The French sound system in theory and practice. How French sounds are formed and how they reflect social class and geographical origin. Work on pronunciation in class and the language laboratory. Given in French.

One of the Celtic languages (for example, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic) in medieval or contemporary form. Languages and instructors may vary from semester to semester.

The history, present status, and future prospects of American English, including standards and internal variation.

Anthropological studies in language, including origins and evolution, prehistory, geographical distribution, typology and classification, language and speech communities. Relationships between language and culture, language and society, and language and environment will be emphasized.

This course is currently offered only on the UGA at Oxford Study Abroad Program.

An overview of the Slavic family of languages, aspects of their historical development, and characteristics of their modern linguistic systems. Selected topics in the phonology, morphology, syntax, and sociolinguistics of individual Slavic languages will be addressed. No prior knowledge of any Slavic language is required. All readings and discussions will be in English.

The scientific study of language, emphasizing such topics as the organization of grammar, language in space and time, and the relationship between the study of language and other disciplines.

Study of the phonology, morphology, syntax, and culture of a less-taught language. Possible offerings include Finnish, Hungarian, and other non-Indo-European languages. The topic for spring 2026 will be:

Grammatical Structure of Georgian

An interdisciplinary introduction to the study of situated language use, with an emphasis on natural, spontaneous dialogue. Students will interpret recordings and transcripts of naturally occurring conversation to identify key discourse events and linguistic features of interactional import. Focus will be placed on how linguistic resources are mobilized both to regulate the flow of information and to implement social actions, and how these practices vary across communities and cultures.

Reading and discussions of current developments and issues in linguistics. 

This course is not offered on a regular basis.

The synchronic and diachronic grammar of an older Indo-European language. Possible offerings include Avestan, Hittite, Lithuanian, or topics such as Indo-European phonology, morphology, or syntax.

For the Spring 2026 semester, this course will focus on Hittite:

Known to be Indo-European since 1915, the Hittite language of central Anatolia represents a later stage of a branch of the family that may have broken away from the original proto-speech community up to a thousand years earlier than any of its other branches. This class will study the grammar of Hittite in and will involve readings in Hittite texts in transliteration. At the end of the course students will be able to read transliterated Hittite texts.

The study of language as a cultural and social phenomenon. Topics include language and meaning, language and world view, language and social behavior, and language and social issues.