Package b is the summer you really get into the nitty-gritty of language documentation and analysis. Learning from teachers who have been doing this for years, you will work harder than you thought you could, and fall even more in love with language and linguistics.
- Ling 451: Phonology 1 every summer!
- [Standard SIL name: Introduction to Phonology]
3 semester hours
Prerequisite: Ling 450 (Articulatory Phonetics) or, with permission of instructor an Introduction to Linguistics (such as Engl 209) as a prerequisite and Ling 450 as a corequisite.
Knowing what sounds are used in a spoken language (phonetics) isn’t enough; each language uses its sounds in different ways. Sounds are pronounced differently in different contexts, and two sounds that sound alike to speakers of one language will make a difference of meaning in another. Syllables and stress are important, and tones can seem to move from one syllable to another. Some phonetic details are important to write in an orthography, while others are not; in fact, writing too much phonetic detail can confuse speakers who have learned to ignore them. You’ll learn how to figure it all out and move from just hearing the sounds phonetically into an understanding of how native speakers perceive and produce them. (Available for graduate credit; graduate students taking this course will be expected to do graduate level work and will receive graduate credit.) - Ling 506: Field Methods every summer!
- [Standard SIL names: Linguistic Field Methods, Computer Data Management (in combination with Media Technology)]
3 semester hours
Prerequisites: Ling 450 (Articulatory Phonetics) and Ling 452 (Syntax and Morphology 1), recommended Ling 480 (Learner-Directed Second Language Acquisition), or equivalents.
Pre- or Corequisite: Ling 451 (Phonology 1) or equivalent, Ling 506L (Media Technology for Linguistic Research).
Once you’ve got a handle on the basic skills of phonetics, phonology, morphology and syntax, how do you put them all together and understand how a language as a whole works? Especially, when there’s no one around to tell you what the rules are—you have to figure them out by talking with people. Computers can help, but the main thing is knowing how to work with real speakers, and you’ll get a chance to do that for an hour a day outside the main class through the whole summer, with a language that is very different from anything you’ve ever learned. Keeping track of all the details you’re learning is a challenge, and we’ll teach you how to work systematically and keep it all straight, and to do so in a way that helps speakers themselves to come to a deeper understanding of and appreciation for their language.Required equipment: (If you don’t own appropriate equipment, wait until the class begins to get specific advice before buying anything. In some cases, equipment may be available to borrow.) For work with spoken languages: an electronic digital audio recorder, or computer with audio recording capability; external microphone; headphones. This equipment should be music quality, not just speech quality. For work with signed languages: a digital camcorder, tripod, and computer with ability to capture and playback digital video. - Ling 506L: Media Technology for Linguistic Research every summer!
- [Standard SIL name: Computer Data Management (in combination with Field Methods)]
1 semester hour
When learning and analyzing a new language, digital media recording is essential. Getting good data for analysis is not as simple as just pushing “play” on a recorder. Processing it on a computer can be a challenge too, and this class will teach you to collect, edit, use and analyze digital recordings on a computer, both audio and video, with a little bit on digital images too. There are two sections, one for spoken languages, one for signed languages, with different emphases. People normally take it at the same time as Ling 506 Field Methods, because it teaches the tools used in that class. But, it can also be taken independently, as it is also useful for several other courses, such as Acoustic Phonetics, Language Documentation, Phonology of Signed Languages, Morphosyntax of Signed Languages, and for a thesis that involves language date collection or language documentation. - Ling 535: Ethnographic Methods in Field Linguistics every summer!
- [Standard SIL name: Cultural Anthropology]
3 semester hours
Prerequisites: An introduction to linguistics, such as that provided by our package a or by a course entitled “Introduction to Linguistics” (such as English 209 at UND).
Language is embedded within culture, and when you’re learning a new language, you have to learn the culture too. Cultures vary so much from one place to another, in their social, political, economic, and religious aspects. This course focuses on those parts of cultural anthropology that are especially important for field linguistic research and language development projects. You’ll learn ethnographic field methods for collecting cultural data, including practical experience applying those methods in a research project. It’s good to take at the same time as Ling 506 Field Methods, because of the possibilities for integrated assignments between the two courses.
On this website, we’ve described some courses informally. If you want the official descriptions, see the UND academic catalog.