SPCH 160 Introduction to Linguistics
This course is an introduction to the field of Linguistics, the study of the structure and social application of human language. We examine the levels of language-- phonology, semantics, morphology, syntax, discourse, and pragmatics—through a review of their application to real world, social issues with an emphasis on the linguistic principle that language rights equal human rights. Students are asked to conduct linguistic analyses of English, non-standard English forms, and foreign language data sets. Students also research language-related topics of current interest to themselves from both a socio-cultural and a scholarly point of view. Assignments require conducting research, i.e., fieldwork to gather data on socio-cultural trends and the social-justice impact of language assumptions and policies in their own communities, and a review of published scholarly articles on linguistic research that uncovers language bias and inequity.