Andrew Cowell's research focuses on the intersections of anthropology, language and performance. He has worked especially on oral narratives of the Plains Native Americans (Arapaho, Gros Ventre), on language documentation, language maintenance and revitalization, and the ethnography of language shift and community responses to language shift. Publications (books) include The Arapaho Language; Hinono'einoo3itoono/Arapaho Historical Traditions; Arapaho Stories, Songs and Prayers: A Bilingual Anthology; and Aaniiih/White Clay Narratives. An ethnography Naming the World: Language and Power among the Northern Arapaho is currently under review.
keywords
linguistic anthropology, ethnography, language documentation, historical anthropology, Native America, Polynesia, francophone Pacific, language endangerment, language maintenance, language revitalization, language shift, oral narrative, performance studies, universal dependency relations
ANTH 4800 - Language and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Principles of language structure and how language and culture interrelate, how language and language use are affected by culture and how culture may be affected by use of, or contact with, particular languages. Recommended prerequisites: ANTH 2100 or LING 1000 or LING 2400 and students with 57-180 credits (Junior or Senior) only. Same as LING 4800.
LING 1020 - Languages of the World
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2018 / Fall 2020 / Spring 2023
Explores the issue of human diversity by examining how languages vary around the world. Outlines historical, geographic, and typological classifications of languages across human societies, and the criteria used by linguists for grouping them into language families. Theorizes the relationship between linguistic and cognitive diversity, and considers the impact of language death on humanity. No formal training in linguistics is required.
LING 3220 - American Indigenous Languages in their Social and Cultural Context
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2018 / Fall 2019
A sampling of the many indigenous languages and cultures found in America. Emphasizes the United States, but also gives attention to the languages of Canada and Latin America. Recommended restriction: students with 57-180 credits (Juniors or Seniors).
LING 4420 - Morphology and Syntax
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2023
Introduces principles of word formation and sentence structure. Covers major morphological and syntactic structures found in the world's languages, and methods for describing grammatical structures, and includes practice in analyzing data from a variety of languages. Same as LING 5420.
LING 4800 - Language and Culture
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Principles of language structure and how language and culture interrelate, how language and language use are affected by culture and how culture may be affected by use of, or contact with, particular languages. Recommended prerequisite: LING 1000 or LING 2400 or ANTH 2100. Same as ANTH 4800.
LING 4830 - Honors Thesis
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2021
Required for students who elect departmental honors. Students write an honors thesis based on independent research under the direction of a faculty member. May be repeated up to 6 total credit hours.
LING 5420 - Morphology and Syntax
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2019 / Fall 2021
Introduces principles of word formation and sentence structure. Covers major morphological and syntactic structures found in the world's languages, and methods for describing grammatical structures, and includes practice in analyzing data from a variety of languages. Same as LING 4420.
LING 6940 - Master's Candidate for Degree
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2023
Registration intended for students preparing for a thesis defense, final examination, culminating activity, or completion of degree.
LING 7100 - Field Methods 1
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2021
Introduces the process of discovering structure of a language from data obtained directly from its speakers. Emphasizes effectiveness in the field context, rapid recognition of structural features,and preliminary formulation using computational tools. Recommended prerequisites: LING 5410 and LING 5420.
LING 7800 - Open Topics in Linguistics
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018
Various topics not normally covered in the curriculum; offered intermittently depending on student demand and availability of instructors. Contact the department office for information.
