O. .... ... 

SENATE 

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J. N. MUNRO, DEAN 

FACULTY OF ARTS 

REPORT - FACULTY OF ARTS - PROPOSED 

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BRIJARY 

CHANGE OF NAME OF DML. 

MOTION: 

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"That Senate approve and recommend approval to 

the Board of Governors, as set forth in 

the change of name of the Department of Modern 

Languages to the Department of Languages, 

Literatures and Linguistics." 

MEMORANDUM 

FL3l 

Senate Conmittee 

i.e.w.e.t.t 

on

...... 

Agenda 

Ch.a. j 

.rma.n. ....... . 

J. ..M.. . M.unro.,....Dean............................................. 

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and..... Ru.i.e.s ............................... ........................................... ...... .Fac.u.l ty. .... of 

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Arts ? 

.......................................... ...... 

Faculty 

Change of 

of

Name 

Arts 

of

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DML. 

Proposed 

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Februar.y..lO.,..1.g.77 

At its meeting of February 8, 1977 the Faculty of Arts passed 

the following motion: 

That the Faculty 

Arts approve the change of name 

of the Department of Modern Languages to the 

Department 

Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. 

I would like to ask that this be placed on the agenda for the 

next meeting of Senate under the category "Reports from 

Faculties". 

is

A rationale for the Faculty's action is presented in the 

attached paper, which was prepared before approval of this 

change by the Department of Modern Languages in July, 1976. 

The exact proposal suggested in this paper("Department of 

Linguistics, Literatures, and Languages") was rejected by the 

Department in favour of the title "Department of Languages, 

Literatures, and Linguistics". 

Attachment 

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J. M. Munro 

cc: ? 

Mr. H.M. Evans 

Dr. C.P. Bouton 

PAPER SUBMITTED TO DML PLENARY 

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RE DEPARTMENTAL NAME CHANGE 

The intention of changing the name of the DML into DLLL was suggested 

in

a

meeting of the Graduate Studies Committee in order to remedy the fact that 

"Department of Modern Languages does not seem to be the kind of name which 

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may appeal to a graduate student of Linguistics. As one of the members of 

the G.S.0 said,"DML" suggests a department which essentially teaches lan- 

guages, where one latin professor is offering a couple of linguistic courses. 

In the presentation of this motion, I have been careful enough to review 

the previous unsuccessful attempts to change the name of the Department 

in order to avoid the mistakes of the preceding proposals. One of these 

mistakes has been the total exclusion of literature from the name, which, 

with linguistics, is the other academically sound subject which constitutes 

a program and a fortiori and a department. 

At the moment, the Department, through its name, reflects the image that 

we may finally have got in the university and outside; that the DML is a 

service department teaching how to speak German, French, Russian or English. 

Such questions arise as "Do you teach linguistics in the DML?". 

However, the undergraduate programs offered, according to the Calendar, are 

in the languages, linguistics and literature; the language courses somehow 

being the required base to proceed with the study of linguistics or 

literature. There is, properly speaking, no program of language in the 

Department, with theexception of the Master of Arts in Teaching French 

program, but four different programs which include the teaching of spoken 

proficiency in these languages, and naturally feed the higher number of 

students in the elementary obligatory courses. 

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The academic subjects 

taught in those programs are linguistics and literature., 

•Additionlly, we now have a major program in 

studies program in linguistics, complemented 

fledged graduate studies programs in German, 

Linguistics. 

It seems quite natural that the name linguis 

the new name of the Department. 

linguistics and a graduate 

by four theoretically full- 

French, Russian and Spanish 

tics be somehow included 

in

Furthermore, taking into account the opinion of the literature faculty 

members, who, with all their reasons, protested the referendum decided 

on October 1973, it is a general consensus in the G.S.C. that the name 

literature must also be included in the new name. 

It is least clear whether we have to keep the word 'languages' in the new 

name and some members of the Department have mentioned the possibility 

of dropping 'Modern Languages' altogether, principally on the basis that 

the name Department of Languages doesn't constitute a proper academic 

subject justifying a university program. 

The few universities that keep that kind of title in Canada are only 

three (Laurentian University, Brandon University, and the University of 

Alberta). 

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None of these include an important program of linguistics. 

Full-fledged programs in literature are generally included in French 

Departments, Hispanic Studies Programs, Germanic and Slavic Departments, 

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etc. ? 

But traditional Departments of Languages are tending to be re- 

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placed, at least in Canada, by departments with literature emphasis. 

;(veraI of them, particularly in French-speaking Canada, are including 

courses 

about the didatics of the languages that they teach. 

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I have 

Checked the following Canadian university Calendars: 

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Winnipeg, Laurentian, 

Monro1, 

New Brunswick, 

Concordia, 

13rndon, 

Queen's, 

Carleton, 

Laval, 

Notre 

Guelph, 

Dame, 

Waterloo, 

Alberta, Calgary, 

UBC, Windsor, 

Quebec, 

Saskat- 

Page .2. 

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What seems quite clear from my survey is that the idea conveyed by 

the word 'languages' in the name of the academic departments is 

highly ambiguous and seems to be avoided by most of the universities 

in the last years. 

It is of course true that this department is seriously engaged in the 

teaching of languages and that, at the moment, most of the students 

in the lower level courses are enrolled in language courses. This is 

hardly a surprise because it has been taken for granted that these 

courses are prerequisities 

in

four of the divisions. 

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It is also true 

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that the Department is or would have to be engaged in offering to the 

academic population the service of teaching them the reading or spoken 

skills that the students may need to pursue their academic or profes- 

sional goal using languages other than English. 

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However, there is no 

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advantage in considering the teaching of languages as an end in itself, 

and this is what happens when one presents oneself as Department of 

Languages or Department of Modern Languages. 

However, I don't any serious objections to maintaining the name of 

'languages' in the title, provided that it remains clear that the main 

academic subjects of the Department are linguistics and literatures. 

Because I know that some faculty members insist on keeping the word 

language in the title, I propose to integrate that word also in the new 

title at the risk of giving the secretaries the arduous task of answer- 

ing the phone with a four letter word with three L's: DLLL. 

I therefore propose that a referendUfli to change the name of the DML to 

the Department of Linguistics, Literatures and Languages be approved. 

(Submitted by Dr. A. Hurtado) 