UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 7
October 17, 1996
Cognitive science expands opportunities in linguistics

     The Program in Cognitive Science has been incorporated into
the Department of Linguistics, resulting in expanded
opportunities in both fields, according to William Frawley, who
chairs linguistics and directs the cognitive science program.
     "In the profession at large, linguistics, which studies the
structure, function and evolution of human language, is
technically a subfield of cognitive science, which considers the
mind, including language, as a computational system. Integrating
the two fields administratively is appropriate and gives
cognitive science a home base within the linguistics department,"
Frawley explained.
     "We are excited about the direction and educational
offerings the merger of linguistics and cognitive science can
provide, thanks to the involvement of dedicated faculty from
several disciplines," he said.
     Many faculty members and an advisory committee have
cooperated  to bring the union about, and the restructuring has
received support from the administration, Frawley said. The
advisory committee, chaired by Frawley, includes John Case,
computer science; Peter Cole, linguistics, Rick Foulds, the
Applied Science and Engineering Labs (ASEL) at the A. I. duPont
Institute; William Idsardi, linguistics; and Barbara Landau,
psychology.
     Several changes have taken place:
         An official cognitive science interdisciplinary
   faculty of 30 members with joint appointments from such areas
   as psychology, computer science, educational studies and
   ASEL;
         A future cognitive and linguistic science laboratory
   for undergraduate instruction, financed by a $52,000 grant
   from the National Science Foundation;
         Undergraduate minors in linguistics and cognitive
   science;
         Two new individualized undergraduate degrees-one in
   pre-professional speech pathology, preparing students for
   graduate work in a certified program, and another in
   cognitive and linguistic science; and
         New faculty-Colin Phillips from the Massachusetts
   Institute of Technology; Caroline Heycock from the University
   of Edinburg and Barbara Landau, cognitive scientist, formerly
   at the University of California at Irvine and now in the
   psychology department-hired to bridge linguistics and
   cognitive science.
     In addition, a new course, "Introduction to Cognitive
Science," is being offered this fall and is taught jointly by 15
faculty members, whose  fields include linguistics, applied
science and engineering, psychology, educational studies,
philosophy and computer and information sciences.
     Other new courses include "Introduction to Communicative
Disorders" and "Anatomy and Physiology of Speaking," both taught
by ASEL professors. These courses are part of the efforts in pre-
professional speech pathology.
     An honors seminar is planned for the spring to be taught by
Phillips.
     Linguistics and cognitive science are rigorous disciplines
that attract academically talented students, Frawley said.
Qualified undergraduate students can enroll in graduate-level
courses and work on individualized undergraduate degrees that
lead to a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies or to Dean's
Scholar programs.
     There also are training opportunities and internships
available for undergraduate and graduate students at ASEL. The
laboratory is involved with research on speech and how speech
disorders can be helped by technology.
     The linguistics department also has received outside
recognition. Faculty members Peter Cole, William Idsardi and
Gabriella Hermon have been appointed editors of the "Discussion
Section" of Linguistic Inquiry, the most influential journal in
the field.
     In the National Research Council's rankings of linguistics
graduate programs, Delaware tied 28th with Yale University and
the University of Michigan. The UD program also was recognized
the most improved in the country.
                                              -Sue Swyers Moncure