Structure of Sign Languages

(ENGL 4373: Advanced Studies in Linguistics)

ENGL 4373 (Advanced Studies in Linguistics)
Spring 2027

				Monday/Wednesday 11:00–12:20pm
				Face to face CRN: 15533
				Online CRN: 18820
				Dr. Aaron Braver

No prior linguistics courses or sign language knowledge required.

Structure of Sign Languages invites students to explore the world’s sign languages (there are hundreds in use today!), looking at how they build words, sentences, and meaning in ways similar to and different from spoken languages. Focusing on American Sign Language (ASL) and Australian Sign Language (Auslan)—with appearances from many others—the course mixes big questions (How do signs “sound”? What counts as a “word”?) with myth-busting, challenging common misconceptions about sign languages. Students will read cutting-edge research along with some classic literature, and will learn the tools used by linguists to analyze signed languages.

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