College of Languages, Linguistics, and Literature

Moore 569
1890 East-West Road
Tel: 956-8602
Fax: 956-9166

Faculty

*M. L. Forman, PhD (Chair)-general linguistics, ethnographic linguistics, Philippine studies
*B. W. Bender, PhD-general linguistics; morphology; Micronesian linguistics
*R. A. Blust, PhD-historical linguistics; Austronesian linguistics and culture history; field methods
*V. C. Campbell, PhD-experimental phonetics; Fijian, French, and Chinese phonetics
*R. L. Cheng, PhD-Chinese linguistics, Japanese linguistics
*P. J. Donegan, PhD-natural phonology, vowel systems, acquisition; typology; computerized lexicography; Munda languages
*J. Haig, PhD-Japanese linguistics
*R. A. Jacobs, PhD-syntax and syntactic change; Oceanic, English, and American Indian linguistics; discourse grammar and applied linguistics
*P. A. Lee, PhD-linguistic theory, formal linguistics, syntax and semantics,
pragmatics
*P. G. Lee, PhD-theoretical linguistics, phonology, syntax, computer applications
*A. V. Lyovin, PhD-generative phonology; language typology; Sino-Tibetan, comparative linguistics
*W. O'Grady, PhD-syntax, language acquisition, Korean
*A. M. Peters, PhD-children's speech; neurolinguistics; psycholinguistics
*K. L. Rehg, PhD-phonology, Micronesian linguistics
*L. A. Reid, PhD-Austronesian, especially Philippine and Formosan languages; lexicography; discourse analysis
*A. J. Schütz, PhD-descriptive linguistics, field methods, lexicography; Fijian and other Melanesian languages; history of linguistics in the Pacific
*H. M. Sohn, PhD-Korean linguistics
*D. Stampe, PhD-computational linguistics; phonology and prosody; holistic typology and drift; Munda languages
*S. Starosta, PhD-syntactic theory; Asian and Pacific languages
*D. M. Topping, PhD-descriptive and applied linguistics; Micronesian languages; language policy and planning

Cooperating Graduate Faculty

D. E. Ashworth, PhD-language learning and teaching, Japanese linguistics
J. M. Bilmes, PhD-sociolinguistics, discourse analysis, ethnosemantics, Tai linguistics
R. Bley-Vroman, PhD-English syntax, language acquisition
J. D. Brown, PhD-language learning and teaching, language testing
C. J. Chaudron, PhD-applied psycholinguistics, discourse analysis
R. Day, PhD-language learning and teaching, discourse analysis, language planning
J. D. Ellsworth, PhD-classical linguistics, Indo-European linguistics
E. Hawkins, PhD-language learning and teaching, Polynesian linguistics
H. I. Hsieh, PhD-Chinese linguistics, semantics, pragmatics, mathematical linguistics
G. Kasper, PhD-second-language curriculum, discourse analysis, interlanguage pragmatics
Y. C. Li, PhD-Chinese linguistics, semantics, language learning and teaching
M. Long, PhD-second-language acquisition, language teaching
G. B. Mathias, PhD-Japanese linguistics
R. A. Moody, PhD-language learning and teaching, Spanish and Portuguese
P. C. Nicholson, PhD-English linguistics
T. V. Ramos, PhD-Philippine linguistics
K. A . Reynolds, PhD-classical Japanese, history of the Japanese language, Japanese sociolinguistics
R. Schmidt, PhD-psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, language learning and teaching
L. Serafim, PhD-Japanese linguistics; Japanese language history, dialectology, and Ryukyuan languages
M. J. Shapiro, PhD-discourse analysis, language and politics
R. N. Sharma, PhD-Indo-Aryan linguistics, Hindi, Sanskrit
J. Ward, PhD-Polynesian linguistics, Tahitian, Balinese

Affiliate Graduate Faculty

S. P. Harrison, PhD-Oceanic linguistics

Adjunct Faculty

K. Cook, PhD-cognitive and relational grammar; Polynesian languages, especially Samoan
E. Drechsel, PhD-ethnolinguistics; American Indian languages

Degrees Offered: BA in liberal studies (linguistics), MA in linguistics, PhD in linguistics

The Academic Program

Linguistics (LING), also called linguistic science or the science of language, is the study of human language, including its origin and development into attested varieties. Major subfields are grammar (including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse analysis, pragmatics, and the relation between writing and speech), historical linguistics, sociolinguistics and dialectology, psycholinguistics (including developmental psycholinguistics and neuro-linguistics), mathematical and computational linguistics, anthropological and ethnolinguistics, and stylistics and poetics.

Because of the unique properties of language among human capacities and institutions, students majoring in linguistics acquire a vantage point for formulating and testing views about basic questions that arise in one form or another in all of the human sciences, as well as the metalanguage used by all scholars dealing with language. Major applications include language planning, language teaching, speech synthesis and recognition, treatment of language disorders, repair of communication breakdowns, and information technology. Our program presents unique opportunities for the study of Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) linguistics and for access to speakers of Pacific and Asian languages. It is also especially strong in computational lexicography, ethnolinguistics, language acquisition, and pidgin and creole studies.

The program is recognized as one of the top 25 in the United States.

Advising

All faculty in the department participate in the advising of students majoring in linguistics. Undergraduates majoring in linguistics under liberal studies are advised initially by the department chair. Graduate majors are advised by the chair of the graduate field of study. Students are later assigned to other faculty members as advisers according to their special interests.

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor's Degree

Students may major in linguistics for the BA degree at the University through the Liberal Studies Program. In this program, students create for themselves a major equivalent with the guidance of a faculty adviser. The major equivalent may combine the study of linguistics with that of one or more foreign languages or with related disciplines, such as anthropology or psychology. Students majoring in linguistics in this way may include some or all of the MA core of courses in their BA programs and are thus able to do more advanced work in their later MA program.

Graduate Study

The faculty represents a variety of theoretical viewpoints. The various faculty members are especially qualified to direct research on languages of the Pacific and parts of Asia. Fields of special competence include descriptive and comparative linguistics, general linguistic theory, language contact and variation, ethnolinguistics, language development, and language data processing. In addition, the department faculty and cooperating faculty in fields such as Asian languages and literature, English, English as a second language, and European languages and literature supervise work in applied linguistics. Research, upon approval by the student's dissertation committee, may also include studies of language use in education, law, or other institutions of society; social and cultural influences on language acquisition and use; bilingualism, multilingualism, foreign accent, and translation; and the interrelations of language and literacy.

Although the Department of Linguistics is primarily a graduate department and is thus focused mainly on research, it recognizes that many graduates will eventually seek teaching positions and would be more likely to obtain one if they can provide evidence of teaching experience in linguistics or a language-related field.

Accordingly, the department requires each student enrolled in either the MA or PhD program, in addition to the 30 and 33 credits required respectively for the completion of those degrees, to have at least 1 credit of LING 699 (Directed Research) or 799 (Apprenticeship in Teaching Linguistics) that involves teaching a linguistics or language-related course (such as a foreign language course) under the supervision of a faculty member either at the University or, by special arrangement, at another institution.

Students may be excused from this requirement if they have already had an equivalent teaching experience before coming into the program. In addition, the chair of the graduate field of study may waive this requirement if it is determined that the student was unable to obtain an appropriate teaching appointment through no fault of his or her own and that no suitable alternative was available.

Students admitted to graduate programs in linguistics normally have a background in at least one foreign language. Some background in mathematics or one of the sciences is also useful. Students without a course equivalent to LING 320 are required to take this course to make up for this deficiency in their preparation for graduate work.

The GRE General Test is required of all applicants.

The MA program provides a basic introduction to the subject matter and skills of the discipline. The PhD program provides full professional training for careers in research and teaching. Employment opportunities for graduates of both programs today often require additional knowledge of one or more related disciplines. For example, there are openings in anthropology departments for persons trained in linguistics and anthropology. Students are therefore encouraged to broaden their training in linguistics by including work in other disciplines. Such programs, and those that include many of the specializations previously listed, will involve the inclusion of faculty members from other fields of study on students' program committees. Students should make known their interests to the chair as early as possible so that appropriate advisers can be chosen to direct students to courses, and any key prerequisite courses, that will help them explore their interests further. It is also possible for students to include concentrations in linguistics in their programs for the MA degree in Asian studies or Pacific Islands studies.

The courses listed below are offered to guide students in their preparation for the various examinations, although individual study must be done in areas not covered by course offerings. Linguistics courses bearing 700-level numbers are seminars, and various sections of these seminars are typically offered in a given semester, depending on the interests of the resident faculty and students. Each semester there are normally a number of seminars dealing with geographical areas, particular language families, the structures of individual languages, and particular theoretical problems. A major portion of the work done beyond the MA level is in seminars and in directed research.

Master's Degree

Requirements

Students must complete LING 410, 420, 421, 422, 615, 645 (or their equivalents), and at least one 700-level seminar.

The department offers the MA Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C programs. In addition to the University-wide residence requirement of a minimum of two semesters of full-time work, all three programs require that students demonstrate competence in one language other than their native language.

Plan A requires a thesis (12 credit hours) and a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work. A final oral examination covering the thesis and related areas is also required.

Plan B requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and a final seminar presentation near the end of the course work. The topic and format of the seminar must be approved in advance by the graduate chair.

Plan C requires a final examination with both written and oral portions. Plan C is open to selected students with some previous work in linguistics who show both high potential for scholarly development and the motivation and discipline necessary for an independent course of study. A committee of faculty is appointed for each prospective student for Plan C. The committee administers a general examination during the student's first semester of study to determine the appropriateness of Plan C, advises the student in developing a program of study, and administers the final examination.

Doctoral Degree

Requirements

Students in the PhD program are required to complete a minimum of 33 credit hours of course and seminar work at the University of Hawai'i (exclusive of LING 800) beyond those counted toward their MA degrees (or, for students not holding an MA, beyond those specified for the MA as above). Courses in field methods (LING 630), phonology (LING 621), and grammar (LING 622) are required of all PhD students.

PhD students must pass a preliminary examination, a comprehensive examination, and a final oral examination in defense of the dissertation. The preliminary examination is normally taken at a point soon after the completion of the core of courses required for the MA. It consists of two parts, the first of which is a written examination. Students are encouraged to form their PhD program committees in consultation with the graduate chair as soon as possible after they have completed this part. The second part of the PhD preliminary examination is fulfilled by having a paper written by the student accepted for dissemination in the departmental Working Papers series or published in an acceptable form elsewhere. Both parts of the preliminary examination are waived for those students receiving the MA under Plan A who also have their theses accepted for publication in an outlet agreed to beforehand by the linguistics faculty. Students hoping to have their theses published under this latter provision are required, before submitting their theses for publication, to identify the publication outlet (or sequence of outlets) to which they plan to submit their theses and, for each outlet, to provide as much background information as possible, including the names of the editorial board, stated review policies, a list of recently published titles, and other relevant bibliographic information. The faculty will review the proposed outlets and indicate which, if any, it finds acceptable.

The preliminary examination is offered once each semester, in August and January. The exam consists of four sections: general linguistics, historical-comparative linguistics, phonology, and grammar-syntax. Students must take all four sections when they first take the exam. They are given the advantage of averaging among the four to achieve an average pass. Students who do not pass all four sections need retake only those sections they did not pass; their best scores on each section will be averaged to achieve an average pass.

Students must also demonstrate competence in two languages other than their native language. One of the languages must be in the "research tool" category.

A "research-tool language" should be one of the major languages of the world in which there is ample published material on linguistic topics: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish. Students should demonstrate their ability to read linguistic materials in one of these languages. They will be expected to take the usual reading/translation test in the chosen language. (Foreign students may use English if it is not their native language, and they will be considered as having satisfied this requirement when the English Language Institute certifies them as exempt from taking any further ELI courses.)

If a student can demonstrate that another language would be an appropriate language as his/her research-tool, that language may be approved by the chair of the graduate field as a "research-tool language" for that student. For example, Dutch may be an appropriate "research tool language" for a student who is working with Dutch materials dealing with the languages of Indonesia.

The other language may be any language, including any of the designated research languages. It may also be American Sign Language or any other language for which a qualified examiner can be found in Hawai'i. The additional language is required of doctoral candidates in linguistics to encourage some increased breadth of language background beyond that provided by the research-tool requirement and as such does not include the same reading/translation requirement. Accordingly, students may satisfy the second language requirement by demonstrating a certain degree of speaking proficiency and knowledge of the structure of the language. Passing a fourth semester foreign language course (e.g., Japanese 202) with a grade of B or better will be deemed sufficient to satisfy this requirement. Alternatively, students may take a placement test to demonstrate that they have the equivalent of four semesters of the language.

Students are admitted to candidacy after demonstrating competence in both languages and performing successfully on the comprehensive examination.

The comprehensive examination is both written and oral. Students are expected to demonstrate understanding of general issues in synchronic and diachronic linguistic theory in three areas of specialization chosen from among the following: phonological theory, syntactic theory, phonetics, semantics, morphology, language in its social and cultural context, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, discourse analysis, computational linguistics, language acquisition, language learning and teaching, language planning, multilingualism, pidgin and creole studies, translation, typology and universals, lexicography, or the linguistics of any of the following areal or genetic groupings: Austroasiatic, Austronesian, Chinese, English, Indo-European, Japanese, Korean, Sino-Tibetan, or Tai. Related disciplines may also be designated as areas of specialization. These particulars are determined when a student's doctoral committee is formed, after the preliminary examination has been passed.

To gain approval of dissertation topics, students are expected to develop detailed written proposals and defend them successfully in oral examinations conducted by their committees. In addition to traditional dissertation topics of a theoretical, descriptive, or historical nature, the faculty is open to topics in applied linguistics, when it can be demonstrated that the project will add to the knowledge of language, broadly conceived. Research may include studies of language use in education, law, or other institutions of society; social and cultural influences on language acquisition and use; bilingualism, multilingualism, foreign accent, and translation; the interrelations of language and literacy; etc. Although many such topics can also be treated within disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, literature, and pedagogy, when presented for the PhD in linguistics they are expected to have a linguistic perspective and to make a distinctive linguistic contribution. The decision as to whether such expectations are met is here, as elsewhere, made by the student's dissertation committee. Committees for applied topics will include members drawn from the faculties of closely related and cooperating fields of study such as Asian languages and literatures, English, English as a second language, and European languages and literature. Students wishing to explore such areas are encouraged to include relevant courses beyond those required for the MA as electives early in their program.