Linguistics Minor Concentration (B.A.) (18 credits)
Offered by: Linguistics (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts; Bachelor of Arts and Science
Program credit weight: 18
Program Description
The Minor Concentration in Linguistics focuses on basic Linguistics, the scientific study of human language, including phonetics and syntax, theoretical linguistics (phonology, syntax and semantics); experimental linguistics (phonetics, laboratory phonology, language acquisition and psycholinguistics); computational linguistics; linguistic fieldwork and language revitalization; and language variation and change (sociolinguistics, dialectology and historical linguistics). The program is expandable to the Major Concentration in Linguistics.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Required Courses (9 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| LING 201 | Introduction to Linguistics. | 3 |
Introduction to Linguistics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. General introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. Covers the core theoretical subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Also provides background on other subfields including sociolinguistics, pragmatics, historical linguistics, linguistic variation, and language acquisition. | ||
| LING 330 | Phonetics. | 3 |
Phonetics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Transcription, identification, and production of speech sounds. Introduction to the acoustic properties of speech sounds, acoustic analysis of speech, and auditory phonetics. | ||
| LING 371 | Syntax 1. | 3 |
Syntax 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Introduction to the study of generative syntax of natural languages, emphasizing basic concepts and formalism: phrase structure rules, transformations, and conditions on rules. | ||
Required courses must be completed at McGill unless Departmental permission is obtained.
Complementary Courses (9 credits)
9 credits in Linguistics chosen according to the student's interests. At least 3 of these credits must be at the 400 or 500 level. Only 3 credits at the 200 level may count towards complementary credits. Students who take LING 360 Introduction to Semantics. as one of their complementary courses may also count one of the following courses that are its prerequisites toward the complementary course requirement:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| COMP 230 | Logic and Computability. | 3 |
Logic and Computability. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Propositional Logic, predicate calculus, proof systems, computability Turing machines, Church-Turing thesis, unsolvable problems, completeness, incompleteness, Tarski semantics, uses and misuses of Gödel's theorem. | ||
| MATH 318 | Mathematical Logic. | 3 |
Mathematical Logic. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Propositional logic: truth-tables, formal proof systems, completeness and compactness theorems, Boolean algebras; first-order logic: formal proofs, Gödel's completeness theorem; axiomatic theories; set theory; Cantor's theorem, axiom of choice and Zorn's lemma, Peano arithmetic; Gödel's incompleteness theorem. | ||
| PHIL 210 | Introduction to Deductive Logic 1. | 3 |
Introduction to Deductive Logic 1. Terms offered: Summer 2025 An introduction to propositional and predicate logic; formalization of arguments, truth tables, systems of deduction, elementary metaresults, and related topics. | ||