The Structure of the Program
Coursework - To acquire a basic grounding in the core areas of the field, students must complete the following courses, normally in their first two years of residence:
Linguistics 112a (Introduction to Syntactic Theory) and 112b (Intermediate Syntax)
Linguistics 115a (Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology) and 115b (Intermediate Phonology)
Linguistics 116a (Introduction to Semantics)
Linguistics 117r (Linguistic Field Methods)
Linguistics 224 (Historical and Comparative Linguistics)
In addition, second- and third-year students are required to enroll in Linguistics 241r (Practicum in Linguistics).
There is also a language requirement, which is described separately below. Course requirements are flexibly enforced. Students with a substantial background in one or more areas of linguistics may substitute more advanced courses for those listed above, with the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS). Only rarely are course requirements waived completely.
Advising - First-year students are advised by the DGS until they choose a major field (see below), at which time they also choose a major advisor from the regular departmental faculty. Thereafter, progress toward completion of the PhD requirements continues to be monitored by the DGS, but primary responsibility for overseeing study in the major field shifts to the major advisor. Students may change their major advisor at any time. By the end of the second year they should also select a co-advisor, who serves as a second advisor and faculty mentor.
Major and Minor Fields - Students choose a major and a minor field during their first year. The major field is typically a large subarea of linguistics, such as phonology, syntax, semantics, or historical linguistics. The minor field may either be another major subarea or a more specific one (e.g., Germanic syntax, psycholinguistics, Greek historical grammar). Competence in the major field is demonstrated by a) advanced coursework, as determined in consultation with the major advisor; b) submission of an original research paper of publishable quality (see below); and c), optionally, in certain fields, a special written examination. Competence in the minor field is demonstrated by satisfactory performance in three courses above the introductory level, or in two courses with submission of a research paper.
Research Paper Requirement - In lieu of a formal admission to candidacy examination ("general exam"), students are required to submit and orally defend two publishable research papers, preferably by the end of the third year. One of the two papers should be in the area of the declared major field, and the other should be in a different area of linguistics, which may, but need not be, the same as the minor field. If the second paper is in the area of the minor field, it may count in place of a third course in the minor field (see above).
Language Requirement - The department's language requirement has two components:
(1) Reading knowledge of two languages of scholarship other than English. Native speakers of qualifying languages may count their native language for this purpose. Non-native speakers may satisfy the requirement by completing a second-year language course at the university level, or by passing a one-hour departmental reading exam (dictionary permitted).
(2) Knowledge of the structure of a non-Indo-European language. This requirement may be met by taking a "structure" course (e.g., Linguistics 171, Structure of Chinese), a course in linguistic typology, or a second semester of Linguistics 117r (Linguistic Field Methods). Practical reading and/or speaking knowledge cannot be used to satisfy this requirement.
Satisfactory Progress - A B+ average must be maintained in each year of graduate study. Grades below B- cannot be counted toward departmental requirements; two grades below B- in required courses may result in termination of candidacy. Ordinarily, a grade of Incomplete can only be converted into a letter grade if the work is made up before the end of the following term. No grade of Incomplete can be used to satisfy a departmental requirement.
All requirements, including the research papers, should ideally be completed by the end of the third year, but in no case later than the end of the fourth. The dissertation prospectus (see below) is also due by the end of the fourth year. Failure to meet program requirements in timely fashion may result in termination of candidacy.
AM Degree - Graduate students who have completed two years of residence and who have fulfilled all the course requirements and language requirements for the PhD may upon petition receive an AM degree.
The Dissertation
Dissertation Prospectus - A prospectus of the PhD dissertation must be submitted to the department by the end of the fourth year. The prospectus should contain a summary (in approximately ten pages) of the goals and methodology of the dissertation research, a bibliography of relevant literature, and a schedule for progress toward completion.
Committee - As part of the prospectus submission procedure, students nominate a three-person committee to serve as readers of the completed dissertation. Final membership of the dissertation committee is subject to departmental approval. The head of the committee, if not already the major advisor, assumes this role as soon as the prospectus is approved. Students are urged to maintain regular communication with all three members of the dissertation committee during the dissertation-writing process.
Dissertation Defense - Acceptance of a PhD dissertation requires a successful public defense, which should take place one to three months before the Registrar's due date for final submission of the dissertation. Sufficient time must be allowed to permit any required corrections or revisions, as well as to have the dissertation bound.
Secondary Fields in Linguistics
The Department of Linguistics offers two secondary fields, one in Historical Linguistics and the other in Linguistic Theory.
HISTORICAL LINGUISTICS
1. Historical linguistics, the study of how languages change over time, subsumes both the general study of language change and the history of specific languages and language families. The intellectual spectrum thus defined bridges part of the gap between linguistic theory and the areas traditionally known as “philology.” At Harvard, the more theoretical aspects of historical linguistics are covered in courses offered by the Department of Linguistics, while courses dealing with the historical linguistics of specific languages are offered both by the Department of Linguistics and the relevant language departments. In practice, many graduate students in the Classics, Germanic Languages and Literatures, Slavic Languages and Literatures, Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and other language-centered departments take courses in historical linguistics as part of their ordinary preparation for the Ph.D. The availability of a secondary field in Historical Linguistics allows such students to have their work in linguistics officially recognized.
2. Requirement: four half-courses, to be distributed as follows:
a) one of Linguistics 120 (Introduction to Historical Linguistics) or Linguistics 224 (Historical and Comparative Linguistics)
b) three other courses in Linguistics or cross-listed with Linguistics, two of which must be chosen from the following:
*Linguistics 122 (Introduction to Indo-European) – Fall 2008
Linguistics 123 (Indo-European Phonology and Morphology)
Linguistics 158r (From Indo-European to Old Irish)
Linguistics 168 (Introduction to Germanic Linguistics)
Linguistics 176 (History and Prehistory of the Japanese Language)
*Linguistics 220ar (Advanced Indo-European) – Fall 2008
*Linguistics 221r (Indo-EuropeanWorkshop) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 247 (Topics in Germanic Linguistics) – Fall 2008
Linguistics 225a (Introduction to Hittite)
*Linguistics 250 (Old Church Slavonic) – Fall 2008
*Linguistics 252 (Comparative Slavic Linguistics) – Spring 2009
Greek 134 (The Language of Homer)
Latin 134 (Archaic Latin)
Semitic Philology 140 (Introduction to the Comparative Study of Semitic Languages)
Semitic Philology 200r (Comparative Semitic Grammar: Seminar)
Slavic 125 (Modern Russian in Historical Perspective)
Other courses with a historical linguistic focus may be added to this list at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies in Linguistics.
3. Historical linguistics is one of the Department’s traditional areas of strength, with two dedicated faculty positions (Jasanoff and Rau) and part of a third (Flier). Linguistics 120 and 224 are offered in alternating years. Of the courses in b), Linguistics 122, Linguistics 220r, Linguistics 221r, Linguistics 247, Linguistics 250, and Linguistics 252 are being given in 2008-09.
4. The contact person is the Director of Graduate Studies in Linguistics.
LINGUISTIC THEORY
1. Linguistic theory, the core of the modern field of linguistics, seeks to characterize the linguistic knowledge that normal human beings acquire in the course of mastering their native language between the ages of one and five. Studied as an internalized formal system, language is a source of insight into a wide range of human pursuits and abilities, some of them traditionally approached through the humanities, others through the social sciences, and others through the behavioral and natural sciences. The major divisions of linguistic theory are syntax, the study of sentence structure; phonology, the study of sounds and sound systems; morphology, the study of word structure; and semantics; the study of meaning. Courses in these areas regularly draw students from other Harvard departments, especially Psychology, Philosophy, and other departments associated with the Mind, Brain, Behavior Initiative. The secondary field in Linguistic Theory allows such students to receive official recognition for their linguistics coursework.
2. Requirement: four half-courses, to be distributed as follows:
a) at least one of the following:
*Linguistics 112a (Introduction to Syntactic Theory) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 114 (Introduction to Morphology) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 115a (Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology) – Fall 2008
Linguistics 116a (Introduction to Semantics)
b) three other courses in Linguistics, two of which must be chosen from the following:
*Linguistics 112b (Intermediate Syntax) – Fall 2008
*Linguistics 115b (Intermediate Phonology) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 116b (Intermediate Semantics) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 117r (Linguistic Field Methods) – Fall 2008
Linguistics 132 (Psychosemantics)
Linguistics 145 (Logical Form)
Linguistics 146 ((Syntax and Processing)
Linguistics 148 (Language Universals)
Linguistics 152 (Prosody and Intonation)
Linguistics 171 (Structure of Chinese)
Linguistics 174 (Tense and Aspect in Japanese)
Linguistics 175 (Structure of Japanese)
*Linguistics 188r (Biolinguistics) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 202r (Advanced Syntax) – Fall 2008 and Spring 2009
*Linguistics 204r (Topics in Syntax) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 205r (The Syntax-Semantics Interface) – Spring 2009
*Linguistics 206r (Syntactic Structure and Argument Structure) Fall 2008
Linguistics 207r (Topics in Semantics)
Linguistics 219r (Advanced Phonology)
Other courses with a theoretical focus, including courses in other departments cross-listed
with Linguistics, may be added to this list at the discretion of the Director of Graduate Studies in Linguistics.
3. Although Linguistics has no official “tracks” toward the Ph.D., linguistic theory is the Department’s main intellectual focus, with three tenured and two untenured colleagues (Chierchia, Huang, Polinsky; Deal, Nevins) working in this area. Of the four courses in a), three (Linguistics 112a, Linguistics 115a, and Linguistics 116a) are offered every year; Linguistics 114 is offered in alternate years. Of the courses in b), Linguistics 112b, Linguistics 115b, Linguistics 116b, Linguistics 117r, Linguistics 188r, Linguistics 202r, Linguistics 204r, Linguistics 205r, and Linguistics 206r, are being given in 2008-09.
4. The contact person is the Director of Graduate Studies in Linguistics.
Admission and Financial Aid
Requirements for admission are flexible. Preference is normally given to candidates with a previous background in linguistics, but students with a mature interest in the field and a strong language background are encouraged to apply as well. GRE scores are required of all applicants.
All new graduate students in Linguistics receive a five-year support package, either from GSAS, or from an outside funding source (e.g., the National Science Foundation), or from a combination of the two. The standard GSAS package provides sufficient funds to make teaching unnecessary in the first and second years. Support in the third and fourth years takes the form of teaching fellowships. The department regards teaching as an essential part of the PhD program. Courses open to participation by teaching fellows include undergraduate tutorials, beginning-level linguistic theory courses, and large-enrollment undergraduate courses such as Social Analysis 34 (Knowledge of Language). Full support is again provided in the dissertation-completion year, freeing the student of teaching obligations. Stipends are provided for summer research in the first two years.
Inquiries regarding admission and financial aid should be directed to the Admissions Office, Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Holyoke Center 350, 1350 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138. We encourage online submission of the application. See www.gsas.harvard.edu.
Recent PhD Dissertation Titles
Bardi Verb Morphology in Historical Perspective
Canadian French Vowel Harmony
Case, Referentiality and Phrase Structure
Ditransitive Structures and the (Anti-) Locality Principle
Elliptical Predicated Constructions in Mandarin
Finiteness, Case and Clausal Architecture
Focusing on Negative Concord and Negative Polarity: Variations and Relations
Indo-European Origins of the Nasal Inchoative Class in Germanic, Baltic, and Slavic
Lexical Rules in Syntax: A Case Study of V-Concatenation in Japanese
Linguistic Practice, Social Identity, and Ideology: Mandarin Variation in a Taipei County High School
Multiple Dominance in Syntax
Referential-access Dependency in Penobscot
Relativization and Ellipsis
Studies in Japanese Prosody
Studies in the Language of Three Northumbrian Poems
Studies in Ancient Anatolian Language and Culture
Symmetries in Coordination
The Interaction of Verb Semantics and Functional Features in Korean Syntax
The Syntax of Negation in Spanish
The Influence of Spanish on the Numeral System of Tz´utujil Maya
Syntax, Time, and the Experience of Musical Meaning
The Accusative and Infinitive Construction in Latin: An Integrated Approach
On Linguicide
Cognitive Processing of Action Words and Grammatical Category in Parkinson’s Disease
“Vessel Determinatives” in the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic System: The Relationship between Cultural Artefacts and the Mind
No “Small” Task: Analyzing Sociolinguistic Variation among an African-
American Family in a Small Southern Town
|
