Nothing is more distinctly human than our ability to use language. Introduction to Language. In this course, we will explore the human capacity for language, beginning with the ways language differs from animal communication and with how children acquire language. After a brief investigation of the relationship between language and thought, we will consider social attitudes toward language. The course concludes with an examination of American Sign Language and its role in Deaf culture.
Course work includes eight short homework assignments, one midterm, and a final exam.
Political and Advertising Discourse. Magazine ads and political speeches are monologues, but work best by simulating dialogue at key points. Space, change, morality, sexuality, emotion, age, nature, and gender have similar ambiguities. Political debates are studied as a hybrid between speeches and conversations. Ling. 210 or 211.