This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

Language and its Structure I: Phonology

As taught in: Fall 2002

Photograph of  'Le chant des voyelles (Song of the Vowels)', bronze sculpture.

Le chant des voyelles (Song of the Vowels). Jacques Lipchitz, 1931-32. Bronze. (Image courtesy Public Art at the University of California, Los Angeles.)

Instructors:

Prof. Donca Steriade

Prof. Michael Kenstowicz

MIT Course Number:

24.901

Level:

Undergraduate

Course Features

Course Highlights

This course includes audio examples, which are located in the assignments section.

Course Description

24.901 is designed to give you a preliminary understanding of how the sound systems of different languages are structured, how and why they may differ from each other. The course also aims to provide you with analytical tools in phonology, enough to allow you to sketch the analysis of an entire phonological system by the end of the term. On a non-linguistic level, the couse aims to teach you by example the virtues of formulating precise and explicit descriptive statements; and to develop your skills in making and evaluating arguments.