Indo-European Linguistics
Cornell is one of the few institutions in the United States with two full-time Indo-Europeanists (Alan Nussbaum and Michael Weiss). In addition, a number of faculty members in Linguistics and related fields teach many of the older Indo-European languages on a regular basis. The historical and comparative areas in which there is lively interest more generally in the Linguistics Department also extends well beyond Indo-European. We aim to train students who are both historical linguists and general linguists, encouraging them to take part in the exchange of ideas in the field as a whole. We also believe that extensive training in diachronic approaches adds valuable depth to an understanding of key linguistic issues.
Courses offered
There are usually two courses per term dedicated to central areas of Indo-European. Recent offerings include: Introduction to Indo-European Linguistics, Seminar in Italic Linguistics, Seminar in Indo-European Syntax, Comparative Grammar of Greek, Comparative Grammar of Latin, Greek Dialects, Homeric Linguistics, Archaic Latin, The Sabellic Languages, Old Irish, Seminar in Vedic.
Potential Applicants
We look for students who have a good background in general linguistics and a solid training in at least two ancient Indo-European languages. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact either
Michael Weiss, mlw36@cornell.edu, or
Alan Nussbaum, ajn8@cornell.edu, for more details about the program.
