Courses

Please check the current version of the University Calendar for up-to-date information regarding the Linguistics program and prerequisites for individual courses in Linguistics.  In case of any discrepancy between our website and the University Calendar, the information on the University Calendar should be taken as accurate.

Below you will find information on Directed Research Courses, Special Topics Courses and Prerequisite requirements.

Directed Research Courses

LING 375 is an independent study of a particular sub-area of linguistics. Normally offered as a reading course and directed research practicum through special prior arrangement. Prerequisite: Consent of Instructor.

LING 475 is advanced independent study of a particular sub-area of linguistics. Normally offered as a reading course and directed research practicum through special prior arrangement. Prerequisite: LING 375 and Consent of Instructor.

The goal of these courses is to provide undergraduate students opportunities to participate in basic research as a complement to their undergraduate coursework and as a possible precursor to graduate studies in linguistics. These are also required courses for Honors students.

Special Topics in Linguistics

Fall 2024

LING 299 (A1) – Special Topic in Linguistics: Multilingualism in Society
Instructor: Yvonne Lam

We will explore the societal and individual factors that influence how multilingual speakers use their languages, focusing on questions of identity, language ideologies, and language politics. We will discuss how these factors can sustain or, conversely, discourage multilingual practices in different contexts, including immigrant populations and Indigenous communities. Prerequisite: None

Winter 2025

LING 299/MTS 299 (B1) Special Topic Linguistics: Language and Internet
Instructor: Tim Mills

The language of digital communication is different. It's different from casual spoken language, and it's different from formal written language. You hear about kids online ruining the language and about old people online sounding weird, about tiktoks and social media and memes, about punctuation and capitalization and emoji. In Language and the Internet, we look at the various sides of digital language, learning about the descriptive and analytical tools that linguists use as we discover patterns, identify connections with pre-digital forms of language, and assess the communicative, social, and technological forces that drive these behaviours. Prerequisite: None

LING 299 (B2)  Special Topics Linguistics: Metaphor in Language and Mind
Instructor: Herb Colston

Recent research has explored metaphor not only in language and thought, but also in virtually any human-created thing, from images through music, to architecture and other concretely designed and built things, to even our fundamental abstract concepts like morality, social relationships, love, and life. The course should appeal to a wide diversity of students from EFS, Linguistics, Psychology, and many others. It may be used for credit towards an English major. Prerequisite: None

LING 499/599 (B1) Special Topics in Linguistics Theory: Conceptual History of Linguistics Instructor: Juhani Järvikivi

If someone asks you what this linguistics is that you are studying, you will probably say something along the lines of it being the scientific study of human language, and then you list examples of what linguists do. But, did you ever stop to think about what 'scientific', 'study' or 'language' mean in this context, where do our current ideas come from, do all linguists agree...? In this seminar course, we will take a quick trip through the conceptual history of modern day linguistic thought (in some of its various incarnations), and think a bit about what linguistics does (and is it the same as what linguists say they do?). Prerequisite: LING 309 and LING 310 or consent from instructor.

Prerequisites

Information here is provided as a courtesy to help you get started planning your program.

Courses with no prerequisites
  • LING 101
  • LING 102
  • LING 323
Courses with only LING 101 as a prerequisite
  • LING 204
  • LING 205
  • LING 314
  • LING316
  • LING 319 (Ling 204 and 205 recommended)
  • LING 320 (Ling 204 recommended)
  • LING 322
  • LING 324
  • LING 325
Courses with LING 204 and/or LING 205 as prerequisites
  • LING 308 (Ling 204, 205 AND 310 required)
  • LING 309 (Ling 204 required)
  • LING 310 (Ling 205 required)
  • LING 321 (Ling 204 required)
Courses with Ling 309 as a prerequisite
  • LING 401
  • LING 407
Courses with Ling 310 as a prerequisite
  • LING 308 (Ling 204, 205 AND 310 required)
  • LING 405
Prerequisites for 500 level courses (Undergraduates who have the required prerequisites may enroll in 5** level courses)
  • LING 500, 515, 519 require 2 of 308, 309, or 310
  • LING 509 requires 309 and one of 308 or 310
  • LING 510 and 512 require 310 and one of 308 or 309
  • LING 501 and 502 require 2 of 308, 309, or 310 and admission to the Honors Program
Note regarding prerequisites for courses

Please bear in mind that the prerequisites are in place for a reason: for certain classes, you need background knowledge from lower-level courses. Prerequisites cannot normally be waived unless you have taken equivalent courses at other institutions. It is the student's responsibility to take these requirements into account, and to plan his/her academic schedule accordingly. If you register for a course without having the prerequisites, or a waiver, you may be dis-enrolled or denied credit for the course after the fact.