LSA 202: Computational methods in linguistic reconstruction

Johanna Nichols, Don Ringe, and Tandy Warnow | session 2 | MW 1:30 – 3:15, 370 Dwinelle Hall

This course will introduce the basic linguistic and mathematical concepts of computational phylogenetic analysis as applied in historical linguistics. Our primary goal is to give students the intellectual tools to critically evaluate the scientific literature in this area. Therefore, the course will include in-depth discussions of methodological issues related to the choice and encoding of linguistic data, use of computational algorithms, and interpretation of results. The discussion will be illustrated with recent publications.

Reading: Selected materials available online.

Prerequisites: A basic course in historical linguistics.

Areas of linguistics: Areal and historical linguistics