This course will look at the role of narration in the construction of some of the basic forms of modernity and post-modernity, ranging from nationalism to performative approaches to identity. The first half of the course will introduce the basic linguistic tools necessary to analyze a variety of cultural materials, and the second half will be devoted to analyzing specific texts and student presentations. The course does not presuppose any technical training in linguistics or literary analysis. 3.00 Fall 01 Survey of the current research on the nature of diachronic processes and their implications for linguistic theory. May include diachronic typology, issues in genetic classification, grammaticalization, syntactic change, and analogical change.
Content varies from year to year.
LING 300 or permission of instructor. Also offered as ANTH 412. 3.00 Fall 01 Study of the primary basis of language in human intelligence. Includes exploration of conclusions from ethology, comparative psychology, and the study of learning and memory. 01 Investigation of what human languages have in common and a range of ways in which they can differ.