Current Courses
Spring 2012 |
LIN 1222H1S |
Advanced Phonology II |
|
The general topic for this semester is contrast and its role in phonology, with special attention to features. Particular topics include: Where do features come from? Minimalism versus maximalism in phonological features; The contrastive hierarchy in diachrony; Further topics in synchronic phonology: a look at some issues in vowel harmony and how, if at all, the contrastive hierarchy enters into alternations.
| ||
Recent Courses
Fall 2011 |
LIN 203H1F |
English Words |
|
The vocabulary of English is astonishingly rich, incorporating words from languages around the world. We will be looking at the history of English to learn how the vocabulary has developed and will study the processes by which words are formed. A particular focus of the course is on English words of Latin and Greek origin. Students will be learning Latin and Greek roots weekly so that by the end of the course they will be able to recognize and analyze unfamiliar words.
| ||
Spring 2011 |
LIN 322H1S/1121H1S |
Phonological Theory |
|
The aims of this course are: to introduce students to some current issues in phonological theory; to further develop the ability to analyze phonological data (i.e., to solve phonological problems); to begin reading primary literature in phonology in a critical way.
| ||
Fall 2010 |
LIN 1223H1F |
Advanced Phonology I |
|
The topic for this semester is contrast and its role in phonology, with special reference to vowel harmony. We will go through major issues discussed in Dresher 2009 and issues arising from there. Topics will include: the Contrastivist Hypothesis; the contrastive hierarchy as a mechanism for arriving at contrasts; the minimal pairs approach; contrast and similarity; contrast and OT; the phonology-phonetics interface; acquisition of contrastive representations. A pre-publication manuscript of the book can be found at: http://homes.chass.utoronto.ca/~dresher/publications.html.
| ||
Spring 2010 |
LIN 481H1S/1181H1S |
Analysis and Argumentation |
|
| This course aims at providing students with tools for analysis and argumentation in linguistics. Methodological in spirit, it offers practice in constructing and evaluating hypotheses, in scrutinizing the argumentation of various representative articles, and assessing the nature of evidence in linguistics. | |||
Fall 2009 |
LIN 1221H1F |
Advanced Phonology I | |
|
| |||
Spring 2009 |
LIN 48H1S/1181H1S |
Analysis and Argumentation |
|
|
This course aims at providing students with tools for analysis and argumentation in linguistics. Methodological in spirit, it offers practice in constructing and evaluating hypotheses, in scrutinizing the argumentation of various representative articles, and assessing the nature of evidence in linguistics. | |||
Fall 2008 |
HUM 199H1F |
Language and Mind |
|
|
This seminar course will present a critical overview of the revolution in linguistics and cognitive science initiated by Noam Chomsky. We will look at how Chomsky rethought the foundations of linguistics as a science and its relation to cognitive science, philosophy of language, and psychology. In particular we will discuss the following related questions: (i) What is the human linguistic ability and how do we acquire it? (ii) To what extent is language innate and what is the relation between language and learning? (iii) Non-human communication: can we speak of `language'? (iv) What's the place of the "language faculty" in the architecture of the mind? (v) Can evolution tell us anything about the language faculty? The aim of this class is to provide students with a perspective on the goals and questions that the scientific study of language raises. | |||
Spring 2006 |
LIN 481H1S |
Analysis & Argumentation |
|
Fall 2005 |
LIN 203H1F |
English Words |
Spring 2004 |
LIN 229H1S |
Sound Patterns in Language |
LIN 48H1S/1181H1S |
Analysis and Argumentation | ||
Fall 2003 |
LIN 362H1F |
Language History | |