Faculty
Frank Anshen, Associate Professor and Graduate Studies Director, Ph.D., New York University: Sociolinguistics.
Mark Aronoff, Professor, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Morphology; writing systems.
John Bailyn, Associate Professor, Ph.D., Cornell University: Syntax; language acquisition; Slavic linguistics.
Christina Y. Bethin, Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois: Slavic linguistics; phonology; Russian; Polish; Ukrainian. Recipient of the State University Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Ellen Broselow, Professor, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst: Phonetics; phonology; applied linguistics.
Aaron S. Carton, Professor Emeritus, Ph.D., Harvard University: Psycholinguistics; teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Daniel L. Finer, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts-Amherst: Syntax; semantics; language acquisition.
Alice C. Harris, Professor, Ph.D., Harvard University: Historical syntax; morphology; languages of the Caucasus.
Robert D. Hoberman, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Chicago: Phonology; morphology; Semitic linguistics; Hebrew; Aramaic; Arabic.
Marie Huffman, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles: Phonetics; phonology.
Dorit Kaufman, Research Associate Professor, Ph.D., Stony Brook University: TESOL; language attrition. Recipient of the State University Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Richard Larson, Professor, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison: Syntax; semantics. Recipient of the State University Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching and the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Lori D. Repetti, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles: Romance linguistics, phonology, Italian dialectology.
Kamal K. Sridhar, Associate Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Teaching English to speakers of other languages; bilingualism; English around the world.
S. N. Sridhar, Professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Psycholinguistics; sociolinguistics; second language acquisition; Indian linguistics.
Adjunct Faculty
Estimated number: 2
Teaching Assistants
Estimated number: 6
Major and Minor in
Linguistics
Department of Linguistics
College of Arts and Sciences
Chairperson: Richard Larson
Director of Undergraduate Studies: Robert Hoberman
Undergraduate Secretary: Sandra Brennan
Office: S-201 Social and Behavioral Sciences
Phone: (631) 632-7777
E-mail: lsandra.brennan@stonybrook.edu
Web address: http://www.linguistics.stonybrook.edu/
Minors of particular interest to students majoring in linguistics: anthropology (ANT), computer science (CSE), foreign languages, international
Linguistics is the science of language. Language is at once the most diverse and the most clearly structured aspect of human behavior. It distinguishes humans from other species and much of human culture depends on it. Understanding the nature of human language is therefore a key to understanding human nature. Linguistics seeks to discover the common features of the languages of the world’s peoples, to understand how languages change over time, and how language relates to other aspects of human society.
The major in linguistics is designed to provide graduates with a set of skills and a body of knowledge. A graduate will have the skills to analyze the most important features of language: sounds, words, sentences, and conversation, using both formal and experimental methods. Students will also learn what linguists know about the languages of the world, their history and structure, and how language interacts with many facets of all cultures.
The department also prepares its majors for provisional certification as Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages in New York State (TESOL) from kindergarten through grade 12. Candidates for TESOL certification must follow a specific track within the major that is included in the sample course sequence given below, which includes a semester of student teaching. Approximately half of linguistics majors elect this track in the major. It is also common for linguistics majors to have a second major, either in a language or in an adjacent field such as psychology or computer science.
Options for further education that are taken by graduates include professional school in such areas as speech pathology and law, and graduate school in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, and computer science. A few graduates have gone on to technical positions in industry that involve speech engineering.
Instruction in uncommonly taught languages not offered elsewhere in the university is provided by the Department of Linguistics.
Requirements for the Major in Linguistics (LIN)
The major in linguistics leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree. All linguistics courses offered for the major must be passed with a letter grade of C or higher.
Completion of the major requires 36 credits in linguistics and one year of a foreign language in addition to the University's entry skill requirement.
- LIN 201 Phonetics
- LIN 211 Syntax
- LIN 301 Phonology
- LIN 431 The Structure of an Uncommonly Taught Language (see Note 1)
- Seven additional linguistics courses, of which at least six must be upper division
- One year of a modern foreign language beyond the entry skill in foreign language requirement
- Upper-Division Writing Requirement:
In the junior or senior year, students must successfully complete LIN 300 Writing in Linguistics, a one-credit course.
Notes:
- A course on the structure of a language offered by a foreign language department may be substituted for LIN 431 with the permission of the director of undergraduate studies.
- The attention of students majoring in linguistics is directed to the following courses of interest to them in other departments:
- ANT 102, 203, 354
- CSE 110, 113, 114
- EEL 111, 112
- EGL 380, 300, 302
- FLA 339, 439
- GER 438
- HBW 415
- HUL 424
- PHI 220, 325
- RUS 439
- PSY 365
- SPN 462, 463, 465
- Students electing TESOL may not take any courses required for certification for Pass/No Credit. Requirements for TESOL certification are detailed following the linguistics minor and honors program listings.
Requirements for the Minor in Linguistics (LIN)
The minor requires 20 credits.
- LIN 201 Phonetics
- LIN 211 Syntax
- Four additional linguistics courses, of which at least three must be upper division.
Notes:
- One of the courses required for the minor may be taken for Pass/No Credit.
- Linguistics minors that are closely integrated with students’ majors are strongly encouraged. The fields with which linguistics has special affinities are: anthropology, history, sociology, psychology, English, foreign languages, philosophy, and computer science.
- Students must consult with the director of undergraduate studies in linguistics to enroll in the minor.
Honors Program
The honors program is open to seniors majoring in linguistics who have maintained a g.p.a. of 3.50 in the major and a 3.00 overall. Students should apply to the honors program before the beginning of their senior year. With the approval of a sponsoring faculty member, the student must submit a written proposal for a major paper or research project to be completed during the senior year. Acceptance into the honors program depends on approval of the proposal by the department.
Students enroll in LIN 495 in the first semester of their senior year and in LIN 496 in the following semester, for a total of six credits. These courses must be taken in addition to the total credits required for the major. The student’s project paper or research report must be completed and submitted no later than April 1 for May graduation and November 1 for December graduation. The paper or report is read and evaluated by a committee consisting of the student’s sponsor, one other Linguistics Department member, and one faculty member from another department.
If the honors program is completed with distinction and the student retains a 3.50 g.p.a. for all linguistics courses taken in the senior year, honors are conferred.
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Pre-K-12 Teacher Education Program
Director: Dorit Kaufman, Ph.D., Department of Linguistics
The TESOL Teacher Education Program prepares undergraduates for initial certification as Pre-K-12 teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Students wishing to apply to the program should plan to major in linguistics and should consult with the program director as early as possible in their academic careers to insure completion of program requirements in a timely manner. See also the chapter Education and Teacher Certification for additional information.
Requirements for Initial Certification
- Completion of all requirements for the major in Linguistics.
- A 3.00 g.p.a. in the major and a 2.75 g.p.a. overall.
- Two years of college-level study of a language or languages other than English. (Completion of Skill 3 Basic Foreign Language Competence satisfies the first year of this requirement.)
- Linguistics and foundations courses:
- LIN 101 Introduction to General Linguistics
- LIN 201 Phonetics
- LIN 211 Syntax
- LIN 301 Phonology
- LIN 307 Introduction to Sociolinguistics
- LIN 431 Structure of an Uncommonly Taught Language
- Plus two additional 3 credit upper division linguistics courses
- Professional educational requirements:
- SSE 327 Human Growth and Development in the Educational Context
- SSE 350 Foundations of Education
- LIN 344 Language Acquisition and Literacy Development
- LIN 375 TESOL Pedagogy: Theory & Practice
- LIN 378 Content-based Language & Literacy Development
- LIN 449 Field Experience I (1 credit co-requisite of LIN 375)
- LIN 450 Field Experience II (1 credit co-requisite of LIN 378)
- LIN 451 Supervised Student Teaching in TESOL (grades P-6)
- LIN 452 Supervised Student Teaching in TESOL (grades 7-12)
- LIN 454 Managing Instruction, Assessment and Resources
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