This course introduces students to research on comparative linguistics across a variety of subareas. It is directed to students who are interested in the comparative analysis of language pairs or language clusters, using different methodologies. Similarities and differences across the languages under study can be explored from a theoretical (generativist), diachronic (grammaticalization), typological or corpus-based perspectives. The course focuses primarily on the formal properties and the variation (within the same language and across languages) of Romance and Germanic languages. However, students will be able to examine such properties in the languages of their choice.
Course Requirements:
The three requirements of this course include a detailed outline of the final paper, a 7-10 page mid-term paper and a 15-page final paper.
Intended Audience:
Linguistics majors and minors. Students in this class are strongly encouraged to have already taken a 300-level or higher course in Linguistics. Others should seek permission from the instructor.
Class Format:
Lecture/group discussions