Collection Development Policy: Linguistics
  • Subject Librarian(s):
    Dominique Coulombe

  • Departmental Library Representative (DLR):
    Katherine Demuth

  • Description of the Academic Program | Home Page
    Formed in 1986 by the merger of the Center for Cognitive Sciences and the
    Department of Linguistics, the Department of Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences has a long tradition of teaching and research innovation. Cognitive sciences encompass the study of, and research in, the fields of speech, language, and communication, which are traditional aspects of the scientific study of language. Through the intersection of these fields the Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Department brings a multidisciplinary approach to its teaching activities and its research initiatives. The breadth of the research and instructional interests is also reflected in the close collaboration with the Departments of Anthropology, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Philosophy, and Psychology.

    The composition of the faculty and the diversity of the course offerings
    reflect this duality of interests. The Department offers: Ph.D. programs in both cognitive science and linguistics, and undergraduate concentrations in cognitive science, linguistics, and cognitive neuroscience.

    Major research areas in linguistics/language processing include:

    • Acquisition of language
    • Computational linguistics (Natural language processing)
    • Neurolinguistics
    • Phonetics and Phonology
    • Speech and production
    • Syntax and semantics

    The Department is a partner in the following laboratories and research groups on campus:

    • Brown Laboratory for Linguistic
    • Information Processing
    • Child Language Lab
    • Infant Perception Lab
    • Language Comprehension Lab
    • Semantics Research Group
    • Speech and Pyscholinguistics Lab

    The Department organizes colloquia during the school year.



  • Overview of the Collection
    The Library collection for Linguistics include an estimated 10,000 titles of which about 250 are currently received serial subscriptions. Most of these titles are located at the Rockefeller Library; a few scientific titles are located at the Sciences Library. About 160 titles are available electronically. 70% of the collection is in the English language, but the collection also features some strong holdings in French and German publications from the 19th and early 20th century. Another major part of the collection beyond the scope of this policy statement addresses the teaching and research needs in Cognitive Sciences. These resources are mostly located at the Sciences Library.

    Resources which directly support the Linguistics programs are classed primarily in the Library of Congress classification of P. The "P class" covers philology, linguistics, semiotics, language and linguistics theory, comparative grammar and communication. Works on pragmatics are divided between class P and class B (philosophy). Library resources for English linguistics and phonology can be found in class PE. For other languages the best approach is to browse the LC class for the specific language. Many works in the field of cognitive sciences are classed in psycholinguistics, in the BF section of the Sciences Library. Other classes of interest to this program include: P118, Language acquisition, P121-149 Science of language, QC246, analysis of sound, QL776 Communication as part of animal behavior studies, QL785 psychology, intelligence, and learning in animals, QP306 physiology of voice and speech and RC psychopathology of speech.



  • General Collecting Guidelines
    With some exceptions, the current coverage is at the study level. However, desired coverage is at the research level, especially in the following areas of departmental interest: syntax, semantics, computational linguistics, language acquisition, language processing, psycholinguistics, anthropological linguistics, sociolinguistics and pragmatics. A research level collection includes major source materials required for dissertation and independent research, including primary sources, specialized journals, important reference works, major indexing/abstracts services and a wide selection of specialized monographs. While it is crucial to direct library funds to enriching the collections in psychology, neuroscience, and neural networks, teaching and research of theoretical and traditional aspects of Linguistics also require adequate Library support. The past three years have seen an increase in the number of publications purchased in the area of language acquisition and semantics through the selection of titles received on approval plan from major domestic academic presses. However, we need to build and maintain our collections in other areas of traditional linguistics and in new areas of research such as African linguistics.

  • Detailed Subject Breakdown

  • Specific Collecting Guidelines
    • Language: Primarily English language materials (70%) and selected works in Western and Eastern European languages.
    • Chronological Span: Primarily 20th and 21st century. Selected historical material.
    • Imprint Date: Current imprints. Occasional purchase of retrospective materials in support of research needs.
    • Geographical Range: Emphasis on American imprints; selected European imprints in support of the teaching and research needs of the language programs.
    • Types of Material Included: Books and serials in print; some microforms and dissertations. The number of electronic journals is expanding every year. Excluded: General purpose textbooks.


  • Areas of Distinction
    The Library offers an array of print and electronic resources to assist linguists with their research.

    Several bibliographic databases cover related fields such as psychology PsycINFO, anthropology Anthropological literature, education ERIC, philosophy Philosopher's index, the sciences ISI Web of science. Doctoral dissertations completed at accredited institutions in the U.S. can be searched in which includes the full text of all Brown University dissertations since 1997.

    Researchers interested in lexical and comparative analysis of full texts have the following resources available to them online:     Oxford English dictionary, Middle English compendium, and ARTFL (the American and French Research on the Treasury of the French Language).

  • Special Collections
    • George Earl Church Collection This 3,500-volume collection, largely composed of 18th and early 19th century monographs on Latin American politics, history, and geography devotes substantial attention to contemporary anthropological studies on the Indians of South American with a good representation of materials on Amerindian languages. A smaller number of titles focus on anthropological studies on Native Americans.
    • John Carter Brown Library This private, non-profit, independently administered and funded center for advanced research in history and the humanities offers opportunities for research in linguistics. Its Americana collections which range from the fifteenth century to about 1825 feature numerous works on native Americans in North and South America, including both printed and manuscript items in Indian languages.
    • Readers
      The John Hay Library has been collecting "readers" (books containing passages for instruction or exercise in reading and speaking) published during the 19th century. Many of these came with the Rider Collection; others are found in the Harris Collection and the Cutter Collection. In addition to a few titles in French published in the 17th and 18th century and some pre-1900 and early 20th century German and French holdings can be consulted at the John Hay.


  • Related Collections
    Additional resources in the field of linguistics are available through consortial agreements. Of particular interest to linguists is the BorrowDirect service, which expedites delivery of titles from Ivy League schools with strong collections such as Cornell, Princeton, U Penn and Yale.

    Programs affiliated with the Department such as the Brain Science Program and graduate student training programs such as Computation and Mathematics of Mindoffer opportunities for learning and research on campus. The Center for Language Studies shares an interest in research in the field of applied linguistics with the Cognitive and Linguistic Sciences Department.


  • Selected List of Key Internet Resources

Illustration : Códice de Dresden : manuscrito pictórico ritual Maya : se conserva en al Biblioteca de Dresden, Alemania. México : Librería Anticuaria, G.M. Ecahnuz, 1947. Hay Dupee Mexicana, John Hay Library. Collection.