Language is a uniquely human capacity that enables us to communicate a limitless set of messages on any topic. While human languages can differ greatly in certain respects, all are intricate, complex, rule-governed systems. Linguistics is the scientific study of these systems, their use for communication in rich social settings, and their cognitive underpinnings. The linguistics concentration at Brown gives students a background in the “core” aspects of the language system: phonetics/phonology (the study of speech sounds and their patterning), syntax (the study of combinatorics of words, phrases, and sentences), semantics/pragmatics (the study of the meanings of both words and larger expressions, and how they interact with communicative goals), and how language is produced, understood, and learned by children and adults (psycholinguistics). Beyond this, students may focus more heavily in one or more of these areas and/or explore related questions such as how core aspects of language do (and do not) vary, including through the use linguistic fieldwork on understudied languages, or how probabilistic tendencies and variability in language usage relate to grammar. Other areas such as historical linguistics, computational linguistics, sociolinguistics, philosophy of language, and linguistic anthropology can also be pursued in conjunction with offerings in other departments.
Students who wish to pursue one or more aspects of Linguistics in greater depth than does the Bachelor of Arts, and to focus on some of the more technical, computational, and/or experimental areas of the field may choose to take a Bachelor of Science in Linguistics. Students will choose a focus pathway which will direct their choices. Pathways include: Language, Computation, and Information; Language, Mind, and Brain; Meaning and Logic, or one of the student's design, with approval from the concentration advisor.
A.B. Requirements (10 courses)
One gateway course:
- LING 0100 (Introduction to Linguistics)
Four breadth requirements:
- Phonology (LING 1200) or Phonetics (LING 1210)
- Syntax (LING 1310) or Linguistics Variation and Universals (LING 1311).
- Lexical Semantics (LING 1410), Compositional Semantics LING 1440), or Pragmatics (LING 1412)
- Language variation (at the individual, community, or cross-linguistic level; see examples below)
Five additional appropriate electives forming a thematically related set (to be determined in consultation with the Concentration Advisor):
- At least one of these must be drawn from the list of advanced and methods courses listed below. No more than 2 of these courses may be drawn from below 1000 level courses. Every linguistics course offered by the Linguistics Program counts. Electives may also be drawn from courses in other departments and programs in consultation with the Concentration Advisor.
| Gateway Course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Phonetics/Phonology Courses | 1 | |
| Phonology | ||
| Phonetics | ||
| Syntax Courses | 1 | |
| Introduction to Syntax | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Semantics/Pragmatics Courses | 1 | |
| Lexical Semantics | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| Linguistic Variation Courses | 1 | |
| Sociolinguistics | ||
| Language and Gender | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Making Visual Illusions | ||
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| 5 additional appropriate electives forming a thematically related set to be determined in consultation with the Concentration Advisor. At least one of these must be drawn from the list of advanced courses listed below, and we strongly recommend that at least one course be an appropriate methods and a topics course. No more than 2 of these courses may be drawn from below 1000 level courses. The electives can be drawn from any of the above courses, or any of the other linguistic/language related courses in the program. Electives may also be drawn from courses in other departments in consultation with the Concentration Advisor; a list of courses which standardly count towards the Linguistics Concentration (provided they form part of the thematically related set) is appended below. | 5 | |
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Language and Politics in East Europe and Russia | ||
| Advanced and Methods Courses | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| NOTE: This is NOT an exhaustive list of courses that can be applied towards the Linguistics Concentration requirements. | ||
| Total Credits | 10 | |
Independent study is encouraged for the A.B. degree. Students should sign up for LING 19XX with a faculty advisor who is a member of the Program in Linguistics. Arrangements should be made in Semester 6 for students expecting to do independent study during Semesters 7 and/or 8.
Do Foreign Language Courses Count?
Foreign language courses will generally not count towards the concentration requirements, except those that focus on the structure or history of the language. Students are, however, advised to gain familiarity with a foreign language, and are encouraged to take at least one course which deals with the structure of a language other than English.
Honors (12 courses)
Candidates for Honors in Linguistics must meet all of the requirements above, write an Honors thesis, and take two additional courses. One course is normally LING 19XX (Directed Research in Linguistics) - intended for work on the Honors thesis.
Three of the total 12 courses must be drawn from the advanced list above (the Directed Research course counts as one of the advanced courses).
Refer to the Program in Linguistics webpage for detailed information about the Linguistics Honors program.
ScB Requirements (16 courses)
Students who wish to pursue one or more aspects of Linguistics in greater depth than does the A.B., and to focus on some of the more technical, computational, and/or experimental areas of the field may choose to take an Sc.B in Linguistics. Students will choose a focus pathway which will direct their choices. Three possible pathways are described below in additional detail, though other pathways are possible, if approved by the Concentration Advisor.
The core requirements are:
- One gateway course
- Four breath requirements, one each in Phonology, Syntax, Semantics or Pragmatics, and Psycholinguistics.
- Three electives in the focus area (see individual pathways below)
- Four non-linguistic focus area electives (see individual pathways below)
- Two breadth requirements that satisfy the Linguistics AB requirement. These could serve as a secondary focus area.
- One Capstone course
| Gateway course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| At least one course in phonetics / phonology, such as: | 1 | |
| Phonology | ||
| Phonetics | ||
| At least one course in syntax, such as: | 1 | |
| Introduction to Syntax | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| At least one course in semantics / pragmatics, such as: | 1 | |
| Lexical Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| At least one course in linguistics variation, such as: | 1 | |
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Language and Gender | ||
| Making Visual Illusions | ||
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Sociolinguistics | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Three electives specifically in the focus area, such as: | 3 | |
| Language, Computation, and Information Pathway | ||
| Information Theory in Language | ||
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Language, Mind and Brain Pathway | ||
| Introduction to Syntax | ||
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Topics in Language Acquisition: Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Meaning and Logic Pathway | ||
| Laboratory in Phonetics | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Lexical Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Conditionals | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Four non-linguistic focus area electives, such as: | 4 | |
| Language, Computation, and Information Pathway | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Structures and Probability | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Machine Learning | ||
| Data Science | ||
| Statistical Programming in R | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Introduction to programming | ||
| Multivariate Statistical Techniques | ||
| Language, Mind and Brain Pathway | ||
| Machine Learning | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Computational Neuroscience | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Human Cognition | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Children's Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Computational Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Cognitive Development | ||
| Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Research Methods And Design | ||
| Meaning and Logic Pathway | ||
| Introduction to Higher Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Structures and Probability | ||
| Paradox and Infinity | ||
| Mathematical Logic | ||
| Human Cognition | ||
| Children's Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Three additional electives in Linguistics, preferably outside the main focus area, such as: | 3 | |
| Language, Computation, and Information Pathway | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Language and Politics in East Europe and Russia | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
Or many other courses | ||
| Language, Mind and Brain Pathway | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Language and Politics in East Europe and Russia | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
Or many other courses | ||
| Meaning and Logic Pathway | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Information Theory in Language | ||
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Language and Politics in East Europe and Russia | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
Or many other courses | ||
| One independent study / capstone requirement | 1 | |
LING 19XX: Directed Research | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Honors (17 courses)
The Honors program requires one additional elective, which will typically be a second LING 19XX Directed Research course during the senior year (thus leading to a full year of Directed Reading or Directed Research). Admission to the honors program requires a majority of A grades in the concentration. The student’s work will culminate in an Honors’ thesis on an approved topic (learn more about regulations regarding Honors’ theses at https://linguistics.brown.edu/concentrations), written under the direction of one or more faculty members, and read by a committee of at least two faculty members (one of whom may be from another department).