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ENGL 306AIntroduction to Linguistics

Units
0.50
Faculty
Arts
Subject
English

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 5 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Introduction to linguistics and the principles of linguistic analysis through an examination of English phonology, forms, syntax, and discourse.

Prerequisites

None listed.

Antirequisites

None listed.

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 001348321 / 40TTh 18:30–19:50
LEC 002358832 / 40MW 14:30–15:50

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00138680 / 40TTh 18:30–19:50
LEC 00238250 / 40Online or by arrangement
LEC 00339290 / 40Online or by arrangement
LEC 701149716 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LEC 702125132 / 9999Online or by arrangement

Reviewed on UW Flow

78% liked it70% easy61% useful

From 90 ratings and 26 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • Loved this course from top to bottom! Phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax were all very fascinating. Do some practice problems, make sure you go to class (prof explains things really clearly) and you'll be fine. Good background for CS/software people interested in NLU and speech processing

    Jul 2015 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Phonetics and phonology were boring. Morphology and syntax are awesome though. Not a total bird course, but if you practice the problems you'll do just fine. Take it only if you're really interested.

    Apr 2015 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • ALWAYS DO YOUR HOMEWORK (and keep up with required readings).

    Jul 2014 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Worst and honestly one of the hardest courses I’ve taken in my undergrad. I expected it to be relatively easy and straightforward since it’s online, but that wasn’t the case at all. The content on LEARN is very disorganized, which makes it difficult to keep track of what needs to be done and when things are due. If you miss one part of an assignment, even if you completed the other portion, you still receive a zero. Because of how poorly everything is structured, I didn’t even realize there were multiple components to some assignments.
    Clive rarely posts announcements or responds to emails, so it often feels like you’re left to figure things out on your own. The tests are also extremely…

    Mar 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Prof ruined this course for me. He was demeaning and his tests and assignments did not align with the content. DO NOT take a course with Clive Forrester.

    Dec 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

105 posts and comments in 85 threads mention ENGL 306A, August 2012 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.

Fall 2024

Spring 2024

Winter 2024

Fall 2023

Recommended ENGL 3xx course for completing depth requirement? 1 point, 2 comments

u/Desperate_Sea_4862: “… Currently deciding between ENGL306A and ENGL392A. Are there any other interesting options or options that don't require too much work? Thanks! Also what would you recommend for science courses to fulfill the depth requirement? …”

u/ElusiveNirvana: “ENGL306A is chill with most profs, and there's also an online section if that interests you.”

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Winter 2023

Fall 2022

Spring 2022

Bird Courses for Spring 2022 10 points, 10 comments

“Looking for bird courses, preferably fully online. Drop recommends below!!”

u/Frozen5147: “… --- Courses I've taken that are not really bird, but also not hard to get a decent mark in: - ENGL 306A (Intro to Linguistics) - was alright online. No exams, just assignments every few weeks. …”

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Winter 2022

Which third year english elective should I take? 3 points, 3 comments

“I'm a CS student trying to fulfill his depth and humanities requirement and I need interesting course recommendations”

u/tendstofortytwo: “ENGL 306A was really interesting and relatively low effort. Would recommend.”

u/tendstofortytwo: “Could've meant either I think? Since they said English I assumed they meant ENGL. It's possible to do depth, humanities breadth, and communications that way - ENGL 109, 119, 306A for example.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar