Ling 1150 Introduction to Linguistics

Transcription

1 Fall 2014 Syllabus 1 Ling 1150 Introduction to Linguistics 7 10:30-11:35 mwr 145 Ryder 10 1:35-2:40 mwr 460 Ryder What makes human language unique? What does a speaker of a language know (sometimes unconsciously) about that language? How can languages vary? How do children learn a language? Why do speakers from different PLACES or genders or ethnicities sound different? Part I Part II The main areas of formal linguistics will give us tools for understanding language phonetics & phonology (the sounds & sound patterns of language) morphology (the internal structure of words) syntax (the structure of sentences) semantics (meaning) These new tools allow an informed look at how language works in applied contexts Indigenous languages Sociolinguistic variation: region, class, ethnicity, gender Standards & attitudes: ideas about correctness Along the way We ll address some common myths and misconceptions about language Required Textbooks O'Grady, W. et al. (2010) Contemporary Linguistics: an Introduction 6 th ed. Bedford St. Martin's Pinker, Steven (1994) The Language Instinct. Harper Collins. Textbook Website: Contains tools, features, in-depth explanations. Also provides links to resources, video clips, material you will use for your presentation and extra credit assignments. A symbol in the margin of the text refers you here. Additional readings, for your presentation, at Snell Library Reserve Desk Clark, Virginia, et al Language: Introductory Readings. 7 th ed. Bedford St. Martin s Blackboard Our course has a Blackboard site which will develop as the course proceeds. Stay tuned!

2 Fall 2014 Syllabus 2 Requirements Readings Do the assigned reading before the first class of the week. The lectures assume that you ve done it. Also, if you have questions about the reading, ASK right away! If you re confused by something, chances are, someone else is, too. TextSleuths Whenever we read both O Grady and Pinker on the same topic, you have a TextSleuth, assignment, to compare the approaches. Bring your write-up to class on the day the reading is due, then write it up to be graded as part of your HW. Here s an example: TextSleuth: Phonology (10 pts) Our secondary textbook, Steven Pinker's The Language Instinct, was written as a popular introduction to linguistics for laypeople. Using it in a linguistics course can be both good and bad. It can be good because it gives fun examples to illustrate what can sometimes be "dry" or "technical" linguistics concepts. But it can be bad because it can oversimplify concepts in an effort to make them fun, but this can lead to inaccuracies, contradictions, or confusion for linguistics students. Find two examples, one that shows how using Pinker for phonology is "good", the other one, "bad". Give the passage in O'Grady and the corresponding one in Pinker and explain what's good or bad about it. Be prepared to present your passages in class. Homework Collected at the start of class, so bring an extra copy for in-class discussion. Midterm Exam In-class, covering the first half of the course Final Exam During exam period, cumulative Attendance/Participation Come to class regularly. The lectures expand on the readings! Group Presentation Working in groups of two or three, you will give a min. in-class presentation Topics (readings for each topic are below) - Brain and Language - Sign Language - Language Endangerment - Animal Communication - Language and Gender - Standards and Attitudes Use the articles in Clark, Language: Introductory Readings (on reserve) and other sources Prepare a handout or a powerpoint (or both) 2 topic choices to me randall@neu.edu by this day. At least a week before your presentation is due, make an appointment with me to discuss it.

3 Fall 2014 Syllabus 3 Grade Breakdown Homework grade: the average of your 7 highest of these 8 grades 40% problem sets 5 grades Essay 1 grade Fieldwork project 2 grades Midterm exam 15% Final exam 25% Attendance / participation 10% Group presentation 10% Extra credit see below Extra credit You can earn extra credit (EC) points in two ways. (1) Some Problem Sets offer optional problems worth EC points. These increase the score on those Problem Sets. (2) Optional EC assignments, sprinkled throughout, also earn EC points. These are tallied throughout the term and used to decide between two grades. For example, if you re running a B+ your EC points can move you to an A -. Course Policies Collaboration Try to work in small groups on the homework assignments. List everyone you worked with on the front of your assignment. If you don't list anyone and there is significant overlap between your assignment and another student s, this will be treated as a case of plagiarism. Late Work One assignment (except the last one) can be up to one week late with no penalty. No other late work will be accepted, except in exceptional circumstances. Lowest HW Grade Dropped Your homework with the lowest grade will be dropped from your homework average. If it is your fieldwork assignment, which counts as two grades, only one will be dropped. Communication a) Blackboard b) in class c) NU account Check a-c regularly. Be in touch! My office hours are on days and nesdays but I can also meet with you on other days. To arrange a time, see me after class or drop me an . Also, feel free to me about any aspect of the class -- or about linguistics -- and I'll try to respond the same day. However, I'm not generally available on weekends so if you me on Friday, you may not get a response until day. Please plan accordingly.

4 Fall 2014 Syllabus 4 Academic Integrity We operate under Northeastern University s Academic Integrity Policy described at: Please become familiar with it. Violations must be reported to the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution and may be subject to penalties within the course. Course Schedule: ROUGH OUTLINE The following schedule is a rough outline of the course. It's hard to know our pace through the material, so IT WILL PROBABLY CHANGE. Most of these changes will be announced IN CLASS. That s another reason to make it to all the classes or, if you can t, to get the notes from someone.

5 Fall 2014 Syllabus 5 DRAFT 1 Date Topic Reading due Assignments due Week 1 Sep 3 Sep 4 Week 2 Sep 8 Sep 10 Sep 11 Week 3 Sep 15 Sep 17 Sep 18 Week 4 Sep 22 Sep 24 Sep 25 Week 5 Sep 29 Sept 30 Oct 1 Week 6 Oct 7 Oct 8 Oct 9 Introduction Phonetics Exploring the textbook website O Grady xi-xxiv; O Grady 1-13 Phonetics O Grady Pinker Chs 1 & 2 Pinker Phonetics/Phonology O Grady TextSleuth Phonology Phonology O Grady Phonology Morphology Pinker Ch 5 O Grady TextSleuth Morphology O Grady Morphology Rosh Hashana, no class Syntax Syntax Syntax Pinker Ch 4 O Grady TextSleuth Syntax O Grady Syntax Midterm review Website Activities (see handout - includes an extra credit opportunity) 2 choices for your in-class presentation, to randall@neu.edu PS 1 due: Phonetics Presentation 1: Brain and Language PS 2 due: Phonology PS 3 due: Morphology Presentation 2: Sign Language PS 4 due: Syntax

6 Fall 2014 Syllabus 6 Week 7 Reading due Assignment due Oct 13 Columbus Day, no class Oct 15 Midterm Exam Oct 16 Go over midterm Week 8 Oct 20 Oct 22 Oct 23 Week 9 Oct 27 Oct 29 Oct 30 Week 10 Nov 3 Nov 5 Nov 6 Fri-Sun Nov 7-9 Semantics Semantics Language Acquisition film: Out of the mouths of babes Language Acquisition Language Acquisition Language Acquisition Native Languages film: We Still Live Here: As Nutayunean (57 min.) Native Languages Variation: region, class, ethnicity, gender Extra credit opportunity Pinker Ch 7 O'Grady TextSleuth Pinker Ch 9 O Grady O'Grady O Grady , PS 5 due: Semantics Presentation 3: Animal Communication Essay 1 due. See below. Presentation 4: Language Endangerment Attend the annual BU Conference on Language Development and write up a summary of one of the talks. See Essay 2 below for a list of suggested talks.

7 Fall 2014 Syllabus 7 Week 11 Reading due Assignment due Variation: Overview of O Grady , Essay 2 due. See below (extra credit). Nov 10 social dialects Variation: Regional dialects, or, "I pahked Nov 12 the cah in Hahved Yahd" Nov 13 Week 12 Nov 17 Nov 19 Nov 20 Nov 21 Week 13 Nov 24 10:30 Nov 26 Nov 27 Week 14 Dec 1 Dec 3 Dec? Variation: African American English Variation: African American English Variation: Language & Gender Variation: Language & Gender Variation: discuss Language & Gender project hypothesis & methods Continue discussion of Fieldwork Project Thanksgiving Break Thanksgiving Break Field Work: Discussion of results Standards & Attitudes Study Study Study for Final Exam Final Exam O Grady O'Grady Pinker Ch 12 Essay 3 due. See below (extra credit). Presentation 5: Language and Gender Fieldwork Project part 1: Literature Review paragraph, Hypothesis & Method sections due Fieldwork project, part 2: Results section due Fieldwork project, part 3: Full report due today (=Prob.Sets7&8) Presentation 6: Standards & Attitudes

8 Fall 2014 Syllabus 8 Presentation Topics + Readings. These reading on each topic can be found in your textbooks: O'Grady, Pinker, or from Clark et. al. Language: Introductory readings (on reserve at Snell Library). You may use additional reading as well. 1. Brain and Language Pinker chapter 10 "Language Organs and Grammar Genes" O Grady chapter Brain and Language 2. Sign Language Clark chapter 3 Emmorey, Sign Language Clark chapter 46 Wolkomir, American Sign Language: 'It's Not Mouth Stuff - It's Brain Stuff' O Grady chapter 15 Natural Sign Languages 3. Language Endangerment Clark chapter 29 James Crawford, Endangered Native American Language Clark chapter 34 Nancy Lord, Native Tongues 4. Animal Communication Clark chapter 41 Kemp & Smith, Signals, Signs & Words: From Animal Communication to Language Clark chapter 6 Jean Aitchison, Chimps, Children and Creoles: The Need for Caution Pinker chapter 11 ( ) The Big Bang 5. Language and Gender Clark chapter 37 Fern Johnson, Discourse Patterns of Males and Females Clark chapter 38 Deborah Tannen, I ll Explain It to You : Lecturing and Listening Clark chapter 39 Deborah Tannen, Ethnic Style in Male-Female Conversation 6. Standards and Attitudes Clark chapter 56 John Algeo, What Makes Good English Good? Pinker chapter 12 The Language Mavens

9 Fall 2014 Syllabus 9 ESSAYS (1 required, 2 for EC) 1. Language Acquisition A father says, "Correcting my child's mistakes is very important. If a parent doesn't take the trouble to do this, his kids won't learn the language." Respond to this parent's statement, by either supporting or disagreeing with it, and bolster your discussion with evidence from lectures, videos, and readings. Include issues such as: critical period (critical-age hypothesis), negative evidence, the poverty of the stimulus, structuredependent rules, overgeneralization, etc. Support your point with some concrete examples of what children do and do not do. 2. Language Acquisition: Summarize a Conference talk (EC: 10pts, on your Essay grade) Attend the annual BU Conference on Language Development on Nov 7,8, or 9. Here is the schedule: Summarize one of the talks. Recommended authors are: Snedeker, Carey, Lidz, Demuth, Valian, Golinkoff, but other talks are possible. Check with me if you are planning to go to this; I have to notify the organizers of the number of my students attending. 3. Language Variation (EC: 10 pts, added to your Essay grade) Imagine the following: The Boston School Board has decided to spend some of its funds to educate its teachers (in weekend workshops) about Black English. They claim that the more teachers understand about the dialects the students use, the better they can teach them the "standard" and the better the students' self-esteem will be since they will understand that their dialect is not simply bad grammar, but a rule-governed and logical -- but different -- version of English, on a par with other dialects. Many parents are outraged, including some black parents. They say things like, "this is not how money should be spent;" "teach standard English" and "this is patronizing; if we teach bad grammar to kids, this is only one more way to disadvantage them." Jesse Jackson at first was against the Boston decision but now supports it. Argue for or against the Boston decision, using linguistic arguments.