Language, Speech, and Social interaction

We use language to communicate every day, but we take its complex and dynamic nature for granted. This introduction to Linguistics will ask students to rethink their assumptions about language and communication as it approaches the field with a special focus on speech and social interactions. The course is grounded in the production and perception of speech sounds: its physiological basis, its acoustic signal form, and its cognitive process of perception. From this foundation, the course will move on to explore how the subtle variation and change of sounds is used to construct identity, foster relationships, and shape community. We will also investigate how exciting linguistic research sheds light on important contemporary social debates and on speech technology. Throughout the course, students will supplement readings, exercises, and discussion with lab sessions that will teach them how to manipulate and analyze speech sound recordings. Their accumulated theoretical and practical knowledge will find its expression in an intensive research project drawing on social media data. There is no prerequisite for this course.