Linguistics Fall 2026: Intro Classes, No Prerequisites
Linguistics at the University of Minnesota
We explore the human capacity for language. We strive to expand understanding of this domain and to foster learning and research that applies this understanding to the betterment of speech communities. Our research bridges the gap between theoretical and applied linguistics in areas such as documentation and revitalization of endangered languages, the study of underrepresented languages, language and identity, and language engineering.
We welcome beginners and offer
- Courses that can launch students down multiple pathways, including computational linguistics, community-based work and language and cognition
- In person courses and remote discussion sections to increase flexibility
- Courses that meet LEs
Spring 2026 courses open to all students
LING 1701: Examine the relationships between language and social variables (age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). Discuss implications on social and societal dimensions like government policy, contact between speakers of different languages, processes of language loss and preservation, discrimination and language attitudes, and programs for social justice.
LE: Race, Power, and Justice in the United States
LING 1912: For at least a thousand years, some people have insisted on inventing languages of their own. In this course you will learn about the myriad properties of natural languages, and decide what relationship an invented language of your own will bear to them. Will you seek to imitate them, to combine some of their properties in unforeseen ways, to make the most euphonious (or cacophonous) language you can imagine, or to create one with the complex and precise engineering of a fancy watch?
LING 3001/LING 5001: What is language? What does it mean for a human to “know” a particular language?How do children acquire this knowledge? How do we use language to communicate? These are some of the important questions addressed by linguistics, the scientific study of the human capacity for language.
LE: Social Sciences
LING 5461: Have you ever wondered how we can take turns with split-second timing, or how it is possible to refuse without saying no? In this course we will investigate language in its “natural habitat,” everyday talk in a variety of languages in order to discover how language shapes and is shaped by social interaction.
LING 3900/LING 5900: How do we tell stories to give shape and meaning to our lives, and negotiate our changing identities and selves in the world? In this course, we will investigate how people use verbal and nonverbal behavior to establish tellership, allocate specific roles in the participation framework, create story structure, and evaluate events.
