This course promotes meaningful literacy instruction through the study of language, language acquisition, the study of sounds and sound formation, word formation, and how words combine into larger meaningful units. The prescriptive standardization of such language forms as spelling, semantics, pronunciation, style, and register are addressed in this course. Basic components of descriptive grammar, to include syntax, semantics, phonology, and morphology are applied. Students will have the opportunity to develop an appreciation for regional and ethnic dialects and examine how language changes and develops over time.