2007-08 - Pitzer College

LINGUISTICS
LINGUISTICS
A coordinated program with department of Linguistics and Cognitive Science at Pomona College.
Pitzer Advisers: C. Fought, C. Strauss
How many languages are there? What does knowing a language entail? How do people
develop this ability? How is language stored in the brain? Why don’t we all speak the
same? Why do languages change over time? How different is human language from
forms of animal communication? Questions such as these are studied systematically in
the field of linguistics.
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There are many sub-fields of linguistics. Phoneticians study how sounds are produced
and perceived. Phonology is the study of how sounds are organized into unique systems
for different languages. The structure of words is examined in morphology. The
organization of words into larger units is called syntax. Meaning is studied in the subfields
of semantics and pragmatics. In these sub-fields linguists are creating models of the
structural features of language, in order to identify the defining characteristics of human
language. Other linguists study the ways in which language is used. Some study the
language development of children. Others the ways in which the form of language we
use may vary according to social categories such as gender, social class, and ethnicity.
Some linguists study the ways in which languages have evolved over time and attempt to
identify general principles of language change.
Requirements for the Major
Students majoring in linguistics are required to study three of the four core divisions of
the field (Phonetics/Phonology, Syntax, Semantics, and/or Sociolinguistics), and in
addition to take a range of courses dealing with the variety of languages and variation
within a language. There is also a Cognitive Science major offered through Pomona
College. For more information contact Jay Atlas or Martin Hackl in the Linguistics and
Cognitive Science Department at Pomona. For information on American Sign Language,
see Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures.
Majors are required to take:
• Linguistics 10
• Linguistics 100 or 101 or 125
• A basic upper-division course in three out of the four core areas-
Phonetics/Phonology (104 or 108), Syntax (105), Semantics (106), and/or
Sociolinguistics (112).
• At least three other linguistics courses.
• (a) At least two years of a foreign language or (b) the equivalent in demonstrated
competence.
• Senior Study in Linguistics (Ling 190): an independent study in some area of
linguistics. Alternatively, students may apply to substitute a senior thesis (Ling 191)
by turning in a one-page proposal to the faculty in the spring semester of the junior
year.