≡

BA English Language

Statement of Purpose

The English Language major focuses on the detailed linguistic study of the English language. From the major, students will gain detailed knowledge of the English language and language-based analytical skills that will be useful in such professions as law, business, medicine, editing, and teaching English to speakers of other languages. The major differs from a traditional linguistics major in that it focuses not on language in general, but on the English language as it occurs in actual use across communities and throughout history.

Graduates of the English Language major should be able to analyze the structure and use of the English language. Analyzing structure includes analyzing the subsystems of English, such as its sounds, grammar, and vocabulary. Analyzing the use of English, includes analyzing historical change, social and regional variation, register, standardization, and other social aspects.

Goals

In keeping with the Mission of Brigham Young University, the Aims of a BYU Education, and the Institutional Objectives, the faculty in the English Language major is committed to providing an educational environment that supports the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ with its emphasis on the pursuit of truth. This is done on a class-by-class basis, as faculty members attempt to elucidate the natural connections between the secular knowledge of their specialized fields and the truths of the restored gospel. The desired outcome is to help build character and spiritual strength in the students, and to encourage them to pursue opportunities for life-long learning and service.

Graduates with an ELang major should be able to:

  1. Analyze English sounds and compare the phonology of different dialects.
  2. Analyze English grammatical structures using traditional grammatical terminology.
  3. Use semantic concepts to describe the interpretation of words and phrases.
  4. Use pragmatic concepts to analyze meaning of language in context.
  5. Analyze the validity of usage prescriptions and make their own usage judgements.
  6. Describe basic characteristics of English in its historical stages and tell how a language, particularly English, changes.
  7. Recognize and analyze variation in English.
  8. Analyze and describe actual use of English across registers and dialects.

Major Requirements

  1. Complete the following prerequisite to all core courses:
    ELang 223.

  2. Complete the following core courses:
    ELang 273, 322, 324, 325, 326, 327, 495R.

  3. Complete one course from the following:
    ELang 362, 468.
    Ling 550.

  4. Complete one of the following period courses:
    ELang 525, 526, 527.

  5. Complete three courses from the following:
    CHum 210, 230, 250, 310, 355.
      ELang 362, 421R, 468, 521R, 522, 524, 525, 526, 527, 529, 535, 548.
    Ling 450, 485, 545, 550.
    Note: Only one computers and the humanities (CHum) course can be used to fill this requirement.

  6. Complete 12 credit hours (to a 200-level or higher) of university course work (or the equivalent) in any single language. This may be the same language used to satisfy the GE Foreign Language option. A language relevant to the historical development of English is strongly recommended, namely Latin, French, German, or classical Greek.