independent Study
• LTN 114 - Introduction to Latin Language and Roman Culture
• LTN 115 - Introduction to Latin Language and Roman Culture

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