Linguistics

Linguistics, the scientific study of language, is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding how people acquire knowledge about the languages they speak, how this knowledge interacts with other cognitive processes, how it varies across speakers and geographic regions, and how to model this knowledge computationally. The linguistics undergraduate minor at Wichita State University offers a rich and diverse experience for students interested in pursuing various aspects of language study and/or analysis. Students are introduced to the basic methodology and linguistic principles of linguistics, including phonological and grammatical concepts used in modern and historical linguistics. Students also study how language varies across time and space, and how it is used in different social contexts. They are also introduced to various subfields of linguistics, including phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics, morphology, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, historical linguistics, and applied linguistics. Linguistics classes are offered through departments of English, Anthropology, Modern Classical Languages and Literatures, Communication Sciences and Disorders, thereby engaging students in a truly interdisciplinary critical inquiry and enabling them to become informed participants in public discourse about language.

Program Information Minor in Linguistics Linguistics Faculty Advising

Program Information

As students’ progress through a minor, they will acquire the following:

Skills and Abilities

Recognize and understand the basic fields of linguistics
Be familiar with the types of representational units that are used in describing and analyzing patterns of sound, word, and sentence structure
Be able to formulate rules to describe the patterns of speech sounds, morphemes, and words in English and across other languages
Formulate and test hypotheses
Conduct linguistic research and present findings
Apply knowledge of linguistics to other fields
Impart critical thinking by hypothesis creation and testing predictions
Involve in different types of data collection and management

Knowledge

Understand language as a grammatical system and social
Analyze the structural components of language
Create new constructed languages
Understand how languages vary across time and space
Apply linguistic principles to other domains, such as food studies, music, social contexts

Program Goals

Increasing interest in the program has led to a thriving minor. To support this program, faculty continue to:

Pursue cutting edge research agendas that encourage professional visibility through professional conferences and publications
Make effective use of technology in instruction, particularly through the use of computers for linguistic analysis
Provide career advising to help prepare students for higher education in the field

Minor in Linguistics

A minor in linguistics consist of 15 credit hours selected from the following courses. Note: Coursese applied toward another major or minor will not apply toward a minor in linguistics.

Group A: Basic Linguistic Theory

At least 6 credit hours must be selected from Group A.

Code	Title
LING 151	Nature of Language
LING 315	Introduction to English Linguistics
LING 316	English Sentence Structure
LING 317	History of the English Language
LING 318	Dialectology
LING 667	English Syntax
LING 672	Dialectology

Group B: Linguistic Study of Specific Languages or Language Groups

Code	Title
LING 505A	Advanced French Phonetics and Diction
LING 505B	Russian Phonology
LING 505C	Spanish Phonetics
LING 635	Introduction to Romance Linguistics
LING 720	Seminar in Old English

Group C: Areas of Contact Between Linguistics and Other Disciplines

Code	Title
LING 351	Linguistics and Foreign Languages
LING 651	Language and Culture
LING 740	Graduate Studies in Linguistics

Course List

Several new courses are being developed and offered that count towards the Minor in Linguistics. These include:

LING 152: Language of Food
LING 665: Field Methods of Linguistics
SPAN 546: Spanish Language Learning
SPAN 547: Spanish in the U.S.
CSD 270 / LING 270. American Sign Language I
CSD 304 / LING 304. Early Language Development
CSD 306 / LING 306. Applied Phonetics
CSD 506 / 506H / LING 506: Acoustic and Perceptual Phonetics
CSD 520 / LING 520. ASL: Nonverbal Communication

Linguistics Faculty

Dr. Mythili Menon

mythili.menon@wichita.edu
316-978-6763
Lindquist Hall 608A
www.mythilimenon.com

Educational Qualifications

BA in Mass Communication and Journalism, Mahatma Gandhi University, India;
MA and MPhil in Linguistics, Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages, Hyderabad, India;
MA and PhD in Linguistics, University of Southern California.

Research and teaching interests

Syntax and semantics interface- Adjectival meaning, Comparatives, Plurals, Numerals and Measurement, Spanish Copulas and Measure Phrases
Language and Musical processing- Language and Music, Artificial Language Learning
Language documentation and revitalization- Praire-Band Potawatomi, Judeo-Malayalam

Dr. Rachel Showstack

rachel.showstack@wichita.edu
316-978-6006
Jardine Hall
www.rachelshowstack.com
Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures

Educational Qualifications

Ph.D., Hispanic Linguistics, The University of Texas at Austin
M.A., Spanish, Sacramento State University
B.A., History, The University of California, Santa Cruz

Research and teaching interests

Spanish in the U.S., Language and Identity, Language Ideologies, Language Maintenance, Heritage Language Learning and Pedagogy, Discourse Analysis and Pragmatics, Language in Health Care, Service Learning

Dr. Jens Kreinath

jens.kreinath@wichita.edu
316-978-7193
Department of Anthropology

Dr. Douglas Parham

douglas.parham@wichita.edu
316-978-5634
Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders

Educational Qualifications

2008 PhD, Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, University of Memphis
1996 MA, Philosophy, University of Memphis
1992 BA, (1) Foreign Languages and (2) Philosophy, Memphis State University

Research and teaching interests

Typical and Atypical Speech-Language Development
Speech Production
Speech Breathing
Speech Acoustics
Infant Vocalization
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Physiological Instrumentation
Conversational Interaction

Dr. Tina Bennett

tina.bennett@wichita.edu
Professor Emerita of English and Linguistics
Department of English

Advising

Dr. Mythili Menon is the Linguistics Advisor for LAS and Wichita State University. Please contact her directly through email, telephone, or at the office during office hours. If you have questions about our program, classes, or need general information about Linguistics minor, and/or applying please talk with Dr. Menon.

WichiLing: WSU Linguistics Club

Welcome to Wichiling, the linguistics club at Wichita State University!

We generally meet every other Friday afternoons at 12:00 pm in Lindquist Hall 503!
The Linguistics Club at Wichita State University is open to everyone, whether or not you're a linguistics minor, and is free to join! Each week we meet to hang out, eat snacks, play language games, and talk linguistics. Sometimes an invited speaker comes in to talk about their job or research in linguistics, so WichiLing is a great way to network and think about your career as a linguist. It's also a good way to meet other linguistics students on campus if you want a study buddy!

» Check out the WichiLing website

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