2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Linguistics C
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Hiroyuki Akama
- Class Format
- Lecture/Exercise (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Tue / 7-8 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.T309
- Number of credits
- 110
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on neurolinguistics, and covers some related fields such as cognitive linguistics and statistical linguistics (natural language processing). It introduces some approaches made by our forefathers in the history of science to understand human language through the structure and function of the human brain and explore the neural correlates of linguistic ability by emphasizing the findings in linguistic study brought by the technique of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Some concepts essential in contemporary linguistics such as language acquisition, bilingualism, impairment of language (aphasia), semantic processing, memory, perception, motion and emotion are treated in this course covering the fundamentals as well as the relevant recent research findings. This course also provides an introductory lecture about the computational programming necessary for the study of neurolinguistics.
By learning the principles of linguistics and neuroscience, students will have the chance to develop cultural literacy and skills in scientific research and realize pleasures and difficulties of this research field. Students will deepen the levels of understanding the human existence and create their everyday guide in our advanced technological age and highly-sophisticated information society.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1)Have an understanding of the basic topics of linguistics and neuroscience by learning neurolinguistics.
2)Acquire the fundamental skills of running linguistic experiments to explore the structure and function of the human brain.
3)Acquire the basic literacy of computational programming needed for linguistic study.
Keywords
language, linguistics, brain, neuroscience, neurolinguistics, brain imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The class will be conducted in a free atmosphere. In principle, the traditional lecture format will be used, but questions and answers are welcome at any time. The final two classes will be student-participation-style presentations.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction, Guidance | Understand the introductory part of Linguistics. |
| Class 2 | Brain and Language--Humans and Animals | Explain the neural representation of the innate language ability. |
| Class 3 | Representative Structure of the Human Brain | Explain the representative structure of the human brain. |
| Class 4 | Use of Brain Atlases | Explain the structure of the human brain and the anatomical labeling. |
| Class 5 | Classical Language Areas | Explain the history of finding the regions involved in language such as Broca's area and Wernicke's area. |
| Class 6 | Neurolinguistics | Explain the overview of the neurolinguistics aiming at the neural processing of language in the brain. |
| Class 7 | Semantics (1) | Explain various theories about the semantic processing in the brain. |
| Class 8 | semantics (2) | Explain various theories about the semantic processing in the brain. |
| Class 9 | Multilingualism | Explain the theories on the mechanism of the bilingual brain. |
| Class 10 | Language Acquisition and Loss | Explain the brain disorder bringing the loss of language ability (aphasia). |
| Class 11 | Semantic Network and Memory | Explain the neural networks and the semantic networks in the human brain. |
| Class 12 | Language and Brain Imaging | Explain the methods of exploring the neural process of linguistic ability with fMRI. |
| Class 13 | Summary and Review or Presentation (or If there are not many applications for presentations, Computation of Brain Imaging) | Explain the computer literacy required for fMRI. |
| Class 14 | Summary and Review or Presentation | Wrap up the course of Linguistics C. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterward for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Lecture materials (Powerpoint materials) will be distributed via T2Schola.
The purchase of the following texts books not required, but reading them is recommended.
William O'Grady et al., Contemporary Linguistics, An Introduction. Chapter 11~14, Bedford/St.Martin's
(This book is highly recommended to the students who will attend the courses of Linguistics A, B, and C altogether.)
Eric R. Kandel et al., Principles of Neural Science, Mc Graw Hill, Part IX
(As the classes of Basic Neuroscience and Advanced Neuroscience in the Department of Life Science and Technology are conducted based on this book, it is highly recommended to the students who will participate in these classes.)
Scott A. Huettel et al., Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Second Edition, Sinauer Associates, Inc.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Original course materials based on the following textbooks are created so that students can download them from T2SCHOLA.
William O'Grady et al., Contemporary Linguistics, An Introduction. Chapter 11~14,Bedford/St.Martin's
Eric R. Kandel et al., Principles of Neural Science, Mc Graw Hill, Part IX
Scott A. Huettel et al., Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Second Edition, Sinauer Associates, Inc.
etc.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Students are assessed on the following criteria (100%).
Evaluation will be based on the final free report (4 or more pages in A4 size). The final free presentation (20 minutes per person, 5 minutes for Q&A) will be substituted for the final free report if desired. The final presentation will be held in the 13th and 14th lessons, but due to time constraints, only 4 students can give their presentations each time, for a total of 8 students. Reservations will be accepted in order of application after the consecutive holidays in May.
Students who have given their final presentation do not need to submit a final report.
Related courses
- LAH.T109 ： Linguistics A
- LAH.T210 ： Linguistics B
- LAH.H109 ： Special Lecture : Language and Culture
- LST.A346 ： Basic Neuroscience
- LST.A410 ： Advanced Neuroscience
- HCB.M461 ： Laboratory Training on Human Brain Functions and Their Measurements
- LST.A242 ： Instrumental Analysis in Bioscience
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
Hiroyuki Akama: akama.h.aa[at]m.titech.ac.jp
Other
If you are interested in the research activities of the instructor, refer to the following URL.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Hiroyuki_Akama
https://sites.google.com/site/akamatitechlab/home
Should the number of applicants for this course exceed the limit, a lottery system will be used to determine which students are admitted. Be sure to attend the first class.