The Majors
The department offers a Linguistics major, and nine interdisciplinary majors combining Linguistics with one of the following: Anthropology, Chinese, German, Japanese, Philosophy, Portuguese, Psychology, Russian or Spanish.
Common Requirements for All majors:
All majors must complete 12 courses (36 credits minimum). Majors must complete the Junior Year Writing requirement. The departmental website, www.umass.edu/linguistics, lists courses that satisfy the requirement. All majors must also fulfill College of Humanities and Fine Arts requirements and the Integrative Experience requirement.
Linguistics
Required core:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Cross-linguistic requirement:
Two courses from the following list (see your Academic Requirements Report for a complete listing):
LINGUIST 350 Syntax and Dialects of English
LINGUIST 370 The Sounds of Englishes
LINGUIST 389 Introduction to African American English
LINGUIST 391B Indigenous Languages of North America
LINGUIST 391T Typology
LINGUIST 397S Linguistics of Sign Language
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 495C Morphology
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
LINGUIST 594A Structure of African American English
ANTHRO 397MG Languages of Mexico and Guatemala
Linguistically-oriented courses on a language other than English at the 300-400 level.
Departmental electives:
Five elective courses are required. No course that is applied to the above requirements can be applied to this one. Otherwise, any linguistics course can be an elective, although no more than one 100-level linguistics course can be so used.
Students may select electives from certain related departments (see your ARR for a complete list).
Linguistics and Anthropology
14 courses (42 credits minimum) in Linguistics and Anthropology including all of the following:
ANTHRO 102 Introduction to Archaeology: Humans Past and Present or ANTHRO 103 Human Origins and Variation
ANTHRO 104 Culture, Society and People
ANTHRO 105 Language, Culture and Communication
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
One of the following Field Methods courses:
ANTHRO 281 Research Methods in Anthropology
ANTHRO 394RI Ethnography in Action
ANTHRO 397EF Ethnographic Field Methods
ANTHRO 497EN Endangered Languages
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
One of the following Comparative & Historical Linguistics courses:
ANTHRO 397MG Languages of Mexico and Guatemala
LINGUIST 391B Indigenous Languages of North America
LINGUIST 495C Morphology
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
One of the following courses in Language & Society:
ANTHRO 360 Methods in Linguistic Anthropology
ANTHRO 597LP Language Preservation
One of the following courses in Primate Behavior, Prehistory or Archaeology:
ANTHRO 269 North American Archaeology
ANTHRO 317 Primate Behavior
ANTHRO 368 Old World Prehistory
Two additional courses in Linguistics or Anthropology numbered 200 and above.
Linguistics and Chinese
The successful completion of four courses in Mandarin Chinese (24 credits): CHINESE 126, 246, 326, and 327, or the equivalent. 12 courses (36 credits minimum) distributed between Linguistics and Chinese, as follows:
Linguistics courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three of the following:
LINGUIST 101 People and Their Language
LINGUIST 394BI Language and Cognition
LINGUIST 397S Lingusitics of Sign Langauge
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 412 Language Processing and the Brain
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
LINGUIST 503 Intermediate Syntax
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Chinese courses:
CHINESE 375 Introduction to Chinese Linguistics
CHINESE 450 Elementary Classical Chinese
Three of the following, at least one of which must be CHINESE 575, 576, or 577:
CHINESE 575 Syntactic Structures of Chinese
CHINESE 576 History of the Chinese Language
CHINESE 577 Chinese Dialectology
CHINESE 426 Advanced Modern Chinese I
CHINESE 427 Advanced Modern Chinese II
CHINESE 432 Media Chinese
CHINESE 433 Business Chinese
CHINESE 451 Intermediate Classical Chinese
CHINESE 555 Classical Chinese Poetry
One of the following:
CHINESE 138 Religion in Chinese Culture
CHINESE 140 Chinese Script I
CHINESE 150 Peoples and Languages of China
CHINESE 153 Chinese Literature: Poetry
CHINESE 154 Literature: Tales, Short Stories, Novels
CHINESE 241 Contemporary Chinese Literature
HISTORY 114 Chinese Civilization: Ancient Origins to the End of the Mongol Era
HISTORY 115 Chinese Civilization: Early Modern to the Present
Linguistics and German
Successful completion of four courses in German (12 credits): 110, 120, 230 and 240 (or equivalent). 9 courses distributed between Linguistics and German, as follows.
Linguistics courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
German courses:
GERMAN 310 Advanced German I
GERMAN 320 Advanced German II
GERMAN 425 Advanced Composition
GERMAN 584 The German Language or GERMAN 585 The Structure of German
Students are encouraged also to take graduate courses in the older Germanic languages for undergraduate credit (e.g., German 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 810, 811, 812). They may also opt to take courses in German literature or civilization, and courses, including language instruction, in Danish, Dutch, or Swedish.
Linguistics and Japanese
The successful completion of four courses in Japanese (24 credits): JAPANESE 126, 246, 326 and 327 (or the equivalent). 12 courses (36 credits minimum) distributed between Japanese and Linguistics, as follows:
Linguistics courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three of the following:
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 412 Language Processing and the Brain
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
LINGUIST 503 Intermediate Syntax
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Japanese courses:
Three of the following:
JAPANESE 375 Introduction to Japanese Linguistics
JAPANESE 556 Introduction to Classical Japanese
JAPANESE 575 Syntactic Structures of Japanese
JAPANESE 580 Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language
Two of the following:
JAPANESE 426 Readings in Modern Japanese I
JAPANESE 427 Readings in Modern Japanese II
JAPANESE 430 Scientific and Technical Japanese
JAPANESE 497A Readings in Modern Japanese I
JAPANESE 497B ST-Contemporary Japanese I
JAPANESE 497C ST-Readings in Modern Japanese II
JAPANESE 497D ST-Contemporary Japanese II
JAPANESE 498Y Practicum (3 credits)
JAPANESE 532 Media Japanese I
JAPANESE 533 Media Japanese II
JAPANESE 536 Advanced Modern Japanese I
JAPANESE 537 Advanced Modern Japanese II
One of the following:
JAPANESE 143 Literature: Classical and Medieval
JAPANESE 144 Literature: Modern
JAPANESE 560 Seminar in Japanese Literature
Some of the Japanese course requirements for this joint major are not currently being offered on a regular basis by University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty, but it is possible to arrange for coursework through the Five Colleges or by special arrangement with individual faculty, or by study abroad. For more information, contact the Undergraduate Advisor.
Linguistics and Philosophy
Courses are distributed between Philosophy and Linguistics, including those listed below.
Required Linguistics courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 509 Introduction to Computational Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Required Philosophy courses:
PHIL 310 Intermediate Logic
PHIL 550 Epistemology or PHIL 551 Metaphysics
One of the following:
PHIL 511 Modal Logic
PHIL 512 Philosophy and Logic
PHIL 513 Mathematical Logic I
PHIL 514 Mathematical Logic II
One of the following:
PHIL 335 Contemporary Analytic Philosophy
PHIL 546 Topics in the Philosophy of Language
PHIL 553 Topics in the Philosophy of Science
Linguistics and Portuguese
The successful completion of four courses in Portuguese (12 credits): 110, 120, 230, 240 (First and second year Portuguese or equivalent proficiency demonstrated by testing or high school work). 12 courses (36 credits minimum) distributed between Linguistics and Portuguese as follows:
Linguistics Courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three courses chosen from the following:
LINGUIST 101 People and Their Language
LINGUIST 389 Introduction to African American English
LINGUIST 394BI Language and Cognition
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 509 Introduction to Computational Linguistics
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
LINGUIST 503 Intermediate Syntax
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Portuguese Courses:
PORTUG 301 Conversational Portuguese
PORTUG 311 Advanced Grammar
PORTUG 312 Advanced Composition
One of the following:
PORTUG 320 Introduction to Portuguese Literature I
PORTUG 321 Introduction to Portuguese Literature II
PORTUG 322 Introduction to Brazilian Literature
One Portuguese or Brazilian culture courses:
PORTUG 315 Portuguese Civilization
PORTUG 316 Brazil
PORTUG 497B ST-Brazilian Culture
PORTUG 697B ST-Brazilian Culture
One elective course in Portuguese at the 400 level or above
Linguistics and Psychology
12 courses (36 credits minimum) distributed between Linguistics and Psychology as indicated below. A senior thesis may contribute up to six credits toward this requirement.
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
PSYCH 100 Elementary Psychology
PSYCH 240 Statistics in Psychology
PSYCH 241 Methods of Inquiry in Psychology
One of the following:
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 509 Introduction to Computational Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Two of the following:
PSYCH 315 Cognitive Psychology
PSYCH 330 Behavioral Neuroscience
PSYCH 350 Child Behavior and Development
One of the following:
LINGUIST 412 Language Processing and the Brain
PSYCH 318 Psychology of Language
Two electives 300-level or above, or a senior thesis.
Linguistics and Russian
Successful completion of four courses in Russian: RUSSIAN 110, 120, 230 and 240 (or equivalent). 10 courses (30 credits minimum) distributed between Linguistics and Russian, as follows:
Linguistics courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure or LINGUIST 370 The Sounds of Englishes
LINGUIST 411 Introduction to Language Acquisition
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
Russian courses:
RUSSIAN 301 Advanced Russian I
RUSSIAN 302 Advanced Russian II
RUSSIAN 560 Russian Phonetics
RUSSIAN 561 Structure of Russian
RUSSIAN 563 Contrastive Structures of Russian and English
Currently, students can take Elementary and Intermediate Russian, as well as Heritage Russian, at the University. Advanced level Russian courses are offered through the Five Colleges https://www.fivecolleges.edu/reees/courses. It may be possible to arrange for coursework by special arrangement with individual faculty, or by study abroad. For more information, contact the Undergraduate Advisor.
Additional courses may be selected from the offerings of the Slavic languages departments in the Five Colleges.
Linguistics and Spanish
The successful completion of four courses in Spanish (12 credits): 110, 120, 230, 240 (First and second year Spanish or equivalent proficiency demonstrated by testing or high school work). 12 courses (36 credits minimum) distributed between Linguistics and Spanish as follows:
Linguistics Courses:
LINGUIST 201 How Language Works: Introduction to Linguistic Theory
LINGUIST 401 Introduction to Syntax
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
Three courses chosen from the following:
LINGUIST 101 People and Their Language
LINGUIST 370 The Sound of Englishes
LINGUIST 389 Introduction to African American English
LINGUIST 394BI Language and Cognition
LINGUIST 402 Speech Sounds and Structure
LINGUIST 404 Field Methods
LINGUIST 414 Introductory Phonetics for Linguists
LINGUIST 503 Intermediate Syntax
LINGUIST 505 Introduction to Historical Linguistics
LINGUIST 509 Introduction to Computational Linguistics
LINGUIST 510 Introduction to Semantics
Spanish Courses:
SPANISH 311 Advanced Grammar (SPANISH 354 recommended for native speakers)
SPANISH 378 Spanish Phonetics
SPANISH 470 General View of Hispanic Linguistics
One of the following:
SPANISH 320 Literature of Spain I (to 17th Century)
SPANISH 321 Literature of Spain II (18th to 20th Century)
SPANISH 322 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature I (to 19th Century)
SPANISH 323 Introduction to Spanish-American Literature II (20th Century)
One of the following:
SPANISH 415 Culture and Civilization of Spain
SPANISH 417 Culture and Civilization of Spanish America
One of the following:
SPANISH 471 Linguistic Varieties and Pluralism
SPANISH 472 Phonological Evolution: Latin to Spanish
SPANISH 473 Contrastive Analysis Spanish English
SPANISH 475 LLC: The Story of Romance Language
SPANISH 497SX Spanish Syntax
SPANISH 512 Spanish Language Minority in the US
SPANISH 579 Structure of Modern Spanish
SPANISH 595FF Introduction to Spanish Phonetics/Phonology
SPANISH 597AP Applied Linguistics
or any Special Topics in Hispanic Linguistics course
NOTE: LINGUIST 370 can subsitute for LINGUIST 402