本课程已由Universia翻译成西班牙文及葡萄牙文。

This course has been translated by Universia and is available en Español and em Portugues.

本课程将为人类语言本质的基本问题提供一些解答。在整个学期中，我们会（以多种方式）体会到，人类语言是复杂的惊人—却仍有规则可循、非常吸引人的心智系统。在这门课的前三分之二，我们会仔细地研习此系统的一些核心层面；后三分之一则将以我们所学的来处理不同的问题，包括儿童如何习得语言、各种语言之异同、口语（及手语）和书写语言之间的关系。

This class will provide some answers to basic questions about the nature of human language. Throughout the course, we will be learning (in many different ways) that human language is a surprisingly intricate -- yet law-governed and fascinating mental system. In the first 2/3 of the class, we will study some core aspects of this system in detail. In the last part of the class, we will use what we have learned to address a variety of questions, including how children acquire language, what are the similarities and differences among languages, how spoken (and signed) language relates to written language, among others.