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)
| Prerequisite Course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics (May be waived in special instances) | ||
| Required Courses | 2 | |
| Phonology | ||
| and either | ||
| Introduction to Syntax 1 | ||
OR | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals 1 | ||
| AND one of: | 1 | |
| Lexical Semantics | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| One course in Psycholinguistics to be drawn from the following: | 1 | |
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| or any Topics Course in Language Acquisition or Language Processing | ||
| 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 CLPS department. Electives may also be drawn from courses in other 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 | |
| Advanced Courses | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
A course from the 1381 series (Topics in Phonetic & Phonology) | ||
A course from the 1383 series (Topics in Syntax and Semantics). For example: | ||
CLPS 1383D | Topics in Syntax and Semantics | |
A course from the 1385 series (Topics in Language Acquisition) | ||
A course from the 1389 series (Topics in Language Processing) | ||
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
CLPS 1880 series (Topics in Psycholinguistics) | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Other Courses Routinely Fulfilling Linguistics Concentration Requirements (in consultation with the Concentration Advisor): | ||
| NOTE: This is NOT an exhaustive list of courses that can be applied towards the Linguistics Concentration requirements. | ||
| Sound and Symbols: Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Playing with Words: The Linguistic Principles Behind Word Games and Puzzles | ||
| Historical Linguistics | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| History of the Ancient Egyptian Language | ||
| Sociolinguistics (with Case Studies on the Former USSR and Eastern Europe) | ||
| Logic | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Total Credits | 10 | |
| 1 | It is recommended that students take CLPS 1330 or CLPS 1331 before higher level courses. |
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 CLPS 1980 (Directed Research in Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences) - 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 CLPS Honors Program page for detailed information about the Linguistics Honors program.
Independent Study
Independent study is encouraged for the A.B. degree. Students should sign up for CLPS 1980 with a faculty advisor who is a member of the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences (CLPS). 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.
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 additional linguistics course, either as additional breadth or in the focus area
- One Capstone course
Language, Computation, and Information Pathway
| Gateway course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| At least one course in phonetics / phonology, such as: | 1 | |
| Phonology | ||
| 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 | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| At least one course in psycholinguistics, such as: | 1 | |
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Three electives specifically in the focus area, such as: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
| Information Theory in Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Structures and Probability | ||
| Computational Linguistics | ||
| Four non-linguistic focus area electives, such as: | 4 | |
| Introduction to programming | ||
| Multivariate Statistical Techniques | ||
| Statistical Inference I | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Structures and Probability | ||
| Artificial Intelligence | ||
| Machine Learning | ||
| Data Science | ||
| Statistical Programming in R | ||
| Linear Algebra | ||
| Two additional courses outside the main focus that satisfy the Linguistics AB requirement, such as: | 2 | |
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Sociolinguistics (with Case Studies on the Former USSR and Eastern Europe) | ||
Or many others (see Linguistics AB for examples) | ||
| One additional class in linguistics (related or unrelated to the focus area), such as: | 1 | |
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| One independent study / capstone requirement | 1 | |
| Directed Reading in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Directed Research in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Language, Mind and Brain Pathway
| Gateway course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| At least one course in phonetics / phonology, such as: | 1 | |
| Phonology | ||
| 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 | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| At least one course in psycholinguistics, such as: | 1 | |
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Three electives specifically in the focus area, such as: | 3 | |
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Four non-linguistic focus area electives, such as: | 4 | |
| Human Cognition | ||
| Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Children's Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development | ||
| Statistical Methods | ||
| Cognitive Neuropsychology | ||
| Computational Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Cognitive Development | ||
| Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience | ||
| Research Methods And Design | ||
| Introduction to Computational Neuroscience | ||
| Neural Systems | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Two additional courses outside the main focus that satisfy the Linguistics AB requirement, such as: | 2 | |
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Sociolinguistics (with Case Studies on the Former USSR and Eastern Europe) | ||
Or many others (see Linguistics AB for examples) | ||
| One additional class in linguistics (related or unrelated to the focus area), such as: | 1 | |
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Introduction to Corpus Linguistics | ||
| One independent study / capstone requirement | 1 | |
| Directed Reading in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Directed Research in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Meaning and Logic Pathway
| Gateway course | 1 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| At least one course in phonetics / phonology, such as: | 1 | |
| Phonology | ||
| 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 | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| At least one course in psycholinguistics, such as: | 1 | |
| Language and the Mind | ||
| Child Language Acquisition | ||
| Learning Compositional Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| Language Processing in Humans and Machines | ||
| Laboratory in Psycholinguistics | ||
| Three electives specifically in the focus area, such as: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Syntax | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Lexical Semantics | ||
| Compositional Semantics | ||
| Pragmatics | ||
| Conditionals | ||
| Philosophy of Language | ||
| Four non-linguistic focus area electives, such as: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Higher Mathematics | ||
| Introduction to Discrete Structures and Probability | ||
| Paradox and Infinity | ||
| Twentieth-Century Analytic Philosophy | ||
| Mathematical Logic | ||
| Advanced Deductive Logic | ||
| Theories of Truth | ||
| Human Cognition | ||
| Children's Thinking: The Nature of Cognitive Development | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Two additional courses outside the main focus that satisfy the Linguistics AB requirement, such as: | 2 | |
| Linguistic Field Methods | ||
| Linguistic Variation and Universals | ||
| Sociolinguistics, Discourse and Dialogue | ||
| Sociolinguistics (with Case Studies on the Former USSR and Eastern Europe) | ||
Or many others (see Linguistics AB for examples) | ||
| One additional class in linguistics (related or unrelated to the focus area), such as: | 1 | |
| Information Theory in Language | ||
| Language Processing | ||
| One independent study / capstone requirement | 1 | |
| Directed Reading in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Directed Research in Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences | ||
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Honors (17 courses)
The Honors program requires one additional elective, which will typically be a second CLPS 1980 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 (see Departmental regulations regarding Honors’ theses, which can be found at https://www.brown.edu/academics/cognitive-linguistic-psychological-sciences/honors) 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).