S326 Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics  (3 credits)
Prerequisite:  S310, or S311, or equivalent

Linguistics is the field which studies how languages work: how
they are put together at various levels (sounds, forms, meanings,
etc.), how we think people organize what they know about their
language, how languages change over time and how they vary by location
and according to social factors. One of the most interesting facts of
linguistics is that speakers of a language know many things about the
language, and show that they do through their use of the language,
although they aren't aware that they know these things.

S326, Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics, looks at how Spanish
works.

In this course, students will gain a knowledge of:
-- the sounds of Spanish: their pronunciation (phonetics) and how we
think speakers might organize their knowledge of sounds
(phonology) as well as representations of sounds by spelling;
--  the 'building-blocks' of Spanish (its morphemes), e.g., 'dorm-',
'con', 're-' '-ndo';
-- grammatical structure and how sentences are put together
syntax);
-- words (lexicology) and meanings (semantics);
-- how Spanish developed from Latin and other sources (historical
linguistics);
-- how it varies geographically (dialectology) and socially
(sociolinguistics).

There will be a mid-term exam and a final exam at the time announced
in the schedule of classes, as well as a variety of learning tools
such as short homework assignments, small projects, and mini-quizzes.


S326  #4122   11:15A-12:05P  MWF  BH149  Professor Mary Clayton

Note to current majors who matriculated to IU prior to Fall 2003:
S326 can fulfill the 400-level linguistics requirement.