Introduction to the scientific study of language: The sounds of language; word and sentence structure; semantics and pragmatics; discourse and conversational speech; the social and cultural functions of language; language change and the reconstruction of languages at earlier stages.
5
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNone
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeThe class was interesting but he taught of material that we weren't tested on.
Good professor. Both lectures and sections take attendance. It's possible to learn all the material in one day before the midterm or final and still do well. The exams are not difficult.
I took Ling 20 with him in the Fall of 2023 and I just realized I never wrote a review for him. He is a wonderful lecturer, and as a ling major, I found his classes to be both interesting and informative. I am going to take Ling 107 with him this winter and I am very excited!
Prof. Kennedy explained concepts really well in lecture, but the readings for this class were pretty dense and there were weekly quizzes on them. However, we were allowed to attempt the homework as many times as we needed which was really nice. Tests weren't worth that much of our grade so it was easier to do well in the class.
He's pretty funny and engaging during lectures, but the material itself felt pretty dry -- a lot of memorization without as much explanation as to why these things were interesting and important. Overall, though, he's a pretty solid prof and not a very tough grader.
Professor Kennedy was not a terrible professor but he wasn't amazing either. The lectures are extremely dense with confusing slides and I often found it challenging to keep up with the content The midterm and final were mildly difficult. I'd take him again if I had to, but wouldn't actively choose to.