The Linguistics of Names

Catalog description

This course is a general introduction to linguistic analysis through the study of personal, product, and place names. Throughout the course, we will use linguistic data to assess whether names constitute a special component of language, or whether they behave linguistically like non-name words. Topics include trends in naming and the diffusion of linguistic innovations, the phonological processes involved in nickname formation, sound symbolism, place names and their connection to settlement history, sociodemographic correlates of name choice, and names and the mind/brain. Students will gain hands-on experience working with linguistic data by analyzing patterns in names.