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Language is arguably man's most distinguishing trait. "Homo loquens" (talkative man) would be a more apt classification than "Homo sapiens" (wise man); from cradle to grave we never shut up, but how often are we wise? The science of linguistics studies the origin and evolution of languages, their sound systems, writing systems, grammatical constructs, semantics, and social context. Our class will "browse" through this field, settling on topics that may be surprising, amusing, enlightening, or just plain cool. Does your language control the way you think? What is special about creole languages? How does English grammar differ from what you were taught in school? What weird and wonderful features can we find in other languages? Do Eskimos really have a gazillion words for snow? Course material will include excerpts from Great Courses lectures by linguist John McWhorter, video clips from internet blogs, and summaries prepared by the instructor from a variety of sources.