Nikita Bezrukov

In this course students examine language as a vital part of culture and social structure while discovering how it reflects and shapes our lives. We first tackle assumptions and myths we hold about language. For example, can animals learn to use language? Do Eskimo languages really have 17 separate words for snow? Is English the hardest language to learn? Then we explore the components of language (phonemes, morphemes, words, and sentences) and how each plays a role in what we hear as an “accent” or dialect. Thus, students investigate both the structural and cultural functions of human language.

Terms: Summer 2024 (Columbia University)

Humans are conscious beings with thoughts, feelings, emotions, and desires. Our minds are products of biology mixing with society. Now humans are trying to create new forms of mind, building them from silicon and gold instead of squishy brain matter. “Artificial intelligence” is a hot topic in many fields, not just academic but also public and professional. What counts as an artificial mind? How can, and how will, artificial intelligence impact society and individuals’ lives? We’ll address such questions in this course. We’ll start by reading Artificial You by philosopher Susan Schneider. Students will then develop expertise through their own research projects on nearby topics.

Terms: Spring 2024 (University of Pennsylvania)

The invention of writing was a major breakthrough in human history since it allowed us to record and convey information beyond our immediate surroundings. This course zooms in on the history and linguistics of writing/reading. We will touch upon the origins and typology of writing systems and the role of phonology, morphology, and other levels of linguistic structure in their design. We will focus on the oldest recorded systems of representing language, such as Cuneiform, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, and some other forms of writing used in West Asia.

Terms: Summer 2023 (Yerevan Academy for Linguistics and Philosophy, American University of Armenia)

What does it mean to be normal? When it comes to the human body and its needs, wants, and desires, the concept of normal is often unattainable. Yet, there is an enormous amount of value placed on one’s capacity to look, be, sound, act… normal. So, is normal a question of ability, sexuality, health, size, or something else entirely? How are we as humans ever supposed to fit such a definition? Working from Alison Kafer’s Feminist Queer Crip (2013), we will draw from disability studies and queer theory to consider the impacts such ideas of normalcy have on the body. Ultimately, we can question normalcy to understand how we are positioned as students, writers, and bodies that try to, but always exceed, being normal.

Terms: Fall 2023 (University of Pennsylvania)

The invention of writing was a major breakthrough in human history since it allowed us to record and convey information beyond our immediate surroundings. This course zooms in on the history and linguistics of writing/ reading. The first half of the course discusses the origins and typology of writing systems, as well as the role of phonology, morphology, and other levels of linguistic structure in their design. In the second half, we focus on psycholinguistic aspects of writing/reading, namely, how graphic representations map onto mental representations of words, opening a window into the ways adults read across languages and writing systems.

Terms: Spring 2023 (Princeton University)

The incredible variety of languages around the world is due to the fact that languages evolve and each one follows its own distinctive and unpredictable path of evolution. In this class, students will examine various models of language change and the factors that influence it. By utilizing fundamental techniques such as the Comparative Method and Method of Internal Reconstruction, students will develop the ability to scrutinize phonological, morphological, syntactic, and semantic transformations in languages. The course will also cover the process of reconstructing the Proto-Indo-European language and its speakers. Emphasis will be placed on applying these methods to a range of datasets.

Terms: Fall 2022 (Princeton University)

How is linguistic meaning organized at the word level, and how is it packaged in different languages of the world? This problem-based introductory course will revolve around some fundamental questions in morphology, the study of the building blocks of which words and sentences consist. How do we define words in a way that would be useful for linguistic theory? What is the difference between various types of affixes such as prefixes, suffixes, circumfixes, infixes, and transfixes? Can affixes “see” each other, and what can block them from doing that? What are the most challenging morphological patterns we can find across the languages of the world? All of these theory-oriented questions will be supplemented with problem sets and examples drawn from various languages including those spoken in and around the Caucasus, an extremely rich and diverse linguistic area as far as morphology is concerned. No prior background is required. Students looking to develop a project/thesis idea are especially welcome to attend.

Terms: Summer 2019 (Yerevan Academy for Linguistics and Philosophy, American University of Armenia)

This course surveys the nature, history, and use of human language, covering topics such as the biological basis of language, how language relates to cognition and society, the “family tree” of languages, dialect variation, language and gender, and computational models of speech and communication. Students will also explore how children and adults learn language, the neurology of language and language disorders, and the history and structure of writing systems—including prosody or the “melody and measure of speech.”

Intended for a broad undergraduate audience, LING0001 requires no prerequisites and is recommended for those planning to major in linguistics. The course combines lectures and recitation sessions with regular homework, midterm exams, and a final project, and all readings are available digitally.

Terms: Fall 2017, Spring 2019, Fall 2020 (TAship, University of Pennsylvania)

Theories of linguistic meaning have generally assumed that the speaker and the hearer can coordinate their behavior on the basis of common interest. In the real world, of course, interests rarely align perfectly; rather, our interests are often only partially aligned and sometimes are in opposition. Games of incomplete information provide an interesting framework for modeling partially aligned interests. In these games, the signaler and the receiver are not sure which game is being played, but, rather, must update their beliefs based on the signals they send and receive. These games provide an interesting model of speech acts and information transmission, one that allows us to investigate models of pragmatic behavior.

Terms: Fall 2018 (TAship, University of Pennsylvania)

This introductory-level course will acquaint you with some of the key topics in contemporary syntactic theory, a subfield of linguistics that explores complex hierarchical structures such as words and sentences. For example, how do we explain the fact that unlockable can both mean ‘not capable of being locked’ and ‘capable of being unlocked’? Or what is the function of ‘it’ in a sentence like It snowed heavily yesterday? These are some of the topics to be addressed. As an integral part of this course, we will also focus on more hands-on techniques of how to analyze the natural language data, with examples drawn from English, Armenian, and Russian. Although there are multiple approaches to syntax on the market right now, this class will focus on doing syntactic analysis using a transformational framework such as Minimalism.

Terms: Summer 2018 (Yerevan Academy for Linguistics and Philosophy, American University of Armenia)