Undergraduate Major in General Linguistics

For students who matriculated at Queens College in Fall 2012 or later

In this program students study the phonological, semantic, syntactic, and morphological aspects of language. They learn the linguistic, psycholinguistic, and sociolinguistic principles underlying language acquisition, especially the acquisition of languages beyond those learned in infancy and early childhood. They analyze the complexities in the structure and social use of languages both in monolingual and multilingual populations.

Requirements for the Major

• Satisfactory completion of the following 39 credits:
  
  • LCD 101, 102, 116, 120, 130, 205, 220, 360 
  • LCD 144 or 288 
  • Four elective courses from the following list: any LCD course; ANTH 104, 280, 289, 380, 389; PHIL 109
• No course will count toward this major with a grade lower than C-.

Advisement

• Students must call or visit the LCD office to arrange an advisement session with the Program Director. This should be done as early as possible, but no later than the first Fall semester of study in the major.
• In the first Fall semester of study in the major, students must take the following courses (if not taken previously): LCD 101, 102, 116, 120, and 130.
• Subsequent course sequencing will be established at the advisement session.

Course Descriptions

LCD 101. Introduction to Language. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  A survey of the study of language: Structure, language and society, first and second language acquisition, and other related topics. (Fulfills LASAR Humanities III requirement.) 

LCD 102. Analyzing Language. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  Developing and evaluating hypotheses about linguistic data drawn from a variety of languages in the areas of sound structure (phonology), word structure (morphology), and sentence structure (syntax).

LCD 116. The Structure of English Words. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  The structure of English vocabulary; how words are formed; rules for determining the meaning, spelling, and pronunciation of English words.

LCD 120. The Syntactic Structure of English I. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  The study of the structure of sentences in English, with implications for TESOL, Part I.

LCD 130. The Sound Structure of English. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  The study of the articulation and patterning of sounds in English, with implications for TESOL.

LCD 144. Language and Social Diversity. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  Students explore dialectal and linguistic diversity as a form of social diversity in various countries around the world. Students read and report on research articles on these topics and collaborate on an original class research project that examines one linguistic phenomenon in its social context

LCD 205. Sociolinguistics. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  Prereq.: LCD 101 or 104 or 105. Introduction to the study of the relationship between language and society. Socio-cultural factors which influence language form, use, and history. (Fulfills one of the LASAR requirements in the Social Sciences.)

LCD 220. The Syntactic Structure of English II. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  The study of the structure of sentences in English, with implications for TESOL, Part II. Continuation of LCD 120.

LCD 288. Voices of New York. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  Prereq.: 6 credits in social sciences or in courses in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders, or by permission of instructor. A research seminar for students using sociolinguistic and anthropological perspectives to explore current language use and attitudes in New York. Under the guidance of experienced language researchers, students formulate research questions, and design and carry out original field research projects to answer these questions. Findings will be presented to the professors, the class, and posted at a dedicated website.

LCD 360. Issues in Linguistic Research. 3 hr.; 3 cr.  Prereq.: LCD 101. This course focuses on contemporary issues in any of the major branches of linguistics. May be repeated for credit when topics vary sufficiently. There is a substantial writing commitment in this course.