The course in Descriptive Linguistics is structured into modules lasting three months each and provides rigorous academic training in language documentation, orthography development, and linguistic analysis. Through a systematic and research-oriented approach, students acquire the methodological tools necessary to analyze, organize, interpret, and apply linguistic data while learning how previously unwritten languages may be accurately reduced to writing. The program combines theoretical depth with practical application, preparing students for serious work in descriptive linguistics and language documentation.
This intensive three-month program provides students with the theoretical and practical foundations necessary for linguistic fieldwork, language documentation, and descriptive analysis. The course focuses on methods for analyzing previously undocumented or understudied languages while training students to collect, organize, interpret, and apply linguistic data in a systematic and academically rigorous manner. Students will be introduced to the fundamentals of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and orthography development, learning how to identify sound systems, grammatical structures, and linguistic patterns within spoken languages. Special emphasis is placed on the preparation of phonological and grammatical sketches based on authentic language data. No prior background in linguistics, fieldwork, or cross-cultural experience is required. The course is designed for scholars, researchers, translators, missionaries, educators, and anyone interested in the scientific study and documentation of the world’s languages.
This course is designed for scholars, researchers, educators, translators, missionaries, and anyone interested in linguistic fieldwork, language documentation, and the scientific study of the world’s languages. No prior field experience, linguistic training, or cross-cultural experience is required, making the course accessible to all students who desire to develop practical and analytical skills in descriptive linguistics.
This course provides a theoretical and practical introduction to the broad range of human speech sounds found in the languages of the world. Through practice inside and outside of the classroom, students learn to recognize and produce sounds, transcribe them with phonetic symbols, and describe how they are produced.
This course provides a rigorous theoretical and practical introduction to the wide range of human speech sounds found in the languages of the world. Through systematic training and guided practice both inside and outside the classroom, students develop the ability to recognize, produce, transcribe, and analyze speech sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Particular attention is given to articulatory phonetics, phonetic transcription, and the precise description of how speech sounds are produced across diverse linguistic systems.
This course examines major theories of grammar and the fundamental principles of linguistic analysis, with particular emphasis on morphology and syntax. Students will study the structure and function of stems, words, phrases, and sentences while developing analytical skills essential for grammatical investigation. A significant component of the course involves problem-solving through the analysis of linguistic data drawn from a wide variety of languages, fostering both theoretical understanding and practical competence in linguistic analysis.
This course explores the rich diversity of syntactic and semantic structures found across human languages, advancing the student’s understanding of complex grammatical phenomena within the framework of contemporary syntactic theory. Through analytical investigation and cross-linguistic comparison, students will examine the relationship between form, structure, and meaning while developing a deeper understanding of the principles that govern sentence formation and interpretation in natural language.