MAJOR REQUIREMENTS

The major consists of eight 4-point courses (32 points) in linguistics. These must include (1) Language and Mind, V61.0028, or Language, V61.0001, (2) Sound and Language, V61.0011, (3) Phonological Analysis, V61.0012, (4) Grammatical Analysis, V61.0013; (5) two of the following courses, from two different areas: historical linguistics (V61.0014, V61.0017, or V61.0076), sociolinguistics (V61.0015 or V61.0018), psycholinguistics (V61.0005), semantics (V61.0004) and computational linguistics (V61.0003 or V61.0024), (6) two courses freely chosen from the offerings of the department, including those listed in (5), except for the courses recommended for nonmajors. It is highly recommended that majors and joint majors take the courses in (1), (2), and (4) first, since (3) and (5) have these as prerequisites or generally presuppose their content.

Note: No grade lower than C may be counted toward the major or toward a joint major. All linguistics majors, joint majors, and combined majors must register for linguistics courses through the director of undergraduate studies in the linguistics department. If any course fulfills the major or minor requirements in any other department or program at NYU, it may not be used simultaneously to fulfill the requirements for the linguistics majors.

Joint majors: It is possible for a student to complete a joint major in linguistics and in one of the foreign languages listed below. The linguistics part of this major may be satisfied by taking (1) V61.0001 or V61.0028, (2) V61.0011, (3) V61.0013, and (4) a total of two courses, from two different areas including historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, phonology, syntax, semantics, and computational linguistics. The foreign language part of this major may be satisfied as follows.

Major in French and linguistics: Four courses beyond V45.0030, including the following: one course in spoken contemporary French, V45.0101 or V45.0102; one course in advanced written French (V45.0105, V45.0106, V45.0107, V45.0110); two courses in French literature (in French).

Major in German and linguistics: Four courses beyond the intermediate level, consisting of an advanced conversation or composition course (V51.0111 or V51.0114); an advanced culture course (V51.0132, V51.0133, or V51.0143); Introduction to German Literature (V51.0152); and an additional advanced literature course, in German, to be selected from among departmental offerings.

Major in Italian and linguistics: Four courses beyond V59.0030, including the following: two advanced language courses to be chosen from V59.0101, V59.0103, V59.0105, and V59.0109 and two advanced courses in either literature or civilization.

Major in Spanish and linguistics: Five courses chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies.

Joint Major in Anthropology and Linguistics: This major emphasizes the complementarity of sociolinguistic and anthropological approaches to language. Students are required to take 20 points (five courses) each from anthropology and linguistics. A grade of at least C is required in every course to be counted toward a joint major. Required courses in anthropology: Human Society and Culture, V14.0001; Anthropology of Language, V14.0017; Cultural Symbols, V14.0048; and two other cultural or linguistic anthropology courses approved by the director of undergraduate studies. Required courses in linguistics: Language, V61.0001; Language and Society, V61.0015; and at least two of the following: Bilingualism, V61.0018; Language, Literacy, and Society, V61.0020; Sex, Gender, and Language, V61.0021; African American Vernacular English: Language and Culture, V61.0023; Language and Liberation at Home in the Caribbean and Abroad, V61.0026; and Language in Latin America, V61.0030. The fifth course in linguistics may be an additional course from the above list or any other course that the department offers.

JOINT MAJOR IN LANGUAGE AND MIND

This major, intended as an introduction to cognitive science, is administered by the Departments of Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology. Eleven courses are required (four in linguistics, one in philosophy, five in psychology, and one additional course), to be constituted as follows.

The linguistics component consists of Grammatical Analysis, V61.0013; Language and Mind, V61.0028; and two more courses chosen from Form, Meaning, and the Mind, V61.0031; Propositional Attitudes, V61.0035; Computational Principles of Sentence Construction, V61.0024; Phonological Analysis, V61.0012; Introduction to Semantics, V61.0004; Psycholinguistics, V61.0005; and Linguistics as Cognitive Science, V61.0048.

The philosophy component consists of one course, chosen from Minds and Machines, V83.0015; Philosophy of Language, V83.0085; and Logic, V83.0070.

The required psychology component consists of four courses: Introduction to Psychology, V89.0001; Statistical Reasoning for the Behavioral Sciences, V89.0009; Cognition, V89.0029; and either The Psychology of Language, V89.0056 or Neural Bases of Language, V89.0300; and in addition, one course, chosen from Seminar in Thinking, V89.0026; Language Acquisition and Cognitive Development, V89.0300; Laboratory in Human Cognition, V89.0028; and either The Psychology of Language, V89.0056 (if V89.0300 was taken as a required course) or Neural Bases of Language, V89.0300 (if V89.0056 was taken as a required course).

The eleventh course will be one of the above-listed courses that has not already been chosen to satisfy the departmental components.

MINOR

Four courses (16 points) in linguistics with a grade of C or better in each. If any course fulfills the major or minor requirements in any other department or program at NYU, it may not be used simultaneously to fulfill the requirements for the linguistics minor.

RECOMMENDED WORK OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT

To meet standards currently set in the linguistics field, as well as graduate school admission requirements, students majoring in linguistics are advised to gain competence in the following areas during their undergraduate studies: (1) one or more foreign languages; (2) psychology for issues of language and the mind and anthropology for issues of language and culture; (3) mathematics or logic for an understanding of modern algebra and mathematical logic; (4) philosophy of language; (5) one or more computer languages. Majors and minors should avail themselves of the NYU study abroad programs. Any course substitution or transfer credit toward a required course for the major must be confirmed by a letter from the director of undergraduate studies.

Honors in Linguistics

The Department of Linguistics, in accordance with the requirements for departmental honors that was passed by the Faculty of Arts and Science in spring 2005, offers an honors degree in linguistics. The requirement for graduation with honors in linguistics is an honors thesis of 40 to 50 pages in length, typically the culmination of a year’s work, and two courses designated as honors courses.

Admission to the honors program requires an application in the second semester of the junior year. It normally requires a GPA of 3.65 overall and in linguistics, but this requirement can be waived by the CAS director of college honors in exceptional circumstances by petition from the director of undergraduate studies.

The application must be made by the first Monday in April to the director of undergraduate studies (currently, Professor Mark Baltin). It consists of a one- to two-page application by the student, specifying why the student wants to pursue an honors track in linguistics, and specifying in rough form the topic that the student wishes to investigate in the thesis. The student must also identify a faculty member in linguistics who has agreed to work with the student.

The student will be notified by the beginning of registration for the next semester about their acceptance into the honors program. If accepted, the faculty member who has agreed to supervise the student’s honors thesis will become the student’s honors adviser, and the two courses for honors will be chosen jointly by the student and the honors adviser.

Joint Honors

The Department of Linguistics offers joint honors in all programs for which it offers joint majors—Language and Mind, Anthropology and Linguistics, German and Linguistics, French and Linguistics, Spanish and Linguistics, and Italian and Linguistics.

For the requirements of joint honors in Anthropology and Linguistics, students should see Professor John Singler. For the requirements of Language and Mind, students should follow the same procedure for honors in linguistics, except that their proposal should identify faculty members from two departments in the Language and Mind major (Linguistics, Philosophy, and Psychology), and these two faculty members will be coadvisers. The thesis topic, needless to say, should reflect contributions to both disciplines.

Students interested in pursuing joint honors in linguistics and Italian, German, Spanish, or French, should consult with the director of undergraduate studies for linguistics as well as the other department in the second semester of their junior year.