Collection Development Policies:
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,
Mathematics, and Foreign Language. 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 also include an emphasis on English
as a Second Language.
General Collection Guidelines:
- Languages:
There are no exclusions by language, but English language material is preferred when
available.
- Chronological Guidelines:
Materials describing and exemplifying the various periods of development of languages,
both living and extinct, are collected.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Observations and Qualifications by Subject with
Collection Level:
General Linguistics:
C(1)
Includes phonetics and phonology, syntax and semantics, historical and comparative
linguistics, mathematical and computational linguistics, English as a second language,
psycholinguistics, translating, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, anthropological linguistics,
semiotics, applied linguistics, language teaching, and teaching of composition.
Descriptions of Languages:
C(2)
Includes treatments of specific languages or language families, synchronic studies, historical and comparative
studies, dialectology.
Exception:
English: C(1)
Alice Spitzer
Spring 2004