Office of the Registrar
Campus Address
Hanover, NH
03755-3529
Phone: (603) 646-xxxx
Fax: (603) 646-xxxx
Email: reg@Dartmouth.EDU

Organization, Regulations, and Courses 2023-24


LING 5.01 Words

In this course we will explore all aspects of this most familiar unit of language. Among the questions we will address are: How exactly can we – or dictionary-makers – describe the precise meaning of a word? Is this even possible? How can two politicians honestly differ about the meaning of the word "lie"? How can a word’s meaning change over time? How and why are words borrowed from one language into another? How do our brains think of the words we want so fast? Why do we sometimes mishear song lyrics? What kinds of building blocks make up a word, and what ways are there of inventing new words? What makes a word part of slang or a specialized vocabulary? How do children learn their first words – and how do they learn tens of new words a day at their peak of vocabulary acquisition around age 2?

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:SOC

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.