This syllabus describes and outlines the first half of an experimental, two-year course leading to the study of a modern foreign language at the University of Washington. In effect, the two-year course, which introduces the student to the nature of language, tests the belief that it is easier to learn a second foreign language, due to linguistic sophistication acquired in learning the first, than it is to learn the first. The syllabus outlines the course work required in the introductory course for the autumn and winter quarter-semesters. The basic texts selected for this course include: "A Linguistic Reader" by Wilson, "A Linguistic Guide to Language Learning" by Moulton, and "Language" by Sapir. The work to be completed in the spring quarter of the second year is also outlined. (RL)