Linguistics

http://linguistics.uoregon.edu

Melissa Redford, Department Head
541-346-3906
161 Straub Hall
1290 University of Oregon
Eugene, Oregon 97403-1290

The Department of Linguistics offers instruction leading to a bachelor of arts (BA), a master of arts (MA), and a doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree in linguistics. A master of arts in language teaching studies in also offered. The interests of its faculty are in the documentation, preservation, and revitalization of endangered languages; historical linguistics; laboratory phonology; language acquisition and learning; language variation and change; morphosyntax; phonetics; psycholinguistics; semantics; Slavic linguistics; sociolinguistics; and typology.

Faculty

Melissa Michaud Baese-Berk, associate professor (second-language acquisition, phonetics, laboratory phonology, psycholinguistics). BA, 2004, Boston; PhD, 2010, Northwestern. (2013)

B. Mokaya Bosire, senior instructor (Swahili). BA, 1991, MA, 1993, Nairobi; PhD, 2008, State University of New York, Albany. (2012)

Don Daniels, assistant professor (languages of Papua New Guinea, language change and reconstruction, linguistic fieldwork, morphosyntax). BA, 2006, Dartmouth College; PhD, 2015, California, Santa Barbara. (2018)

Spike Gildea, professor (language description, diachronic syntax, typology, phonology, comparative linguistics, field methods and ethics, Cariban and other South American languages). BA, 1983, MA, 1989, PhD, 1992, Oregon. (2000)

Vsevolod M. Kapatsinski, associate professor (psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, experimental morphology and phonology, language learning in the lab). BA, 2003, MA, 2005, New Mexico; PhD, 2009, Indiana. (2009)

Tyler S. Kendall, associate professor (sociolinguistics, corpus linguistics, phonetics, language and law). BA, 1998, Cornell; PhD, 2009, Duke. (2010)

Doris L. Payne, professor (morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse; Amerindian and African languages). BS, 1974, Wheaton; MA, 1976, Texas, Arlington; PhD, 1985, California, Los Angeles. (1987)

Eric W. Pederson, associate professor (cognitive and psycholinguistics, language and culture; South Indian languages). BA, 1982, MA, 1985, PhD, 1991, California, Berkeley. (1997)

Gabriela Pérez Báez, assistant professor (language documentation and description, language revitalization, semantic typology, language and cognition, Zapotec languages). BFA, 1997, MA, 2005, PhD 2009, State University of New York, Buffalo. (2018)

Melissa Redford, professor (phonetics, laboratory phonology, psycholinguistics, cognitive science). BA, 1992, California, Berkeley; MA, 1995, PhD, 1999, Texas, Austin. (2002)

Julie M. Sykes, associate professor (second language acquisition, interlanguage pragmatics, transformative pedagogy). BA, 2001, MA, 2005, Arizona State; PhD, 2008, Minnesota. (2016)

Charlotte R. Vaughn, instructor (speech perception, psycholinguistics, talker variability, sociophonetics). BA, 2005, Duke; MA, 2011, PhD, 2014, Northwestern. (2014)

Keli D. Yerian, senior lecturer (language teacher education, curriculum development, gesture in discourse); director, Language Teaching Specialization MA Program. BA, 1991, North Carolina, Chapel Hill; MS, 1994, PhD, 2000, Georgetown. (2007)

Emeriti

Scott DeLancey, professor emeritus. BA, 1972, Cornell; PhD, 1980, Indiana. (1982)

T. Givón, professor emeritus. BSc, 1959, Jerusalem; MS, 1962, MA, 1966, PhD, 1969, California, Los Angeles. (1981)

Russell S. Tomlin, professor emeritus. BA, 1973, Knox; MA, 1975, PhD, 1979, Michigan. (1979)

Cynthia M. Vakareliyska, professor emerita. BA, 1973, Princeton; JD, 1976, Columbia; PhD, 1990, Harvard. (1994)

Participating

Gregory D. Anderson, linguistics

Dare A. Baldwin, psychology

Marjorie S. Barker, linguistics

Robert L. Davis, Romance languages

Tom Delaney, American English Institute

Robert Elliott, Northwest Indian Language Institute

Andrew Halvorsen, American English Institute

Laura G. Holland, American English Institute

Kaori Idemaru, East Asian languages and literatures

Zhuo Jing-Schmidt, East Asian languages and literatures

Mark Johnson, philosophy

Sarah Klinghammer, linguistics

Jeffrey Magoto, Yamada Language Center

Thomas E. Payne, linguistics

Trish Pashby, American English Institute

Janne Underriner, Northwest Indian Language Institute

The date in parentheses at the end of each entry is the first year on the University of Oregon faculty.

The program offers instruction in the nature of human language, the structural variety of individual languages, and the methodology of conducting a linguistic investigation. The primary aim of linguistics as a science is to study the use and organization of human language in coding and communicating knowledge. Although linguists may study specific facts of many languages, they do so to gain insight into the properties and processes common to all languages. Such common features may in turn reflect universals of human cognitive, cultural, and social organization.

Language occupies a central position in the human universe, so much so that it is often cited as a major criterion for defining humanity. Its use in the coding and processing of knowledge makes it relevant to psychology. As a tool of reasoning, it verges on logic and philosophy. As a computational system, it relates to computer science and language-data processing. As a repository of one’s cultural worldview, it is a part of anthropology. As an instrument of social intercourse and a mark of social identity, it interacts with sociology. As a biological subsystem lodged in the brain, it is highly relevant to neurology. As the primary vehicle of learning and maturation, it is important for education. As an expressive medium, it is the crux of literature and rhetoric.

Careers

To gain understanding into the complexities of human language is thus to gain entrance into numerous fields of academic investigation and practical use. Indeed, computer programmers, conflict mediators, cryptologists, elementary school teachers, language teachers, lawyers, psychiatrists, speech therapists, and translators all depend heavily on understanding the nature and use of language.

The BA degree in linguistics provides a solid foundation for graduate studies in anthropology, communication, communication disorders and sciences, computer-science education, journalism, law, linguistics, literature and languages, philosophy, psychology, or sociology. It offers a strong entry into the applied fields listed above.

Advising

Undergraduate majors should consult one of the departmental undergraduate advisors each term about their study program.

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Core Courses
LING 301	Introduction to Linguistics Analysis	4
LING 302	Introduction to Linguistic Behavior	4
LING 411	Phonetics	4
LING 450	Introduction to Phonology	4
LING 435	Morphology and Syntax	4
LING 451	Functional Syntax I	4
Specialization Courses
Choose three of the following:		12
LING 396	Language and Cognition
LING 415	Semantics
LING 444	Second-Language Acquisition
LING 452	Functional Syntax II
LING 460	Historical and Comparative Linguistics
LING 491	Sociolinguistics
Electives		8
LING 407	Seminar: [Topic] (Proseminar)
Any 200-level or greater LING course (except LING 440)
Total Credits		44

Core Courses

The six core courses are designed to expose you to the analysis of linguistic data and language acquisition, variation, and change: two introductory courses, Introduction to Linguistics Analysis (LING 301) and Introduction to Linguistic Behavior (LING 302); two courses focusing on sound, Phonetics (LING 411) and Introduction to Phonology (LING 450); and two courses focusing on grammar, Morphology and Syntax (LING 435) and Functional Syntax I (LING 451).

Specialization Courses

These three courses allow students to focus either on language behavior or linguistic analysis, on cognitive aspects or grammar.

Electives

Two courses complete the requirements:

• Elective. Any linguistics (LING) course numbered between 200 and 499, except Linguistic Principles and Second-Language Learning (LING 440). 
• Proseminar elective. Seminar: [Topic] (LING 407). It is sometimes possible to substitute another 400-level course that has fewer students, most readings from primary literature, and discussion-oriented class periods with a rigorous term paper. Seminars typically have prerequisites, often a subset of the required courses.

For a list of preapproved non-LING courses that can serve as an elective, visit the department website.

Additional Requirements

Two years of one second language and one year of another.

Courses applied to the major in linguistics must be taken for letter grades. A course in which a grade of D+ or lower is earned cannot count toward the major.

The study program of undergraduate linguistics majors must be approved by a departmental undergraduate advisor.

Honors in Linguistics

By fulfilling the following requirements, any linguistics major may graduate with honors.

Grade Point Average

On entry to the honors program at the end of the junior year, a grade point average (GPA) of 3.75 or better in linguistics courses and at least 3.50 overall is required. At the end of the senior year, a GPA of 3.75 or better in linguistics courses is required.

Senior Thesis

Write an original honors thesis under the guidance of a thesis advisor from the linguistics faculty, chosen in consultation with the undergraduate advisor. The thesis must be a substantial piece of work; it may be a revised and expanded term paper. The thesis advisor determines whether the thesis is acceptable; the student is required to register for at least 6 credits in Thesis (LING 403), taken pass/no pass, over the course of at least two terms.

Upon fulfilling these requirements, the candidate is approved to receive a BA degree with honors in linguistics.

Minor in Linguistics

The minor grounds the student in the basics of linguistic analysis and offers the opportunity to pursue areas of special interest. The minor requires at least 28 credits in linguistics course work. Under special circumstances substitutions to courses listed below are possible. Students need permission from an undergraduate advisor to pursue an alternative program of study.

Minor Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
LING 301	Introduction to Linguistics Analysis	4
LING 411	Phonetics	4
LING 435	Morphology and Syntax	4
LING 450	Introduction to Phonology	4
LING 451	Functional Syntax I	4
Select two of the following:		8
LING 211	Languages of the World
LING 296	Language and Society in the United States
LING 396	Language and Cognition
Other elective courses as approved by advisor
Total Credits		28

Four-Year Degree Plan

The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.

Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics

Degree Map

First Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
WR 121	College Composition I		4
First term of first-year second-language sequence			4-5
Elective course with LING subject code		May be taken any term	4
Arts and letters group-satisfying course			4
	Credits		16-17
Winter
WR 122 or WR 123	College Composition II or College Composition III		4
LING 302	Introduction to Linguistic Behavior	May also be taken in the second year, to be replaced here by an elective course	4
Second term of first-year second-language sequence			4-5
Social science group-satisfying course			4
	Credits		16-17
Spring
LING 301	Introduction to Linguistics Analysis	Should be taken before fall of the second year (unless the student is transferring or declaring a major after their first year); offered fall and spring terms only	4
Third term of first-year second-language sequence			4-5
Social science group-satisfying course			4
Science group-satisfying course			4
	Credits		16-17
	Total Credits		48-51

Degree Map

Second Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
LING 411	Phonetics	Should be taken in sequence with LING 450. This sequence may be taken in the third year, with LING 435 and LING 451 taking their place in the second year. LING 411 is only offered fall term.	4
First term of second-year second-language sequence			4-5
Arts and letters group-satisfying course			4
Social science group-satisfying course			4
	Credits		16-17
Winter
LING 450	Introduction to Phonology	Should be taken in sequence with LING 411; offered winter term only	4
Second term of second-year second-language sequence			4-5
Science group-satisfying course			4
Elective course with LING subject code			4
	Credits		16-17
Spring
Third term of second-year second-language sequence			4-5
General-education course in arts and letters			4
General-education course in social science			4
Elective course		Choose a course fulfilling multicultural requirement if not already completed	4
	Credits		16-17
	Total Credits		48-51

Degree Map

Third Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
LING 435	Morphology and Syntax	Should be taken in sequence with LING 451. This sequence may be taken in the second year, with LING 411 and LING 450 taking their place in the third year. LING 435 is only offered fall term.	4
First term of a third-language sequence			5
First of three specialization courses			4
General-education course in arts and letters			4
	Credits		17
Winter
LING 451	Functional Syntax I	Should be taken in sequence with LING 435; offered winter term only	4
Second term of a third-language sequence			5
Second of three specialization courses			4
General-education course in social science		Only three social science group courses are listed because LING 301 counts as the fourth social science group course	4
	Credits		17
Spring
LING 407	Seminar: [Topic]	May be taken any term; required for graduation	4
Third term of a third-language sequence			5
Third of three specialization courses			4
Elective course that also satisfies a multicultural requirement		Choose a course fulfilling multicultural requirement if not already completed	4
	Credits		17
	Total Credits		51

Degree Map

Fourth Year
Fall		Milestones	Credits
Elective courses		The fourth year may consist of elective courses, study abroad, or minor or certificate requirements (e.g., second-language acquisition and teaching). Study abroad may also take place in the third year, with those requirements moving to the fourth year.	16
	Credits		16
Winter
Elective courses			16
	Credits		16
Spring
Elective courses		Apply for graduation	16
	Credits		16
	Total Credits		48

Solid preparation in linguistics is indispensable to any specialization at the graduate level. Although the courses deal with a variety of linguistic topics, three facets of linguistics are strongly emphasized in the graduate program:

1. A pragmatic approach to the study of language structure and use, variation and change, and acquisition and learning
2. An empirical, live-data, fieldwork, experimental, and cross-linguistic approach to the methodology of linguistic research
3. Interdisciplinary emphasis on the place of human language in its wider natural context

Advising and Review Practices

Graduate students meet regularly with the departmental director of graduate studies. In addition, students are assigned a faculty member to advise them in the areas of their academic interest. The faculty reviews the performance of each graduate student at the end of each academic term. In case a student falls below what the faculty considers minimal standards of performance, a representative of the faculty notifies the student and suggests appropriate remedial steps.

Master of Arts in Linguistics

For those who intend to complete the PhD, the MA is not necessary and may delay completion of the advanced degree. While not necessary, the option of completing a terminal theoretical MA may be appropriate for some whose goals are, for example, professional work in a language community. Prospective students who are unsure which program would be appropriate are encouraged to consult with the department's director of graduate studies.

Prerequisites. Students may be required to take and pass (with grades of B– or better) certain prerequisite courses, typically an introductory course, such as Morphology and Syntax (LING 535) and Phonetics (LING 511).

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Core Courses
LING 550	Introduction to Phonology	4
LING 551 & LING 552	Functional Syntax I and Functional Syntax II	8
LING 507	Seminar: [Topic]	4
or LING 607	Seminar: [Topic]
LING 614	Linguistic Theory: Phonology	4
LING 615	Linguistic Theory: Syntax	4
LING 616	Linguistic Theory: Semantics	4
Elective Courses
Graduate-level linguistics or other relevant courses 1		20
Total Credits		48

1	Select electives in consultation with department's director of graduate studies and the student's faculty advisor.

No course with a grade lower than B– may be used to satisfy degree requirements. 

Second-Language Requirement

Candidates for the MA are required to have taken at least two years of one second language within the past seven years. At the MA level, any foreign language is acceptable, including English for an international student whose first language is not English. It should be noted that the MA language may count toward the two language requirements for the PhD program if the language is used as a research language (see PhD requirements below).

MA Thesis or Substitute

Students in good standing may form an MA committee consisting of two linguistics faculty members who indicate their agreement to serve by signing a standard form and who share equal responsibility for directing the thesis. For the MA to be granted, both members of the committee must approve the thesis and the main content of the thesis must be presented as a departmental colloquium.

Students who elect not to write a thesis or who are unsuccessful in forming the two-member thesis committee may complete the degree by taking an additional 8 credits of course work approved by the director of graduate studies.

Master of Arts in Language Teaching Studies

The MA in language teaching studies requires a background in basic linguistics and courses specifically designed for second-language teaching preparation. For more information, visit the website.

Prerequisites. It is preferred that students should have a BS or BA degree in linguistics or a related field.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
Seminar (chosen in consultation with advisor)		4
LT 528	Teaching English Culture and Literature	4
LT 535	Second-Language Teaching Methods	4
LT 536	Second-Language Teaching Planning	4
LT 437	Second-Language Teaching Practice	4
LING 540	Linguistic Principles and Second-Language Learning	4
LT 541	Teaching English Pronunciation	4
LT 548	Curriculum and Materials Development	5
LT 549	Testing and Assessment	5
LING 594	English Grammar	4
LT 608	Workshop: [Topic] (Computer-Assistant Language Learning, two terms)	2
LT 608	Workshop: [Topic] (Language Teaching Specialization Orientation)	1
LT 611	Terminal Project (two terms)	7
Elective Courses
EDLD 510	Experimental Course: [Topic] (Comparative Education)	1-4
Elective courses 1		5
Total Credits		58-61

1	Students who have already taken any of the required courses or their equivalents should replace them with elective course work in consultation with their advisor.

Only graded courses may be used to satisfy degree requirements. Exceptions must be approved by the department. No course with a grade lower than B– may be used to satisfy degree requirements.

Master's Project

Students working toward an MA degree with the language-teaching specialization must complete a master's project over two consecutive terms. The project topic must be approved by the faculty advisor, and be presented in a Terminal Project (LT 611) class session during the final term.

Doctor of Philosophy

The doctor of philosophy (PhD) program in linguistics is individually tailored to meet the needs and professional goals of the student, drawing strong interdisciplinary support from related fields at the university. These fields may include—but are not limited to—anthropological linguistics, cognitive science, communication disorders and sciences, discourse and text analysis, English linguistics, first- and second-language acquisition, language-data processing, neurolinguistics, and sociolinguistics.

Residency Requirement

The Graduate School requires at least three years of full-time work beyond the bachelor’s degree for the doctorate, with at least one year spent in continuous residence on the Eugene campus. The Department of Linguistics interprets the latter requirement to mean that at least six courses, including seminars, must be taken in the program while the student is in continuous residence for three academic terms.

Doctoral Advisor

The department head appoints a doctoral advisor for each student upon admission to the PhD program.

Second-Year Review

Annual review

Beginning in the third year of the program, each graduate student must submit an annual report and CV to his or her advisor by April 15 of each year. The report should be no more than one page in length and should detail what the student has accomplished over the past year in the program.

Doctoral Examination and Advancement to Candidacy

Requirements for the Qualifying Paper

The doctoral examination consists of two original publishable papers of substantial length and quality in different subfields of linguistics. The term “different subfields” may include two different methodological approaches to a single broad topic. A qualifying paper is considered publishable if the review committee deems it to stand a reasonable chance of acceptance by a refereed venue such as a peer-reviewed journal, although the paper itself is not required to be accepted for publication, and may be submitted to a nonrefereed venue.
An unmodified MA thesis cannot serve as one of the qualifying papers. A qualifying paper may be, however, a publishable expansion or revision of an MA thesis or publishable term paper written for a course conducted by any faculty member in the department or, where deemed reasonable, for a course conducted by a faculty member outside the department. The paper may be written under the supervision of either the student’s advisor or another faculty member in consultation with the student’s advisor, who approves the topic and the final version.
On submitting each paper to the committee, and after consultation with the student’s advisor, the student indicates in a cover note or e-mail to the coordinator the intended publication venue for the paper. In reviewing the paper, the committee takes into consideration the appropriateness of the proposed venue for the content of the paper.
Submission of both papers to the proposed venue or venues is required before the student can advance to candidacy. Before applying to the Graduate School for advancement to candidacy, the student must submit to the coordinator either his or her cover letter to the venue to which each of the two qualifying papers was sent or, in the case of invited publications, the invitation letter. The publishing venue may be a refereed journal, a refereed or nonrefereed conference proceedings volume, an online publication, or another venue. While submission of each qualifying paper to a publishing venue is required for advancement to candidacy, acceptance for publication is not a requirement.

Composition of the Qualifying Paper Committee

A committee of three faculty members is drawn up to review each qualifying paper. The committee is composed of two faculty member reviewers and the student’s doctoral advisor. In cases where the qualifying paper supervisor is not the student’s doctoral advisor, the doctoral advisor will be one of the two reviewers and the supervisor will be the third member of the committee.The advisor sits on both of an individual student’s committees, whereas at least one of the two faculty reviewers serves on only one of the two committees. One of the two faculty members on the committee may be from another department, where appropriate.
Upon completion and documented submission to a publisher of both qualifying papers and completion of all required course work and the research language requirement, the student advances to candidacy for the PhD degree. The student and the department must electronically submit the advancement to candidacy to the Graduate School for approval.

Qualifying Paper Coordinator and Reviewers

The qualifying paper coordinator is a member of the faculty who

• receives papers submitted by the graduate student (after approval of the qualifying paper by the student’s doctoral advisor)
• selects reviewers for the paper in consultation with the doctoral advisor
• sends the paper to the reviewers and sets a deadline for review (typically six weeks)
• receives the reviewers’ comments and decisions
• sends a summary of the comments and decisions, together with the reviewers’ specific comments, to the doctoral advisor and the student
• notifies the department when the qualifying paper is submitted and when it is accepted by the reviewers

In the event that one or both of the reviewers requests revisions, the student (after the doctoral advisor approves the revised version of the paper) submits the revision to the coordinator. A reviewer may choose whether or not to review the revised version. If a reviewer chooses to review the revision, the coordinator sends the revised version to the reviewer and sets a deadline for review (typically four weeks). Any further comments or revision requirements from the reviewer or reviewers are sent by the coordinator to the doctoral advisor and the student for further revision.
In the event that both reviewers reject a qualifying paper, the student may submit a substitute paper with the approval of the doctoral advisor. Except by petition to the faculty and subsequent faculty approval, there may be no third submission of a qualifying paper.

Doctoral Dissertation

A doctoral committee must include at least three linguistics faculty members and one outside member, and must be either chaired or cochaired by the student’s doctoral advisor in linguistics. A dissertation prospectus must be submitted to and approved by the doctoral committee before the writing of the dissertation commences. The PhD will be granted upon completion of the preceding requirements, the writing of an original dissertation acceptable to the doctoral committee, and an oral examination on the dissertation.

Required Courses

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
LING 614 & LING 615 & LING 616	Linguistic Theory: Phonology and Linguistic Theory: Syntax and Linguistic Theory: Semantics	12
Select two of the following:		5
LING 507	Seminar: [Topic]
LING 607	Seminar: [Topic]
Equivalent seminar courses
Select one of the following:		15
LING 617 & LING 618 & LING 618	Field Methods I and Field Methods II and Field Methods II
Sequence of courses in quantitative methods
Sequence of courses in philological methods
Combination of courses from two of these areas
Total Credits		32

The course work must be approved by the student's doctoral advisor. Even those students who have already earned an MA degree are typically expected to complete all of the MA degree course work requirements at Oregon as part of the normal progress toward the PhD.

For each student, the specific course requirements in courses the student selects are to be determined by the student’s advisor and the department’s director of graduate studies, as are all other courses required for the PhD. No course with a grade lower than B– may be used to satisfy degree requirements. Candidates for the PhD must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to two years of college-level study of a second language and either proficiency equivalent to one year in a third research-related language or proficiency in programming or statistics in order to be advanced to candidacy.

Certificate in Second-Language Acquisition and Teaching

In collaboration with several UO departments, the Department of Linguistics offers an undergraduate certificate that focuses on the theory of second-language acquisition and teaching and its application in pedagogical settings. The certificate complements any other major. Specific course requirements may be found at slat.uoregon.edu.

Certificate Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Three courses in second-language acquisition theory and language-teaching methodology		12
Three courses in linguistic description of target language		12
One practicum, internship, supervised tutoring		2-4
Total Credits		26-28

Additional Requirements

College-level second-language study (two years of any second language if the certificate target language is English; three years for any other target language).