Major in Linguistics

Linguistics Advisor

Dr. Liz McCullough
mccullough.136@osu.edu
(614) 688-3109
106 Oxley Hall, 1712 Neil Avenue
drop in during office hours or email for an appointment at another time

 

Overview

There are two tracks within this major. Each track leads to a BA in Linguistics; the chosen track is not listed on transcripts or diplomas. Students are advised to choose a track based on their academic goals and interests.

  • Track A is designed to give students familiarity with a broad range of subject areas in linguistics.
  • Track B is intended for students interested in research who plan to write a BA thesis and/or go on to graduate school.

Courses at the 2000 through 5000 levels can be used for the major. 5000 level courses should be preceded by related coursework at the 4000 level.

A grade of C- or higher is needed to apply a course to the major.

See course suggestions by area of interest or descriptions of all Linguistics courses.

Linguistics Major Requirements

Track A (30 credit hours, excluding prerequisites)

  1. Prerequisite Coursework
    These courses do not count toward the minimum number of credit hours required for the major. Only the introductory course must be completed before beginning major coursework.
    1. Introduction to Linguistics: LING 2000 or 2000H
    2. Language Requirement. One of the following:
      • Study of a world language (taught in the language). Options include:
        • 3 credit hours of a language at the 2000-level or above
        • 3 credit hours of a language that was not used to fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences requirement, at any level
        • Placement via testing into a world language course such that the placement is equivalent to having completed one of the above categories
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552
      • A course of at least 3 credit hours on the linguistic structure of a non-English language or language family at the 4000-level or above (including but not limited to EEURLL 5627, KOREAN 5380, SANSKRT 5902, SPANISH 4430), with permission
         
  2. Major Core Courses (18 credit hours)
    1. Core Courses. Any four of the following courses, taken in any order:
      • Phonetics: LING 4100
      • Syntax: LING 4200
      • Phonology: LING 4300
      • Morphology: LING 4350
      • Linguistic Meaning: LING 4400
    2. Elective Core Courses. Choose one course each from two different areas:
      • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901 or 5901
      • Sociolinguistics: LING 3601, 3602, 3602H, 3603, or 5601
      • Psycholinguistics: LING 3701, 3701H, 5701, or 5702
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552 (may be used concurrently to satisfy the language prerequisite)
         
  3. Major Elective Courses (12 credit hours)
    Any 12 credit hours of LING courses at the 2000-level or above that are not used to satisfy other requirements of the major. Courses on linguistic topics offered by other departments at the 2000-level or above may also be counted as electives with permission.

    Up to 3 credit hours of independent study (LING 3191, 4998, 4998H, 4999, 4999H) may be counted toward the elective requirement.

    See course suggestions by area of interest or descriptions of all Linguistics courses.

 

Track B (33 credit hours, excluding prerequisites)

Requirements for Track B are the same as those for Track A, plus:

  1. Prerequisite Course Work
    This course does not count toward the minimum number of hours required for the major. Students may begin major coursework before completing this course. However, it is recommended that students complete it as early as possible.
    1. Analytic Requirement. One of the following:
      • Language and Formal Reasoning: LING 2001
      • Analyzing the Sounds of Language: LING 2051 or 2051H
      • Introduction to Symbolic Logic: PHILOS 2500
      • Introduction to Discrete Mathematics: MATH 2366 
      • Elementary Statistics: STAT 1350
      • Introduction to the Practice of Statistics: STAT 1450
      • Data Analysis in Psychology: PSYCH 2220 or 2220H
         
  2. Undergraduate Research Seminar: LING 4780
     
  3. Area-Depth Requirement Within Major Elective Courses
    For Track B, 6 credit hours of Major Elective Courses may be chosen freely, but 6 credit hours must comprise a two-course sequence within a particular subfield. Choose any of the following sequences. Other sequences can be designed with approval from the Linguistics Advisor. The courses chosen for this two-course sequence cannot be used to satisfy any other requirements of the major concurrently.
    • Computational Linguistics: LING 5801, 5802
    • Psycholinguistics (two of these): LING 3701 (or 3701H), 5701, 5702
    • Sociolinguistics: LING 5601, 5602
    • Field Methods (two of these): LING 4550, 5551, 5552
    • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901, 5901
    • Phonetics: LING 5101, 5102
    • Phonology: LING 5301, 5302
    • Semantics and Syntax: LING 5401, 5201
    • Semantics and Pragmatics (two of these): LING 5401, 5402, 5451
    • Syntax and Morphology (two of these): LING 5201, 5202, 5351

Track A (at least 30 credit hours, excluding prerequisites)

  1. Prerequisite Coursework
    These courses do not count toward the minimum number of hours required for the major. Only the introductory course must be completed before beginning major coursework.  
    1. Introduction to Linguistics: LING 2000 or 2000H
    2. Language Requirement. One of the following:
      • Study of a world language (taught in the language). Options include:
        • 3 credit hours of a language at the 2000-level or above
        • 3 credit hours of a language that was not used to fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences requirement, at any level
        • Placement via testing into a world language course such that the placement is equivalent to having completed one of the above categories
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552
      • A course of at least 3 credit hours on the linguistic structure of a non-English language or language family at the 4000-level or above (including but not limited to EEURLL 5627, KOREAN 5380, SANSKRT 5902, SPANISH 4430), with permission
         
  2. Embedded Literacy Requirement
    Students must fulfill the following three embedded literacies. LING courses used to satisfy this requirement may also count concurrently toward the Major Elective requirement.
    1. Advanced Writing Literacy:
      • Writing for Linguistics: LING 3000
    2. Data Analysis Literacy. Choose one course from:
      • Language and Formal Reasoning: LING 2001
      • Analyzing the Sounds of Language: LING 2051 or 2051H
      • Linguistics and the Scientific Method: LING 4052
      • Data Analysis in Psychology: PSYCH 2220 or 2220H
    3. Technology Literacy. Choose one course from:
      • Ethics of Language Technology: LING 3803
      • Codes and Codebreaking: LING 3801
      • Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Computing: CSE 2501
      • Introduction to Computing Ethics and Effective Presentation: PHILOS 1338
         
  3. Major Core Courses (18 credit hours) 
    1. Core Courses. Any four of the following courses, taken in any order:
      • Phonetics: LING 4100
      • Syntax: LING 4200
      • Phonology: LING 4300
      • Morphology: LING 4350
      • Linguistic Meaning: LING 4400
    2. Elective Core Courses. Choose one course each from two different areas:
      • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901 or 5901
      • Sociolinguistics: LING 3601, 3602, 3602H, 3603, or 5601
      • Psycholinguistics: LING 3701, 3701H, 5701, or 5702
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552 (may be used concurrently to satisfy the language prerequisite)
         
  4. Major Elective Courses (12 credit hours)
    Any 12 credit hours of LING courses at the 2000-level or above. LING courses used to satisfy the Embedded Literacy requirement may also count concurrently toward this requirement. Major Elective courses may not be used to satisfy any other requirements of the major. Courses on linguistic topics offered by other departments at the 2000-level or above may also be counted as electives with permission.

    Up to 3 credit hours of independent study (LING 3191, 4998, 4998H, 4999, 4999H) may be counted toward the elective requirement.

    See course suggestions by area of interest or descriptions of all Linguistics courses.

 

Track B (at least 34 credit hours, excluding prerequisites)

Requirements for Track B are the same as those for Track A, plus:

  1. Undergraduate Research Seminar: LING 4780
     
  2. Area-Depth Requirement Within Major Elective Courses
    For Track B, 6 credit hours of Major Elective Courses may be chosen freely, but 6 credit hours must comprise a two-course sequence within a particular subfield. Choose any of the following sequences. Other sequences can be designed with approval from the Linguistics Advisor. The courses chosen for this two-course sequence cannot be used to satisfy any other requirements of the major concurrently.
    • Computational Linguistics: LING 5801, 5802
    • Psycholinguistics (two of these): LING 3701 (or 3701H), 5701, 5702
    • Sociolinguistics: LING 5601, 5602
    • Field Methods (two of these): LING 4550, 5551, 5552
    • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901, 5901
    • Phonetics: LING 5101, 5102
    • Phonology: LING 5301, 5302
    • Semantics and Syntax: LING 5401, 5201
    • Semantics and Pragmatics (two of these): LING 5401, 5402, 5451
    • Syntax and Morphology (two of these): LING 5201, 5202, 5351

Track A (at least 30 credit hours, excluding prerequisites and corequisites)

  1. Prerequisite Coursework
    This course does not count toward the minimum number of hours required for the major. It should be completed before beginning major coursework.  
    • Introduction to Linguistics: LING 2000 or 2000H
       
  2. Corequisite Coursework
    These courses do not count toward the minimum number of hours required for the major. Students may begin major coursework before completing these requirements. However, it is recommended that students complete them as early as possible.
    1. Language Requirement. One of the following:
      • Study of a world language (taught in the language). Options include:
        • 3 credit hours of a language at the 2000-level or above
        • 3 credit hours of a language that was not used to fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences requirement, at any level
        • Placement via testing into a world language course such that the placement is equivalent to having completed one of the above categories
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552
      • A course of at least 3 credit hours on the linguistic structure of a non-English language or language family at the 4000-level or above (including but not limited to EEURLL 5627, KOREAN 5380, SANSKRT 5902, SPANISH 4430), with permission
    2. Data Analysis Requirement. Choose one course from:
      • Language and Formal Reasoning: LING 2001
      • Analyzing the Sounds of Language: LING 2051 or 2051H
      • Linguistics and the Scientific Method: LING 4052
      • Data Analysis in Psychology: PSYCH 2220 or 2220H
         
  3. Advanced Writing Requirement
    This course may be used concurrently for the Major Elective requirement.
    • Writing for Linguistics: LING 3000
       
  4. Technology Literacy Requirement
    LING courses used to fulfill this requirement may be used concurrently for the Major Elective requirement. Choose one course from:
    • Ethics of Language Technology: LING 3803
    • Codes and Codebreaking: LING 3801
    • Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Computing: CSE 2501
    • Introduction to Computing Ethics and Effective Presentation: PHILOS 1338
       
  5. Major Core Courses (18 credit hours) 
    1. Core Courses. Any four of the following courses, taken in any order:
      • Phonetics: LING 4100
      • Syntax: LING 4200
      • Phonology: LING 4300
      • Morphology: LING 4350
      • Linguistic Meaning: LING 4400
    2. Elective Core Courses. Choose one course each from two different areas:
      • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901 or 5901
      • Sociolinguistics: LING 3601, 3602, 3602H, 3603, or 5601
      • Psycholinguistics: LING 3701, 3701H, 5701, or 5702
      • Field Methods: LING 4550, 5551, or 5552 (may be used concurrently to satisfy the language corequisite)
         
  6. Major Elective Courses (12 credit hours)
    Any 12 credit hours of LING courses at the 2000-level or above. LING courses used to fulfill the Advanced Writing Requirement and/or the Technology Literacy Requirement may be used concurrently as elective courses. Courses on linguistic topics offered by other departments at the 2000-level or above may also be counted as electives with permission.

    Up to 3 credit hours of independent study (LING 3191, 4998, 4998H, 4999, 4999H) may be counted toward the elective requirement.

    See course suggestions by area of interest or descriptions of all Linguistics courses.

 

Track B (at least 33 credit hours, excluding prerequisites and corequisites)

Requirements for Track B are the same as those for Track A, plus:

  1. Undergraduate Research Seminar: LING 4780
     
  2. Area-Depth Requirement Within Major Elective Courses
    For Track B, 6 credit hours of Major Elective Courses may be chosen freely, but 6 credit hours must comprise a two-course sequence within a particular subfield. Choose any of the following sequences. Other sequences can be designed with approval from the Linguistics Advisor. The courses chosen for this two-course sequence cannot be used to satisfy any other requirements of the major concurrently.
    • Computational Linguistics: LING 5801, 5802
    • Psycholinguistics (two of these): LING 3701 (or 3701H), 5701, 5702
    • Sociolinguistics: LING 5601, 5602
    • Field Methods (two of these): LING 4550, 5551, 5552
    • Historical Linguistics: LING 3901, 5901
    • Phonetics: LING 5101, 5102
    • Phonology: LING 5301, 5302
    • Semantics and Syntax: LING 5401, 5201
    • Semantics and Pragmatics (two of these): LING 5401, 5402, 5451
    • Syntax and Morphology (two of these): LING 5201, 5202, 5351