Linguistics
OFFICE: 5237 McGill Hall, Muir College
http://ling.ucsd.edu
Professors
Courses
In what ways do languages differ, and in what ways are all human languages
alike? These are the basic questions that the science of linguistics
seeks to answer.
In formulating hypotheses about language it has been found that languages
have intricate structure at a number of different levels. Phonetics
studies the sounds of speech and how they are produced and perceived.
Phonology studies the principles by which the sounds of a language are
organized into a system and combined into syllables and larger units.
Morphology studies the principles by which smaller units of meaning
are combined into words. Syntax is the study of the principles by which
words are combined into larger units such as phrases and sentences.
Semantics studies meaningthe meanings of words and the ways the
meanings of words are related to the meanings of larger units such as
the phrase, the sentence, and the discourse. Linguists attempt to discover
to what extent the principles at each level vary across languages, and
to what extent they are universal.
Because language provides a window into the human mind, linguistics
plays a central role in the study of human cognition and figures prominently
in the field of cognitive science. We know, for example, that all normal
children succeed in learning language relatively quickly at a time when
their other cognitive abilities are still developing. The universal
properties of human language that linguists discover can be used to
provide models of this process, to explain why it occurs so rapidly,
and to make specific predictions about the way it unfolds. The results
of linguistic research can also be tested directly in experimental studies
of how language is represented and processed in the mind (psycholinguistics)
and brain (neurolinguistics). Language can also be studied in terms
of its function as a cognitive system shared by an entire society; sociolinguistics
investigate the ways in which the language we use is affected by our
social environment.
The department of Linguistics offers a series of lower-division courses
designed to introduce non-majors to the scientific study of language
in the broader perspective of a liberal arts education. These are LIGN
3 (Language as a Social and Cultural Phenomenon), LIGN 4 (Language
as
a Cognitive System), LIGN 7 (Sign Language and Its Culture), LIGN 8
(Languages and Cultures in America), and LIGN 17 (Making and Breaking
Codes). These courses may be used to satisfy the Marshall College disciplinary
breadth requirement. Lower-division linguistics courses may be used
to satisfy the social sciences requirement at Muir College and Revelle
College, and they partially fulfill the requirements for a program
of
concentration in Warren College. In addition, certain linguistics courses
satisfy the American Cultures requirement in Revelle College and the
cultural diversity requirement in Muir College and Warren College.
LIGN
17 (Making and Breaking Codes) satisfies the Thurgood Marshall Computational
Skills requirement in addition to the formal skills requirement in
Warren
College and in the Human Development Program. This course also satisfies
the Structured Reasoning requirement in Sixth College. Students should
consult their college advising offices to determine which linguistics
courses
satisfy these other requirements.
Linguistics courses are relevant to a wide range of fields of study
at UCSD, including anthropology, cognitive science, communication, computer
science, human development, law and society, psychology, and sociology,
as well as areas such as African studies, Chinese studies, ethnic studies,
Judaic studies, Latin American studies, and others. In some cases certain
linguistics courses count toward a major or minor in one of these departments
or programs. Students should consult with a faculty adviser in linguistics
and the other department or program when deciding on their course of
study.
Students are often able to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program
(EAP) and UCSDs Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still
making progress toward the major. Students considering this option should
discuss their plans with the department undergraduate adviser before
going abroad. Detailed information on EAP/OAP is found in this catalog
under the heading Education Abroad Program.
The Department of Linguistics oversees the Linguistics Langauge Program,
which offers basic language instruction in Arabic, ASL, French, German,
Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Courses from the Language Program
satisfy general-education requirements, as well as the Department of
Linguistics language requirement. Graduate students who require a reading
knowledge of French or German may enroll in LIFR 11 or LIGM 11, respectively.
The
department also offers language instruction for individuals who grew
up in an English-speaking environment while speaking a different
language at home (Arabic,
Armenian, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Tagalog, and Vietnamese; other
languages may be added to this list if student demand is sufficient).
Instruction in these
languages is designed to raise students’ linguistic and cultural competence
to professional levels. Finally, directed self-instruction is available for
a wide variety of languages through LIDS 19.
Note: Please check with the department office for updates concerning
programs and course offerings.
The Major Program
General Requirements
Every linguistics major (except the language studies major) must satisfy
the undergraduate language requirement and must successfully complete
a minimum of twelve upper-division courses, including six required courses
and at least five upper-division linguistics electives. In addition
to the general major, the department offers a set of enriched major
programs in various specializations.
Except for LIGN 199, no course taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis may be
counted toward a linguistics major. No more than one quarter of LIGN
199 may be counted toward a linguistics major. At least six of the required
upper-division linguistics courses counted toward the major must be
taken in residence at UCSD. A letter grade of C or better is required
for every course counted toward a linguistics major, including courses
taken to satisfy the departments undergraduate language requirement.
Required Linguistics Courses
Linguistics 101 is required as an introduction to the field and serves
as the prerequisite to certain other courses. Students who choose a
linguistics major should enroll in it as early as possible.
Every major program in linguistics (except the language studies major)
must include the following required courses covering basic areas of
the field:
LIGN 101: Introduction to the Study of Language
LIGN 110: Phonetics
LIGN 111: Phonology I
LIGN 120: Morphology
LIGN 121: Syntax I
LIGN 130: Semantics
Students are advised to take these required courses as early as possible,
since the background they provide may be needed for other upper-division
linguistics courses. Check individual course listings for prerequisite
information.
Linguistics Electives
LIGN 104: Language and Conceptualization
LIGN 105: Law and Language
LIGN 108: Languages of Africa
LIGN 140: The Structure of American Sign Language
LIGN 141: Language Structures
LIGN 142: Language Typology
LIGN 143: The Structure of Spanish
LIGN 144: Discourse Analysis: American Sign Language and Performing
Arts
LIGN 145: Pidgins and Creoles
LIGN 146: Sociolinguistics in Deaf Communities
LIGN 150: Historical Linguistics
LIGN 165: Computational Linguistics
LIGN 169: Principles of Discourse and Dialog
LIGN 170: Psycholinguistics
LIGN 171: Child Language Acquisition
LIGN 172: Language and the Brain
LIGN 174: Gender and Language in Society
LIGN 175: Sociolinguistics
LIGN 176: Language of Politics and Advertising
LIGN 177: Multilingualism
LIGN 178: Second Language Teaching Methodology
LIGN 179: Second Language Acquisition Research
Restricted Courses
LIGN 195: Apprentice Teaching (does not count as a linguistics elective)
LIGN 197: Linguistics Internship
LIGN 199: Independent Study in Linguistics
LIGN 199H: Honors Independent Study in Linguistics
Note to Revelle and Warren students.
Revelle: For Revelle College only, the classification of the
linguistics major as humanities, natural science, or social science
must be determined on the basis of each students specific program.
The classification of the major program will in turn determine what
areas will be acceptable for the noncontiguous minor.
Warren: For Warren College only, any courses taken in departments
other than linguistics may not overlap with the students outside
area(s) of concentration.
Undergraduate Language Requirement
Linguistics majors must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language.
Proficiency in a foreign language may be demonstrated in either of
two ways:
- By passing the reading proficiency examination and the oral interview
administered by the Department of Linguistics in French, German, Italian,
or Spanish; or
- By successfully completing a course given at UCSD representing
the fourth quarter (or beyond) of instruction in any single foreign
language with a grade of C or better.
Students are encouraged to satisfy this requirement as early as possible
in order to be able to use the language for reference in linguistics
courses. Students with native language competence in a language other
than English may petition to have English count as satisfying the proficiency
requirement.
General Major (12 courses)
The general major in linguistics requires satisfaction of the undergraduate
language requirement and successful completion of twelve upper-division
courses:
6 required linguistics courses:
LIGN 101
LIGN 110
LIGN 111
LIGN 120
LIGN 121
LIGN 130
5 linguistics electives
1 additional linguistics elective or upper-division course in another
department pertaining to the study of language
Specialized Majors
Every student with a specialized major must consult the faculty
adviser in the Department of Linguistics to have approved an individual
curricular plan to satisfy the major requirements for the option chosen.
Each specialized major requires satisfaction of the undergraduate language
requirement and successful completion of upper-division requirements
as specified below. The specialization will be reflected in the wording
of a degree, e.g., B.A. in Linguistics (with Specialization in
Language and Society).
Cognition and Language (12 courses)
6 required linguistics courses:
LIGN 101
LIGN 110
LIGN 111
LIGN 120
LIGN 121
LIGN 130
4 linguistics electives chosen from:
LIGN 104
LIGN 165
LIGN 170
LIGN 171
LIGN 172
LIGN 176
LIGN 179
2 additional courses from linguistics or other departments subject
to adviser approval.
Courses currently approved to satisfy this requirement include the
following (Note: some of these courses may have prerequisites):
Linguistics:
Any upper-division courses (except those used to fulfill requirements
A and B).
Anthropology:
ANBI 140: The Evolution of the Human Brain
ANBI 159: Biological and Cultural Perspectives on Intelligence
ANBI 161: Human Evolution
ANBI 173: Cognition in Animals and Humans
Cognitive Science:
COGS 101C: Language
COGS 102A: Distributed Cognition
COGS 102B: Everyday Cognition
COGS 107C: Cognitive Neuroscience
COGS 108D: Programming Methods for Cognitive Science
COGS 108E: Neural Network Models of Cognition I
COGS 108F: Advanced Programming Methods for Cognitive Science
COGS 151: Analogy and Conceptual Systems
COGS 153: Language Comprehension
COGS 154: Communication Disorders in Children and Adults
COGS 156: Language Development
COGS 170: Natural and Artificial Symbolic Representational Systems
COGS 181: Neural Network Models of Cognition II
COGS 184: Modeling the Evolution of Cognition
COGS 191: Laboratory Research
Computer Science and Engineering:
CSE 133: Information Retrieval
Philosophy:
PHIL 110: Wittgenstein
PHIL 120: Symbolic Logic I
PHIL 121: Symbolic Logic II
PHIL 134: Philosophy of Language
PHIL 135: Meaning and Communication
PHIL 136: Philosophy of Mind
PHIL 150: Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences
Psychology:
PSYC 105: Introduction to Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 118A: Real-Time Examination of Language Processing
PSYC 118B: Real-time Examination of Language Processing
PSYC 119: Psycholinguistics/Cognition Laboratory
PSYC 145: Psychology of Language
Language and Society (12 courses)
6 required linguistics courses
2 appropriate upper-division courses in other departments (especially
the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, Cognitive Science, or
Sociology), selected in consultation with the faculty adviser for language
and society
1 course in sociolinguistics (by approval of the faculty adviser, may
be taken in another department)
3 linguistics electives. Courses particularly relevant to this specialization
are:
LIGN 105: Law and Language
LIGN 175: Sociolinguistics
LIGN 176: Language of Politics and Advertising
LIGN 177: Multilingualism
Language Studies Major
Students majoring in language studies must consult with the language
studies faculty adviser to approve an individual curricular plan.
The language studies major is designed for students who wish to pursue
the study of a particular language from a variety of perspectives. To
this end, students will take courses in linguistics and literature,
as well as electives in linguistics, literature, culture, and area studies.
This major provides preparation for a variety of careers that make use
of second language skills. Depending on the elective emphasis, these
include international business/law, teaching, translation, interpreting,
linguistics, and foreign service. Each language studies major will specialize
in one language of concentration. In principle, this could be
any language other than English. However, some languages may require
that some coursework be completed outside UCSD. Hence, it is recommended
that language studies majors consider a year abroad. Students whose
language of concentration is American Sign Language will need
to consult the faculty adviser for individualized requirements; these
students may also consider an exchange year at Gallaudet University.
Requirements:
Lower-division preparation:
- Two years of language instruction in the language of concentration,
or equivalent proficiency
- Lower-division prerequisites for upper-division courses in the
literature of the language of concentration
Upper-division requirements:
Note: At least two of the upper-division courses must be conducted
in the language of concentration. Students are encouraged to increase
their academic exposure to their language of concentration by taking
one-unit seminars in the language and by participating in the EAP program.
- 6 upper-division linguistics courses, as follows:
LIGN 101: Introduction to Linguistics
3 courses chosen from:
LIGN 104: Language and Conceptualization
LIGN 110: Phonetics
LIGN 111: Phonology I
LIGN 120: Morphology
LIGN 121: Syntax I
LIGN 130: Semantics
LIGN 150: Historical Linguistics
Structure of language of concentration (e.g., LIGN 143
Structure of Spanish). If no such course is available, then any upper-division
LIGN course or any course from another department (e.g., literature)
that deals with the structure or history of the language of concentration
may be substituted (subject to faculty approval).
One additional upper-division LIGN course.
- 2 upper-division courses in the literature of the language of concentration
- 4 additional upper-division courses that deal with general linguistics,
the language of concentration (e.g., literature), or the corresponding
culture/area studies (e.g., anthropology, economics, history, political
science, sociology), subject to approval of the faculty advisor.
Approved courses for this requirement include the following (Note:
some of these courses may have prerequisites):
Linguistics: Any upper-division courses (except those used to
fulfill requirement A).
Literature: Any upper-division courses related to the language
of concentration (except those used to fulfill requirement B).
Area Studies: Approved courses are listed by language of concentration;
other languages of concentration are possible in principle, but probably
require coursework outside of UCSD.
ASL
COM/HIP 124: Voice: Deaf People in America
Chinese
ANRG 170: Traditional Chinese Society
ANRG 173: Chinese Popular Religion
HIEA 120: Classical Chinese Philosophy and Culture
HIEA 123: Food in Chinese History
HIEA 130: History of the Modern Chinese Revolution: 18001911
HIEA 132: History of the Peoples Republic of China
HIEA 137: Women and Family in Chinese History
HIEA 167: Special Topics in Modern Chinese History
POLI 130B: Politics in the Peoples Republic of China
POLI 131C: The Chinese Revolution
POLI 132B: Politics and Revolution in China and Japan
SOCD 158J: Religion and Ethics in China and Japan
SOCD 188B: Chinese Society
French
HIEU 129: Paris, Past and Present
HIEU 131: The French Revolution: 17891814
HIEU 153A-B: Nineteenth-Century FranceTwentieth-Century France
POLI 120C: Politics in France
German
HIEU 132: German Politics and Culture: 16481848
HIEU 154: Modern German History
HIEU 177: Special Topics in Modern German Thought
POLI 120B: The German Political System
POLI 120D: Germany: Before, During, and After Division
Hebrew
ANRG 150: The Rise and Fall of Ancient Israel
ANRG 162: Peoples of the Middle East
HINE 100: The Ancient Near East and Israel
HINE 102: The Jews in Their Homeland in Antiquity
HINE 103: The Jewish Diaspora in Antiquity
HINE 170: Special Topics in Jewish History
HINE 186: Special Topics in Middle Eastern History
POLI 121: Middle East Politics
SOCD 188O: Dilemmas of Israeli Society
Italian
HIEU 122: Politics Italian Renaissance Style
HIEU 124: The City in Italy
Japanese
ECON 163: Japanese Economy
HIEA 110: Japan Through the Twelfth Century
HIEA 111: Japan: Twelfth to Mid- Nineteenth Centuries
HIEA 112: Japan: From the Mid-Nineteenth Century through the U.S.
Occupation
HIEA 113: The Fifteen-Year War in Asia and the Pacific
HIEA 114: Postwar Japan
HIEA 115: Social and Cultural History of Twentieth-Century Japan
HIEA 116: Japan-U.S. Relations
HIEA 160: Colloquium on Modern Japanese History
HIEA 161: Representing Japan
POLI 113B: Chinese and Japanese Political Thought (I)
POLI 113C: Chinese and Japanese Political Thought (II)
POLI 132B: Politics and Revolution in China and Japan
POLI 133A: Japanese Politics: A Developmental Perspective
POLI 133E: Public Policy in Japan
SOCD 158J: Religion and Ethics in China and Japan
SOCD 188G: Policemen, Businessmen, and Students: Japanese Organizational
Cultures
Russian
HIEU 134: Russia: Ninth Century to 1855
HIEU 156: Russia: 1855 to the Present
HIEU 178: Special Topics in Modern Russian History
POLI 126AB: Politics and Economics in Eastern Europe
POLI 130AA: The Soviet Successor States
POLI 130AD: The Politics of the Russian Revolution
POLI 147A: Soviet Foreign Policy
SOCD 188E Soviet Society
Spanish
ANRG 133: Politics and Modernity: Urban Cultures in Latin America
ANRG 134: The Cultures of Mexico
COM/SF 140C: Comparative Media Systems: Latin America and the Caribbean
COM/CUL 110: Cinema in Latin America
ECON 161: Latin American Economic Development
ETHN 132: Chicano Dramatic Literature
ETHN 133: Hispanic-American Dramatic Literature
ETHN 135A: Early Latino/a-Chicano/a Cultural Production: 18481960
ETHN 135B: Contemporary Latino/a- Chicano/a Cultural Production: 1960
to Present
ETHN 136: Topics in Chicano/a-Latino/a Cultures
ETHN 138: Chicano/a and Latino/a Poetry
ETHN 139: Chicano Literature in English
ETHN 145: Spanish Language in the United States
ETHN 180: Topics in Mexican American History
HIEU 138: Imperial Spain, 14761808
HIEU 151: Spain since 1808
HIEU 165: Special Topics in Early Modern Spain
HIEU 175: Selected Topics in the History of Nineteenth- and Twentieth-
Century Spain
HILA 100: Latin America-Colonial Transformations
HILA 101: Latin America: The Construction of Independence 18101898
HILA 102: Latin America in the Twentieth Century
HILA 107: State and Society in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century
Latin America
HILA 112: Economic and Social History of the Andean Region
HILA 113: Lord and Peasant in Latin America
HILA 114: Social History of Colonial Latin America
HILA 115: The Latin American City, A History
HILA 116: Encounter of Two Worlds: Early Colonial Latin America
HILA 117: Indians, Blacks, and Whites: Family Relations in Latin America
HILA 120: History of Argentina
HLA 122: Cuba: From Colony to Socialist Republic
HILA 131: A History of Mexico
HILA 132: A History of Contemporary Mexico
HILA 160: Topics in Latin American Colonial History, 15001820
HILA 161: History of Women in Latin America
HILA 162: Special Topics in Latin American History
HILA 166: Cuba: From Colony to Socialist Republic
LATI 120: Special Topics in Latin American Studies
THHS 109: African Heritage in Contemporary Drama: African, Caribbean,
and African-American
THHS 110: Chicano Dramatic Literature
THHS 111: Hispanic-American Dramatic Literature
POLI 134B: Politics in Mexico
POLI 134C: Politics in Mexico
POLI 134D: Selected Topics in Latin American Politics
POLI 134G: Politics in the Andes
POLI 134I: Politics in the Southern Cone of Latin America
POLI 134N: Politics in Central America
POLI 134P: Organizing Women in Latin America
POLI 134Q: Organization, Resistance, and Protest in Latin America
POLI 134R: Political Parties in Latin America
POLI 146A: The U.S. and Latin America: Political and Economic Relations
POLI 146E: U.S.-Latin American Relations: Security Issues
SOCC 151M: Chicanos in American Society
SOCD 188D: Latin America: Society and Politics
Honors Program
The department offers an honors program for outstanding students. Those
students who have a 3.75 GPA in linguistics (3.25 overall) at the end
of their junior year are eligible to participate. Students interested
in participating in the honors program should consult with their department
adviser: admission to the program requires nomination by the adviser
and approval of the department faculty.
The honors program requires that two graduate linguistics courses be
taken as part of the twelve required courses for the major, and further
requires one quarter of LIGN 199H. During one of the two graduate courses,
the student, in consultation with the instructor and a faculty adviser,
will begin a substantial research project which will be continued during
the quarter of 199H and will culminate in an honors paper. Responsibility
for proposing possible projects and completing necessary paperwork rests
with the student. Upon successful completion of the requirements the
designation with distinction, with high distinction,
or with highest distinction will appear on the students
diploma.
Independent Study and Directed Group Study in Linguistics for Majors
Upon presentation of a written study proposal or project, and with
the consent of the instructor and the adviser, linguistics majors with
at least a 3.5 GPA in the major courses may request permission to undertake
independent study in linguistics (LIGN 199). No more than one such course
(to be taken Pass/Not Pass) may count toward the major.
The Minor Program
The Linguistics minor consists of LIGN 101, plus six additional
courses in linguistics, at least four of which must be upper-division.
For all courses counted toward the linguistics minor, the student must
receive letter grades of C or better. Courses counted toward the
minor may not be taken on a Pass/Not Pass basis, except LIGN 199. Only
one quarter of LIGN 199 may be counted toward the minor.
The Language Studies minor consists of seven courses, at least
five of which must be upper- division:
Literature: One upper-division literature course is required
in the language of concentration. This will require proficiency as well
as lower-division prerequisites. Therefore, the lower-division courses
of the minor may consist of prerequisites for the upper-division literature
requirement. American Sign Language students may substitute a non- literature
upper-division elective with approval of the faculty adviser.
Linguistics: LIGN 101 is required. In addition students must
take either a Structure of course (if available), or one
course chosen from LIGN 104, 110, 111, 120, 121, 130, and 150.
Other: Two additional courses that deal with general linguistics,
the language of concentration (e.g., literature), or the corresponding
culture, subject to approval of the faculty adviser are required.
The Ph.D. Program
The UCSD Ph.D. program in linguistics offers rigorous training in multiple
areas of theoretical linguistics, including syntax, semantics, phonetics,
phonology, and morphology. The department is particularly strong in
the study of interface areas, including syntax/semantics, phonetics/
phonology, and phonology/syntax. Research conducted in a variety of
theoretical frameworks is integrated into the graduate curriculum. Students
receive a firm foundation in both formal and cognitive/functionalist
approaches to syntax and semantics. In phonology, basic training includes
segmental and autosegmental phonology, constraint-based phonology, syllable
theory, metrical theory, and theories of the phonology-morphology interface.
The first two years of graduate study are devoted primarily to gaining
a strong background in these core theoretical areas.
This theoretical strength of the department is matched by strength
in both language study and experimental science. The range of languages
represented in faculty research encompasses American Sign Language (ASL),
Bantu, Caucasian, Chinese, Finno-Ugric, Germanic, Persian, Romance,
Semitic, Slavic, and Uto-Aztecan. The departmental concern with the
empirical facts of language is reflected in a field methods requirement
for graduate students as well as in the graduate student language requirement
(conversational ability in one language other than English and reading
ability in one language other than English). The department has a tradition
of working with native speakers of a wide variety of languages. The
departments language laboratory maintains a library of written
and recorded materials permitting independent study of dozens of languages;
it also includes a microcomputer facility for self- instruction in French,
German, Italian, and Spanish. The Linguistics Language Program (LLP)
provides basic foreign language instruction for the entire campus, and
many linguistics graduate students are employed as TAs in the program.
Aside from providing a source of funding, the LLP provides graduate
students with valuable teaching experience.
The department houses laboratories devoted to experimental studies
of language with emphasis on phonetics, event-related brain potentials
(ERPs), computational linguistics, and signed languages. The focus of
experimental research in the department is the mutual dependence between
mechanisms of language processing and theories of phonology and syntax.
Linguistics graduate students may supplement their theoretical studies
with experimental research; in addition to departmental laboratories,
graduate students have access to experimental laboratories concerned
with language issues in other departments.
The department has a strong commitment to, and is an active and integral
part of, the cognitive science and neuroscience communities at UCSD.
Most linguistics faculty have joint appointments in the Department of
Linguistics and the Cognitive Science Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program,
and participate in the Department of Cognitive Science graduate core
course in language (Cognitive Science 201D) as well as in the all-campus
Interdisciplinary Program seminar (Cognitive Science 200) on a regular
basis. Graduate students in the Cognitive Science Department frequently
participate in Linguistics graduate courses, and Linguistics graduate
students regularly attend courses in the Cognitive Science Department
on neuroscience, child language acquisition, aphasia, neural networks,
and semantics and cognition. Linguistics graduate students are eligible
to pursue a joint degree in Cognitive Science and Linguistics within
the Interdisciplinary Program. Areas of secondary specialization that
are especially well represented in the cognitive science community at
UCSD and related institutes include child development, connectionist
modelling, distributed cognition, language disorders, neuroscience,
philosophy, and psycholinguistics.
The department has access to rich informational resources; in addition
to the extensive linguistics holdings in the main library, the department
maintains a collection of research reports, dissertations, and unpublished
papers. Access to the libraries of other universities exists through
interlibrary loan.
Preparation
Since linguistics is a highly technical and analytic field, linguistics
students will find their undergraduate training in mathematics and the
natural sciences especially valuable. Undergraduate work in certain
of the social sciences and humanities, particularly psychology, anthropology,
philosophy and literature, is also good preparation for linguistics.
The ideal candidate for admission will have both experience with foreign
languages and some knowledge of the fundamentals of contemporary linguistic
theory. Students who, upon admission, are deficient either in their
formal linguistics preparation or languages will be advised by the department
on how to make up the deficiency. All graduate students must demonstrate
a basic proficiency in phonetics in the first year of graduate study
either by passing a basic proficiency test in phonetics upon registration
or by taking LIGN 110. New graduate students will be admitted only in
the fall of any academic year.
Language Requirements
A candidate for the Ph.D. degree must demonstrate: (1) Conversational
ability in one language other than English. (2) A reading knowledge
of any one language other than his or her native language, subject to
faculty approval.
Required Courses
Candidates for the Ph.D. must pass certain graduate courses prior
to taking the qualifying examination. All graduate students must take
a
common core of ten courses. These are:
- Three courses in Syntax and Semantics: 221A, 221B, 230
- Three courses
in Phonology and Phonetics: 210, 211A, 211B
- Three courses in Research
Methods: 240, 241, 245
- One course in Research Paper Writing: 293
All required courses (except 293) must be taken for a letter grade.
Evaluations
A graduate student is formally evaluated by the entire faculty at particular
stages during the first three years of graduate study. The first evaluation
(at the end of the third quarter of graduate study) pertains chiefly
to performance in courses. The second (or comprehensive) evaluation
(at the end of the sixth quarter) determines the students fitness
to continue in the Ph.D. Program It takes into account performance in
course work and ability to engage in original research in one area of
linguistics as demonstrated in a research paper. The third evaluation
(at the end of the ninth quarter) focuses primarily on a second research
paper (which must be in a different area of linguistics from the first).
Qualifying Examination
Candidates for the Ph.D. Degree must pass an oral qualifying examination
which tests the students knowledge in the area of specialization.
Prior to taking this examination, the student must pass the comprehensive
evaluation, satisfy all language requirements, successfully complete
all required courses, and demonstratethrough research papersthe
ability to carry out independent, dissertation-level research. Students
must take the qualifying examination by the end of the fourth year of
graduate work.
Colloquium Presentation
Sometime prior to the thesis defense, a student must present a paper
orally at a professional gathering. The colloquium requirement is intended
to enable a student to develop the skills necessary for organizing research
results for oral presentation. The requirement is generally met by presenting
a department colloquium or by presenting a paper at a professional meeting.
In either case, a faculty member must certify the acceptability of the
presentation.
Dissertation
The candidate for the Ph.D. will write a substantial dissertation incorporating
the results of original and independent research carried out under the
supervision of the doctoral committee. The candidate will be recommended
for the doctor of philosophy degree after having made a successful oral
defense of the dissertation before the doctoral committee in a public
meeting and after having the final version of the dissertation accepted
by Geisel Library.
Apprentice Teaching
As part of their preparation for a future academic career, graduate
students in linguistics at UCSD are given special opportunities to participate
in teaching programs under the supervision of a professor. Depending
on qualifications, students may conduct conversation or analysis classes
in lower-division language courses, or may assist a professor in the
teaching of a graduate or undergraduate linguistics course.
Other Degrees
Candidates for the Ph.D., who have not previously earned a masters
degree, may be granted the M.A. in linguistics after: 1) satisfactorily
completing twelve required courses; all but LIGN 293 must be taken for
a letter grade; 2) passing the comprehensive evaluation at the end of
the sixth quarter; and 3) demonstrating a reading knowledge of any language
except English, subject to faculty approval.
Candidates for the Ph.D. may also be granted the C. Phil. upon completion
of all degree requirements other than the dissertation.
Departmental Ph.D. Time Limit Policies
The time a student takes to complete the Ph.D. depends on a number
of factors, including previous preparation and the amount of time spent
in teaching or other job commitments. Several policies set an upper
limit to the length of the program. All degree requirements other than
the dissertation must be completed by the end of the fourth year of
graduate work. Total instructional support (TAships, etc.) cannot exceed
six years; total university support cannot exceed seven years. Total
registered time at UCSD cannot exceed eight years.
Linguistics
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