Courses offered in 2022-2023

Courses with suffix A or Q are offered in the Fall term (September to December)
Courses with suffix B are offered in the Winter term (January to April)

FALL 2022

Linguist 9500Q/9501Q - Graduate research seminar

Dr. David Heap
Friday 11:00am-12:30am
University College, Room 2120

Course outline

Note: 1st year MA students must enroll in Linguist9501Q.
2nd year MA students must enroll in Linguist9500Q.

As part of your training in linguistics, you will develop valuable transferrable skills that can be effectively applied in a wide range of job settings. This course aims to help students identify and strengthen their marketable skills and learn to present themselves effectively to prospective employers both within and outside of academia. These skills include time management, oral communication, grant writing, teaching, leadership, research, project management, editing, interpersonal skills, and an appreciation of ethical and civic responsibility.

Linguist 9601A - Syntax

Dr. Jacques Lamarche
Wednesday 9:30am-12:30pm
University College, Room 2120

Course outline

This course explores the empirical and theoretical consequences of assuming that compositional syntax strictly operates on the phonological matrices of lexical words. Under this view, lexical words are treated as labels: a word is, in essence, as specific formal object that is recognized as relevant for a language because it has at least one established use, a meaning. I assume that the meaning itself, however, is not relevant for grammatical theory because it is established by social conventions. My position is that distinctions that rely on social conventions should be excluded of the formal theory of grammar. What is left of lexical words, then, is their formal constitution. Under this view, many basic distinctions which are traditionally viewed as lexical (occurring at the level of the input, the head, of the structure) are assumed to be compositionally constructed at the level of the constituent, at the output of syntax.

The first few courses present the theorical and conceptual motivations behind a radical formal grammar. The course then presents a rule system which that only uses the phonological matrix of lexical words in the composition of sentences: the two-rule syntax proposed introduces at the level of constituent the traditional categories and semantic types that are traditionally assumed to be properties of lexical form. As a fragment of English is developed during the course to present the system, students will get the opportunity to compare this approach to standard analysis of many well-known constructions of English.

Linguist 9237A - Field Techniques in Linguistics

Dr. Tania Granadillo
Monday, 9:30am-11:30am
Location: SSC 3102

Course outline - click here

Linguist 9709A - Second Language Speech Learning in Context

Dr. Yasaman Rafat
Monday, 12:30am-3:30pm
Location: TBA

Course outline - click here

WINTER 2023

Linguist 9621B - Phonology

Dr. Jeff Tennant
Thursday 9:30am-12:30pm
University College, Room 2120

Course outline

This is an advanced phonology course for fourth-year undergraduates and masters students in linguistics. The course addresses the interface between phonetics and phonology by focusing on the study of aspects of sound structure using recorded speech. While some aspects of segmental phonology will be examined (e.g. formant measurements for analyzing vowel systems, voice onset time (VOT) for analyzing consonant inventories), a prominent place will be given to prosodic phonology, particularly rhythm and intonation patterns. In addition to a variety of online learning activities, students will complete a number of steps in a research project: literature review, data analysis, abstract, presentation (recorded screencast posted online), and final paper.

Linguist 9610B - Gender Fair or Gender Biased Language?

Dr. David Heap
Wednesday 10:30am-1:30pm
University College, Room 2120

Course outline

Various proposals have undertaken to reduce gender bias in spoken and written language, which is a particular challenge in languages with marked gender, such as French and Spanish. In this course we examine some of the empirical research behind these proposals, consider what conclusions can be drawn and what research may need to be done. as well as implications for morphology and sociolinguistic variation. Through a four-phase research project (annotated bibliography, abstract, in-class presentation, final paper: specific weightings to be discussed at the first class meeting), students either carry out a critical survey of literature to argue a position on a relevant topic, or propose new experimental designs. The language of instruction is English but students have the option of submitting written work in English, French or Spanish. Students in French Studies programs are required to submit all written work in French.