Linguistics

Purpose: To support faculty research and instruction leading to an undergraduate degree in General Studies with a major in linguistics. This interdisciplinary program involves the departments of English, Anthropology, Philosophy, Computer Science or Mathematics, and Foreign Language Departments. Other interested departments include Education, Speech and Hearing Sciences, Sociology and Comparative Ethnic Studies. Masters and doctoral programs in Anthropology and English may also include an emphasis on linguistics. Masters programs in English may include an emphasis on English as a Second Language.

1. Languages: There are no exclusions by language, but English language material is preferred when available.
2. Chronological Guidelines: Materials describing and exemplifying the various periods of development of languages, both living and extinct, are collected.
3. Geographical Guidelines: Studies of languages of all parts of the world are collected. Greatest emphasis is accorded Native American languages, those taught at WSU, and languages of major world importance.
4. Treatment of the Subject: Theoretical and historical studies and works on methodology are widely acquired. Biographies of linguists and self-teaching books on foreign languages are selectively acquired. Scholarly works in the fields of general linguistics will be broadly purchased. An attempt is made to obtain a basic grammar and dictionary for most languages, but heavy retrospective purchasing is not done.
5. Types of Material: Periodicals and monographs form the bulk of library acquisitions, though dictionaries, linguistic atlases, and bibliographies are also broadly acquired, as are the publications of such specialized organizations as learned societies and governmental agencies. Electronic resources and audiovisual material (e.g., language learning tapes), are acquired.
6. Date of Publication: Emphasis is on the acquisition of current publications. Retrospective purchasing is comparatively limited. Microforms may be purchased when original imprints or reprints are prohibitively expensive.