Spring and Summer 2026 Linguistics Courses
Introduction
This is an unofficial list of courses that will be offered in Linguistics in spring 2026. It is strictly for the use of expanded course descriptions. For the complete official course offerings, please consult the My.UIC portal.
For a list of all courses and general course descriptions, please see the UIC Academic Catalog.
Spring 2026 100 and 200-level Linguistics
LING 150 – Introduction to the Study of Language
On Campus.
You use language all the time, but do you know about the structures that make up language? In this course, you will learn how we produce and organize sounds, build words, and understand the difference between “time flies like an arrow” and “fruit flies like a banana.” Here you’ll make sense of why people have accents, what teachers should know about language, and why good AI speech recognition is so darn hard to achieve.
Gen Ed credits in “Individual and Society”
LING 160 – Language and Society
On Campus.
How does language change over time? How do children’s animation films racialize language? What’s with all the pronouns? This course introduces students to language as it socially constructs place, status, gender, ethnicity, and other aspects of identity through intimate conversations all the way to national language policies. Bring your lived experiences and learn to process them through current sociolinguistic lenses.
Gen Ed Credits in “Individual and Society” & “US Society”
LING 210 – Introduction to Natural Language Syntax
On Campus.
Syntactic analysis is crucial for linguistic data processing and building linguistic data structure. This course gives you introduction to the hidden nature of even simple sentences using a scientific approach to data analysis. We will also make connections to other areas of linguistics and human cognition more generally, and we will touch on real world applications of syntactic analysis.
• Prerequisite(s): LING 150; or consent of the instructor.
LING 220 – Introduction to Phonetics and Phonology
On Campus.
What sounds exist in the world’s languages? What are the mechanics behind speech production and perception? How can we analyze human speech and categorize sounds to understand underlying patterns? How do we acquire the sounds of our languages, whether as children or later in life? What do the sound systems of bilinguals look like, and why? In this course, we’ll explore these key questions about the sounds of human language and more.
• Prerequisite(s): LING 150; or consent of the instructor.
LING 230 – Semantics, Pragmatics, and Discourse
On Campus.
What is meaning? How is meaning communicated? How does meaning change in context? How does meaning change according to genre, style and modes of communication? Does new technology create new meaning? How do chatbots understand human language? Should chatbots be made polite? This course will explore these questions and more. We will study a range of linguistic approaches to meaning and look at real world examples.
• Prerequisite(s): LING 150; or consent of the instructor.
LING 260 – Language Contact, Language Acquisition and Bilingualism
On Campus.
The social and psychological aspects of three major areas of language acquisition and use will be addressed: child language acquisition, adult second language acquisition and bilingualism/language contact.
• Gen Ed Credits in Individual and Society; US Society
Spring 2026 300 and 400-level Courses in Linguistics
LING 310 – Language and Discrimination
On Campus.
Analyzes how language is used to discriminate in education, policy, law, work, media, technology, and other fields using seminal texts, case studies, and authentic examples from global and local perspectives.
• Prerequisite(s): LING 150; or consent of the instructor. Recommended background: Credit in at least one 200-level LING course.
LING 360 – Basic Statistics for Language Research
On Campus.
Introduction to basic statistical techniques and procedures for quantitative research in language science working with R under the RStudio environment.
• Prerequisite(s): LING 150; or consent of the instructor. Recommended background: Credit in at least one 200-level LING course.
LING 410 – AI for Language Research. (Tentative Syllabus can be read HERE)
On Campus.
This course provides a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between AI and language sciences, with emphasis on how to address linguistic inquiries by way of computational methods and techniques. Students will delve into various computational methods and techniques for the analysis, modelling, and understanding of various aspects of human language. Through a combination of lectures, hands-on exercises, and real-world applications (in the form of student-led projects), students will gain proficiency in leveraging AI to address fundamental questions in (applied) linguistics. Furthermore, this course will address ethical considerations and societal implications associated with the use of AI in language research, fostering a holistic understanding of the field’s potential and limitations. Knowledge about core areas of linguistics and skills in digital technologies or computer programming are required for this course. In addition, students are expected to spend a good amount of time in (i) setting up their own device(s) suitable for Python programming (through Jupyter Notebook) and (ii) troubleshooting technical issues firstly and actively by consulting online platforms (e.g., Stack Overflow).
Prerequisite: LING 370 (or consent of the instructor)
Recommended background: Credit in at least one 200-level LING course
Looking Ahead: Summer 2026
LING 150 – Introduction to the Study of Language
3 hours. Term 2. On Campus.
You use language all the time, but do you know about the structures that make up language? In this course, you will learn how we produce and organize sounds, build words, and understand the difference between “time flies like an arrow” and “fruit flies like a banana.” Here you’ll make sense of why people have accents, what teachers should know about language, and why good AI speech recognition is so darn hard to achieve. Gen Ed credits in “Individual and Society”
LING 170 – Languages of the World
3 hours. Online Asynchronous.
There are dozens of whistled languages that are endangered because of cell phones. The most common sentence structure places verbs at the ends of sentences. Almost half of the world’s languages have no written form. You might have to switch reading direction multiple times if you are given an Arabic text that includes numbers. West Africa is currently a creative incubator of writing systems.
The world’s over 7,000 languages all serve their speakers’ needs and yet function in a variety of different and interesting ways. In this course, students will be introduced to various ways in which languages behave and what we can learn from these patterns, like why translation apps sometimes fail so hard. Gen Ed Credits in “Individual and Society” & “World Cultures”
LING 320 – Linguistics and Speech Language Pathology
Online Asynchronous (informational only; email the department for more information)
Examines the intersections of linguistics and speech-language pathology throughout historical periods, in communication development throughout an individual’s lifetime and current trends in both fields. Course Information: Extensive computer use required. The course may be offered in 8 or 15 weeks. Class format varies by section. Check the class schedule for details. Online sections involve heavy computer usage; computer and internet access are required.
Prerequisite(s): LING 150 and LING 220; or consent of the instructor.
Recommended background: Credit in LING 160 or LING 260 or LING 300 or LING 310.