College Bulletin 2024-2025
Linguistics
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Faculty
EMILY A. GASSER, Associate Professor and Chair
THEODORE B. FERNALD, Professor
K. DAVID HARRISON, Professor
DONNA JO NAPOLI, Professor
JONATHAN N. WASHINGTON, Associate Professor
KIRBY CONROD, Assistant Professor
RIKKER DOCKUM, Visiting Assistant Professor
MICHAEL DONOVAN, Visiting Assistant Professor
NICTÉ FULLER MEDINA, Visiting Assistant Professor
MELANIE DROLSBAUGH, Language Lecturer, American Sign Language
JEREMY FAHRINGER, Laboratory Technologist
TARSIA DUFF, Administrative Assistant
What is Linguistics?
There are 7,000 languages in the world. Linguistics is the scientific study of language-we develop techniques to explore patterns that all human languages have in common and investigate the ways in which each is unique. Our explorations yield insights not only about languages, but also about the nature of the human mind.
The relevance of linguistics to the fields of anthropology, cognitive science, language study, philosophy, psychology, and sociology has been recognized for a long time. Linguistics cross list courses from ten departments, reflecting the diversity of fields with strong relevance to our field. The interdisciplinary nature of the field, and our program, further encourages students to broaden their horizons and interact with a wide variety of students, scholars, and ideas.
What we hope students will get from studying Linguistics
Because the very nature of modern linguistic inquiry is to build arguments for particular analysis, the study of linguistics gives the student finely honed argumentation skills, which stand in good stead in careers in law, business, and any other profession where such skills are crucial.
Linguistics at Swarthmore, Bryn Mawr College, and Haverford College
The Linguistics Department is a constituent in the Tri-College Linguistics Department, which includes courses at Bryn Mawr College and Haverford College. Linguistics courses at Swarthmore College regularly include students from all three schools.
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The Academic Program
The Linguistics Department offers a course major, a course minor, an honors major, and an honors minor. In addition, a special course major and a special honors major are offered in linguistics and languages.
Language courses do not count towards the elective requirements for the major/minor. Examples of these courses include LING 011, 012, 015, 024, 033, and 057. If you’re unsure about whether a course falls into this category, please contact the chair.
Students may count towards the major or minor up to one elective course taken with CR/NC grading. This restriction does not apply to courses taken in the first semester at Swarthmore or in other cases where regular letter grades are not available. The Linguistics Department allows students to count up to two credits towards their Ling major, or one credit towards their Ling minor, which they are also using to fulfil another major or minor. Students should check with their other department about their overlap policies to ensure compliance.
Students who wish to petition for an exception or change to a particular major/minor requirement should fill out the form at [link] and submit it to the department chair. These requests will be granted at the discretion of the chair, in consultation with appropriate faculty members.
Off-Campus Study
Linguistics majors and minors frequently study abroad, and are encouraged to do so. There is no limit on the number of courses taken abroad or in other off-campus programs that may count towards the major or minor. Usually these will count as electives, but the chair may approve relevant courses to fulfil core major requirements.
Course Major: Linguistics
The course major in linguistics consists of at least eight credits in linguistics, including all of the following:
- Phonetics & Phonology: LING 45/H115.
- Syntax: LING 50/H113/B113.
- Semantics: LING 40/H114.
- A course in language, culture, and society from the following: LING 21 Anthropological Linguistics, LING 25/H125 Sociolinguistics, LING 41 Dialects of American English, LING 44 Linguistic Discrimination, LING 46 / H146 Linguistic Diversity, LING/ANTH B281 Language in the Social Context. Other courses which are not being used to fulfil another major requirement may be used here with approval of the chair.
- A course in the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language: typically LING 61 (Navajo), 67 (Wamesa), 68 (Kyrgyz), H282 (Chinese), or H215 (Colonial Valley Zapotec).
- LING 100/H399/B399, in which students complete and defend a one-credit senior thesis. This course constitutes the comprehensive requirement for the major.
- Two additional electives in linguistics.
Course Major: Linguistics and Languages
The course major in linguistics and languages consists of at least twelve credits: six credits in linguistics and three credits in each of two languages. The languages can be ancient or modern. Students must complete each of the following:
- A course in Phonetics & Phonology from the following list: LING 45.
- A course in Syntax: LING 50.
- A course in Semantics from the following list: LING 40.
- A course in Language, Culture, & Society (see course major).
- A course in the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language (see course major).
- LING 100, in which students complete and defend a one-credit senior thesis. This course constitutes the comprehensive requirement for the major.
Contact the Modern Languages Department, the Spanish Department, and the Classics Department to find out the necessary courses to complete the language part of this special major.
Some work in each foreign language included in the major must be done in the student’s junior or senior year.
If one or both of the foreign languages is modern, the student must study abroad for at least one semester in an area appropriate for one of the foreign languages.
Course Minor
Four minors are offered, each totaling five credits (courses below plus any other two credits in linguistics):
- Theory: LING 40/H114, LING 45/H115, LING 50/H113/B113
- Phonology/Morphology: LING 43, LING 45/H115, and LING 25 or LING 52
- Syntax/Semantics: LING 40/h114, LING 43, LING 50/H113/B113
- Language and Society:
- Individualized: Student may choose five courses in linguistics and provide justification why the courses form a coherent minor.
Honors Major
The Honors major in Linguistics consists of nine required courses in Linguistics plus an Honors portfolio, totalling 10 to 11 credits:
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A course in Phonetics & Phonology: LING 45 (1 credit)
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A course in Syntax: LING 50 (1 credit)
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A course in Semantics: LING 40 (1 credit)
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A course in language, culture, and society (see course major) (1 credit)
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A course in the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language: (see course major) (1 credit)
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A thesis preparation course, generally Advanced Research Methods (LING 090) (1 credit)
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Seniors Honors Thesis: LING 195. This course constitutes the comprehensive requirement for the major (1 credit)
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Two electives in linguistics (1-2 credits each)
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Complete and defend an Honors major portfolio as explained below (up to 1 additional credit).
Honors Major Portfolio
Honors majors must complete an Honors portfolio consisting of an Honors thesis and two Honors portfolio papers.
Honors Thesis:
Honors students are required to write a two-credit thesis, by registering for 1 credit in LING 195 (Senior Honors Thesis) during the fall of their senior year, after completing a 1-credit prerequisite methods course, generally Advanced Research Methods (LING 090 or Bi-Co equivalent; comparable courses by advisor and chair permission only).
As with a non-Honors thesis, the thesis may be on any topic in linguistics for which the student has sufficient background (coursework and/or research experiences). It is especially important that Honors students complete and defend their thesis in the fall semester, though they may continue with additional revisions into the spring. At the end of the fall semester students in Ling 195 are given a grade of IP. Near the end of the spring semester, their completed thesis is sent to an external Honors examiner, who will then conduct an oral examination consisting of a discussion of 45 to 60 minutes during Honors weekend. The final thesis grade is determined by the external examiner.
Honors Portfolio Papers:
In addition to the Honors thesis, students are required to write two research papers, which may also be on any topic in linguistics. These portfolio papers are associated with a total of four credits (two per paper) of coursework which counts towards the Linguistics major.
Portfolio papers will be subject to an external review and oral examination during the spring of senior year (see “Honors Portfolio Paper Submission and Examination Process” below). Each paper should be about 3,000 words at the point when it is sent to external reviewers.
Each Honors Portfolio Paper must take one of two possible forms: an Honors seminar portfolio paper or an independent portfolio paper.
Honors seminar portfolio papers: Some advanced courses in Linguistics will be offered as Honors seminars, meaning that they can optionally be taken for 2 credits. To enroll in the Honors version of a course, students will enroll in the 1-credit course plus a 1-credit Honors section (e.g. LING 085 section 01 and LING 085 section H). Note that this Honors section does not constitute a separate elective; students will still need to take two distinct courses to complete the elective requirement for the major.
All Honors sections will involve writing a research paper related to the seminar topic; the expectation is that an Honors seminar portfolio paper will require a higher level of work and be of higher quality than a non-Honors seminar paper, if one is required of non-Honors students. An Honors seminar portfolio paper will then become one of the two required Honors Portfolio Papers which will be sent to an external Honors examiner to form the basis of a written Honors exam. In order to prepare for the Honors examination, Honors seminar portfolio papers must be completed in a course taken senior fall or earlier.
Independent portfolio papers: An Honors Portfolio Paper may also take the form of an independent portfolio paper. These papers are written independently under the guidance of a faculty supervisor. The topic of an independent portfolio paper should be at the intersection of two linguistics courses previously taken by the student (e.g., Syntax II and Semantics, Morphology and Structure of Navajo). Any LING courses that count towards the LING major may be used except LING 001; other courses may be used with chair permission. Independent portfolio papers may be written in any term through senior spring, but for papers written in senior spring, the topic will need to be set by the end of senior fall so that the paper may be submitted to examiners by the mid-March deadline.
Students must find a faculty member to supervise the independent portfolio paper. Major advisors can offer advice about which faculty member(s) to approach. For each independent portfolio paper, students enroll in 0.5 credits of LING 199 (Senior Honors Study) with the faculty supervisor for that paper. Faculty supervisors can assist with establishing a topic for the paper.
Linguistics and Languages
The honors major in linguistics and languages consists of the following Linguistics classes and three credits in each of two languages. The languages can be ancient or modern. Students must complete each of the following:
- A course in Phonetics & Phonology from the following list: LING 45.
- A course in Syntax: LING 50.
- A course in Semantics from the following list: LING 40.
- A course in Language, Culture, & Society (see course major).
- A course in the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language (see course major).
- LING 195, in which students complete and defend a two-credit senior thesis. This course constitutes the comprehensive requirement for the major.
- Complete and defend an honors major portfolio as explained below.
Honors Major in Linguistics and Languages
The Honors major in Linguistics and Languages is the same as the course major, except that the student will write their thesis in LING 195 instead of LING 100, as described above. When students complete this major as an Honors major, they do not have an Honors minor. Instead, they complete the following four Honors preparations:
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Complete a thesis preparation course (usually Advanced Research Methods) and write an Honors thesis in Linguistics;
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Write one Honors Portfolio Paper in Linguistics;
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Take two additional Honors exams, one administered by each of the relevant language sections or departments according to their requirements.
Honors Minor
If a student is an Honors Minor in Linguistics, they are expected to complete one Honors preparation from the options listed for Honors majors above (i.e. Honors thesis + preparation course, Honors seminar paper, or independent portfolio paper).
If a student is a course major in Linguistics as well as an Honors minor in Linguistics, they must complete a thesis to complete the course major; therefore it is recommended to complete an Honors thesis (including completing a 1-credit prerequisite methods course) so they do not need to complete an additional Honors preparation. However, if a student wishes, they are allowed to complete a non-Honors thesis and an additional Honors preparation (Honors seminar paper or independent portfolio paper).
Thesis / Culminating Exercise
Every senior linguistics major or linguistics and language major must write a thesis during the fall semester of their senior year.
Application Process Notes for the Major or the Minor
Please follow the process described by the Dean’s Office and the Registrar’s Office about how to apply for a major.
Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Credit
Linguistics does not accept AP/IB credit.
Transfer Credit
Linguistics does accept transfer credit. Please contact the department for more information.
Sample Paths through Linguistics
There are many acceptable paths through the major. We urge students to talk with their advisers to find the one that is best suited to their interests, bearing the following considerations in mind.
The end of the path is satisfaction of the requirements for the major. The most intricate of these is successful completion of the senior thesis. While students are permitted to complete one or more of the core requirements (courses in sounds, forms, and meanings) during their senior year, doing so will preclude writing a senior thesis in one of these areas. We strongly recommend completing these requirements by the end of the junior year. Because students frequently develop thesis topics during their courses in the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language, we also recommend satisfying this requirement by the end of the junior year. Syntax (LING 050) and Phonetics and Phonology (LING 045) are prerequisites for the Structure of a Non-Indo-European Language (061, 067, 68 and at Haverford College: LINGH282, and LING215.), the faculty urge students to take these courses by the end of the fall semester of the junior year.
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