Introduction to the Study of Language

Linguistics 1 - Introduction to the Study of Language - 5 units - UCLA GE Language: The Most Complex Thing You'll Ever Do This course explores the shared experience of language. Everyone speaks a language, notices different accents, is aware of everyday "grammatical mistakes", and makes jokes that use language in clever ways. Professor Schuh examines of the nature of language, how the science of linguistics analyzes language data, and how language is integrated within culture and history. Contemporary mass media materials are used as sources for analysis and, in some cases, as ways to draw attention to common myths about language. Russell Schuh is a Professor of Linguistics and African Languages and served as Chair of the UCLA Department of Linguistics for five years. His research focuses on the Chadic family of languages, spoken in Niger, northern Nigeria, northern Cameroon, and east-central Chad Republic. Since 2000, he has returned to his Nigerian research roots in Potiskum, Nigeria, supported by three grants from the National Science Foundation.