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Forums => English & Linguistics => Topic started by: Jonathon on February 27, 2008, 12:41:04 PM

Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on February 27, 2008, 12:41:04 PM
For the linguistics MA, I'm going to have to study two languages, at least one of which is non-Romance and non-Germanic. Of course, my top two picks would've been French and German, but that's not an option. I'll probably stick with French because I know it best and could probably jump back in at the 200 level. As for the other option, I'm a little stumped. Here's a list of options (http://saas.byu.edu/classSchedule/policy/fall/univcore.html?lms=8#10) (on the right).

Anybody have any suggestions?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Neutros the Radioactive Dragon on February 27, 2008, 12:44:24 PM
Cantonese and Mandarin would be useful.  So would Japanese.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on February 27, 2008, 12:53:07 PM
Actually, it looks like that list isn't as useful as I thought, because it only lists foreign language courses that fulfill a particular GE requirement. I believe there are other languages that could fulfill the major requirement that aren't on that list.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Tante Shvester on February 27, 2008, 02:47:43 PM
Frisian's not on the list.  I already know how to negotiate for a dairy cow in Frisian.  A brown one.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on February 27, 2008, 02:49:00 PM
Even if Frisian were offered at BYU, I couldn't take both it and French.

[/hyperliteralness]
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Porter on February 27, 2008, 02:49:13 PM
Germanic.

edit:  Beaten to the hyperliteral punch by the King!
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 22, 2008, 01:13:58 PM
Okay, help me figure out if I'm understanding these program requirements:

Quote
Competency in three languages:
  • English (ESL 404 Advanced Composition is prerequisite for all nonnative English speakers; ESL 301 Advanced Academic English, 302 Advanced English Pronunciation if indicated by OPI results. ESL 404 and OPI should be completed before or during the first semester.)
  • Competency in one language other than English* (300 level)
  • At least 12 credit hours (200-level competency) in a second non-English language* or 12 credit hours of approved computer science (C S) or Computers and the Humanities (CHum) courses
*One of the non-English languages must be a non-Germanic and non-Romance language.
Does this mean I can be competent in French at the 300 level and take 12 hours of CS or CHum classes, with CS/CHum counting as my non-Germanic, non-Romance language?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Zalmoxis on April 22, 2008, 02:32:07 PM
Looks that way to me.

Is there any possibility that you would go on and get a doctorate degree?

Because if so, I'd suggest you acquire the third language. And your decision on which language that is should be informed by that possibility. e.g. it should be one that you are going to want to do research in.

---------
Dang. Maybe I should have gone to BYU. I can't believe that they even offer an Intro to Romanian Literature and Culture.

Edit to add: Never mind. Upon examination it looks quite basic.  
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 22, 2008, 02:38:38 PM
Yes, there's a possibility I'll go on for a doctorate (though not at BYU, because they don't offer one). Some of the PhD programs I've looked at require one language, some require two but don't specify what they need to be, and some require two specific languages, usually French and German. So those various requirements (especially the last one, which isn't compatible with BYU's requirement) make it a little hard to plan. Also, I think I'm most interested in doing research on Romance and Germanic languages, which is one reason why I'm reluctant to take something else just to fulfill the requirement.

And on the other hand, if I decide to stop at a master's and go back to work in the real world, some programming skills might come in very handy.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: The Genuine on April 22, 2008, 08:34:48 PM
Here comes a potentially super-stupid question.

Is Latin a Romance language?

Loophole-seeker that I am, it would seem that Romance languages are descended from Latin, but don't include Latin itself.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 22, 2008, 08:39:47 PM
I believe that Latin is not Romance, but they list Latin along with other Romance languages here (http://linguistics.byu.edu/langlist.php). I suppose if they wanted to be really accurate, they would've said "Italic" instead of "Romance."
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: The Genuine on April 22, 2008, 08:41:42 PM
Too bad.  But I'm glad I asked, because now I know about Wymysojer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wymysojer).
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 22, 2008, 08:45:47 PM
I find it funny that they included a couple of random extinct or near-extinct languages on that list. How many people on earth have actually studied Yola?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: The Genuine on April 22, 2008, 08:49:18 PM
Fade teil thee zo lournagh, co Joane, zo knaggee?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Porter on April 22, 2008, 08:59:55 PM
Quote
I find it funny that they included a couple of random extinct or near-extinct languages on that list. How many people on earth have actually studied Yola?
Not that many anymore, since they only let you study one on that list. <_<
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: rivka on April 22, 2008, 09:03:34 PM
Isn't one the min, not the max?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Porter on April 22, 2008, 09:05:17 PM
He has two study two languages, and one of them must be non-Romance and non-German.

Which means that he can study a maximum of one Romance language and have it count toward those requirements.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: rivka on April 22, 2008, 09:29:52 PM
Quote
. . . and have it count toward those requirements.
Yes. But he could study more if he wanted to.

And if he really cared about the poor, unloved, near-extinct languages, he would! (http://home.no/cptsmiley/drama.gif)
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Tante Shvester on April 22, 2008, 10:09:29 PM
I hear Shvesterish is mounting a resurgence.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Porter on April 23, 2008, 06:36:24 AM
Quote
Quote
. . . and have it count toward those requirements.
Yes. But he could study more if he wanted to.

And if he really cared about the poor, unloved, near-extinct languages, he would! (http://home.no/cptsmiley/drama.gif)
Which doesn't contradict my assertion that because of those rules, fewer people are likely to study languages like Yola.  
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: goofy on April 23, 2008, 07:35:22 AM
It seems that Romance (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90058) is a subcategory of Italic.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 23, 2008, 08:02:55 AM
Quote
Which doesn't contradict my assertion that because of those rules, fewer people are likely to study languages like Yola.
Yeah, but I'm not convinced that many people were studying it to begin with. I don't think there are a whole lot of people who wanted to study it but now can't because of the requirements of one master's degree program.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 23, 2008, 08:05:45 AM
Quote
It seems that Romance (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90058) is a subcategory of Italic.
That's strange. Shouldn't it be a subcategory of Latino-Faliscan? Ethnologue puts Latino-Faliscan and Romance as branches of Italic, which I don't believe is correct. It should go Italic > Latino-Faliscan > Romance or something similar.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Porter on April 23, 2008, 08:48:16 AM
Quote
Quote
Which doesn't contradict my assertion that because of those rules, fewer people are likely to study languages like Yola.
Yeah, but I'm not convinced that many people were studying it to begin with. I don't think there are a whole lot of people who wanted to study it but now can't because of the requirements of one master's degree program.
After being subjected to a three-prong hyperliteral attack, the Funny is officially dead. :)
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 23, 2008, 08:50:11 AM
*moment of silence*
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: rivka on April 23, 2008, 08:53:32 AM
Does that mean the prophecy in Porter's sig has come to pass?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Neutros the Radioactive Dragon on April 23, 2008, 09:15:14 AM
NOOOO!!!
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: goofy on April 23, 2008, 09:59:34 AM
Quote
Quote
It seems that Romance (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90058) is a subcategory of Italic.
That's strange. Shouldn't it be a subcategory of Latino-Faliscan? Ethnologue puts Latino-Faliscan and Romance as branches of Italic, which I don't believe is correct. It should go Italic > Latino-Faliscan > Romance or something similar.
why?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 23, 2008, 10:07:00 AM
Because the Romance languages come from Latin, which is a Latino-Faliscan language. The Romance languages are descendants of a Latino-Faliscan language, but Ethnologue (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90057) shows Romance and Latino-Faliscan side-by-side.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: goofy on April 23, 2008, 10:30:28 AM
Quote
Because the Romance languages come from Latin, which is a Latino-Faliscan language. The Romance languages are descendants of a Latino-Faliscan language, but Ethnologue (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=90057) shows Romance and Latino-Faliscan side-by-side.
I'm just guessing, but maybe Ethnologue has that classification because the Romance languages aren't descended from Latin, they're descended from Vulgar Latin, and while Latin is Latino-Faliscan, Vulgar Latin is not. Sort of like how Hindi-Urdu is not descended from Sanskrit, it's from the Prakrits that existed alongside Sanskrit. maybe. I don't really know.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 23, 2008, 03:25:01 PM
Hmm. Possibly. I don't really know either.
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: The Genuine on April 23, 2008, 10:19:39 PM
Is Italic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italic_languages) a class of languages, or a language itself?
Title: What languages should I take?
Post by: Jonathon on April 24, 2008, 07:56:42 AM
I've always seen it used to refer to a language subfamily, but presumably the members of that family trace their origins to a specific language. I don't know what it was called, but I'd that linguists refer to it as Proto-Italic.

Edit: Actually, that article does indeed refer to Proto-Italic, though the Proto-Italic article just redirects back to Italic.