This course introduces key concepts and approaches to the study of language and linguistics. It provides an overview, with basic terminology, of the major subfields of linguistics, investigating the nature, history, and structure of language, and how language relates to the mind, society, and education. It provides the basis of investigation in subsequent courses. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own language experience and apply the theories covered in the course to their own linguistic context.

CILO-1: Distinguish among the subfields of linguistics (including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics); CILO-2: Describe and analyze language data for features of phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics; CILO-3: Describe differences in sounds, words, sentences, and discourse across languages; CILO-4: Describe language change and language variation.