Do emoji count as language? What about birdsong? How about the gestures of people and other primates? Can we consider ‘boom’ and ‘pow’ words of the English language? This course investigates forms of communication often considered peripheral to the linguistic system, focusing on how meaning is created and shared through “marginal” language practices. We will analyze how systems like whistled speech, drummed communication, and other musical surrogate languages facilitate communication in specialized contexts but also elucidate existing patterns in spoken languages. Students will also engage with digital discourse to understand how emoji, memes, and other multimodal devices fit into our understanding of language more broadly. By comparing human language with various animal communication systems, we will begin to understand the features definitional of language. From ideophones and onomatopoeia that evoke vivid sensory experiences, to manual gestures that complement or stand-in for speech, we will probe the edges of communication systems to arrive at an idea of what makes language language.
Learning Outcomes:
-Examine how various communicative behaviors reflect or enhance spoken language patterns.
-Apply linguistic theoretical concepts to these behaviors in order to evaluate whether they meet the criteria for language.
-Synthesize knowledge of both traditionally linguistic structures and peripheral communication systems to form a more inclusive understanding of how meaning is created and shared in diverse contexts.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
Tu/F 2:10PM - 4:00PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: One time only
Categories: 2000 , All courses , CSL , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Linguistics , Sociolinguistics
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