Department of Linguistics

1024 HUMAN HEALTH BUILDING
(248) 370-2175
Fax: (248) 370-3144

Department website

Chairperson: Michael B. Smith

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

Professor: Michael B. Smith

Associate professors: Lisa Levinson, Kuniko Nielsen, Samuel Rosenthall

Assistant professor: Matthew Tucker

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 2201 , ALS 4418  and ALS 4960 . 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 4960 ) requires completion of ALS 4418  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.

Programs

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

Courses

• ALS 1101 - The Humanity of Language
• ALS 1102 - Vocabulary Etymology
• ALS 4317 - Models of Second Language Acquisition
• ALS 4320 - Linguistics and Reading
• ALS 4334 - Language Development in Children
• ALS 4335 - Psycholinguistics
• ALS 4340 - The Biology of Language
• ALS 4360 - Neurolinguistics
• ALS 4374 - Cross Cultural Communication
• ALS 4375 - Language and Culture
• ALS 4376 - Language and Society
• ALS 4418 - Teaching English as a Second Language
• ALS 4438 - Theory/Practice in Language Testing
• ALS 4890 - Topics in Applied Language Science
• ALS 4960 - Practicum
• ESL 0117 - Level 1 Listening and Speaking
• ESL 0118 - Level 1 Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0119 - Level 1 Writing and Sentence Structure for Academic Purposes
• ESL 0227 - Level 2 - Listening and Speaking
• ESL 0228 - Level 2 - Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0229 - Level 2 - Writing and Technology
• ESL 0337 - Level 3 - Conversation Skills
• ESL 0338 - Level 3 - Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0339 - Level 3 - Writing Fluency
• ESL 0447 - Level 4 - Intro to American Culture and Customs
• ESL 0448 - Level 4- Reading and Vocabulary
• ESL 0449 - Level 4 - Writing and Technology
• ESL 0557 - Level 5 - Listening and Speaking for Academics
• ESL 0558 - Level 5 - Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0559 - Level 5 - Application of Grammar Skills in Process Writing
• ESL 0567 - Topics in English as a Second Language II
• ESL 0577 - Topics in English as a Second Language III
• ESL 0667 - Level 6 - Conversation Skills: Pronunciation
• ESL 0668 - Level 6 - Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0669 - Level 6 - Writing for Academic Purposes
• ESL 0777 - Level 7 - Listening and Speaking for Academics
• ESL 0778 - Level 7 - Reading and Vocabulary Development
• ESL 0779 - Level 7 - Academic Writing
• ESL 0780 - Level 7 - Test Prep
• ESL 0887 - Level 8 - Listening and Speaking: English for Academic Success
• ESL 0888 - Level 8 - Reading and Vocabulary for Research
• ESL 0889 - Level 8 - Academic Writing for Research Purposes
• ESL 1579 - Independent Study in English as a Second Language
• LIN 1177 - Introduction to Language Science
• LIN 1180 - Linguistic Analysis
• LIN 1181 - Introduction to the Development of the English Language
• LIN 1182 - Language and the Brain
• LIN 1183 - Formal Rules of Sound Structure
• LIN 1184 - Formal Rules of Phrase Structure
• LIN 2201 - Introduction to Linguistics
• LIN 2207 - Meaning in Language
• LIN 3301 - Linguistic Structures
• LIN 4302 - Historical Linguistics
• LIN 4303 - Introduction to Phonology
• LIN 4304 - Introduction to Syntax
• LIN 4305 - Phonetic Theory
• LIN 4307 - Introduction to Semantics
• LIN 4312 - History of the English Language
• LIN 4320 - Computer Parsing of Natural Languages
• LIN 4350 - Linguistic Typology
• LIN 4357 - Cognitive Linguistics
• LIN 4403 - Phonological Theory
• LIN 4404 - Syntactic Theory
• LIN 4407 - Semantic Theory
• LIN 4409 - Studies in the Structure of a Language
• LIN 4413 - Advanced Phonology
• LIN 4414 - Advanced Syntax
• LIN 4417 - Advanced Semantics
• LIN 4470 - The History of Linguistics
• LIN 4480 - Philosophy of Language
• LIN 4890 - Special Topics
• LIN 4987 - Seminar in Linguistics
• LIN 4996 - Independent Study
• LTN 1140 - Introduction to Latin Language and Roman Culture
• LTN 1150 - Introduction to Latin Language and Roman Culture