The Structure of Words: Evidence from Hebrew, Arabic and English

The Structure of Words: Evidence from Hebrew, Arabic and English is a Cognitive Science class taught by Joanna Morris.

This course satisfies Division I requirements.

Course Description
Words are the basic linguistics units of a language and the ability to recognize a word is a fundamental component of reading. For many years most of the research in reading was conducted in English, and it was assumed that what was true for reading English words would also be true for words in other languages. However, many languages differ in striking ways from English and studying these languages can be useful in illustrating the different ways that people approach reading. In this class we will look at the structure of words in the Semitic languages?Hebrew and Arabic?and consider how differences in word structure can influence the ways in which we read. Students will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with Hebrew and Arabic through interactions with a native speaker if possible, and via self instruction using texts and cassette tapes or Web-based tutorials. Students will also learn how to read and critically evaluate the scholarly literature on reading. No knowledge or Hebrew or Arabic is required.

Learning Goals

 * Reading
 * Writing