We consider the relevance of these materials to language learning both in and out of the classroom. This course begins with a brief discussion of the nature of language and language variation and a brief review of English phonology, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, and semantics. It also includes an introduction to the comparative method of linguistic reconstruction and a discussion of the place of English among the Indo-European languages. The bulk of the course is devoted to study of the major periods in the history of the English, using the concepts covered at the beginning of the course. This course is a study of major regional and social varieties of American English.
Students design and carry out research projects requiring linguistic field work.
On these projects, graduates must either work independently or direct a study in which undergraduates participate as assistants. To guide them in designing such projects, they will read extra material about linguistic research. The name of this course may imply either a theoretical or an applied approach. In the latter, writers try to master an ever-expanding repertory of words and grammatical structures, and to develop sophisticated judgment about when and where to use them. I try to focus on both approaches about equally, emphasizing ways they reinforce each other.