Note: This course is doubly listed as Lin. 150 and Ant. 150, but is the same class, given in both the fall and spring semesters. It satisfies the WFU “CD” (cultural diversity) requirement, and, under the Ant. 150 designation, it simultaneously counts as a Division IV (Social Science) requirement.

Course goals

1. to survey the many forms of language and explore the basis for its underlying unity.
2. to learn how to describe usage, pinpoint differences, and discover patterns and rules in data.
3. to apply the concepts of modern linguistics to social, cultural, and educational issues involving language.

Prerequisites

None in particular. A knowledge of other languages is always helpful for for sharing observations and comparing different languages, but no particular languages other than English are presupposed.

Textbooks

1. O'Grady et al.: Contemporary Linguistics: an Introduction. 5th edition ( St. Martin's Press).
2. Lin. 150 Supplement. (a course supplement containing additional readings, class notes and examples, exercises, and reference materials; costs are solely for photocopying and binding.

Always bring both books with you for reference and classwork.

Course Plan

The material is organized into three parts, each followed by an exam. The following course plan shows what to cover before each class session as preparation for what we'll be doing. (Dates have been removed in this version and replaced by session number; see current semester's syllabus distributed in class.)

Part I: the nature of language; its sounds ,words, and other building blocks.
1.: introduction to the course: linguistics as the science of language
2: Ch. 1: preview: language as a special kind of knowledge
3: Ch. 2 (§1-5), phonetics: the articulation of sound; English consonants
4: Ch. 2 (§6-7), phonetics: English vowels and glides
5: Ch. 2 (§8-9), phonetics: suprasegmentals (stress, pitch) and phonetic processes
6: Ch. 2 (§10, and website work), phonetics: other vowels and consonants; more on coarticulation
7: Ch. 3 (§1-3), phonology: phonemes, allophones, and phonological analysis
8: Ch. 3 (§4-5), phonology: syllable structure & phonotactics; features.
9: Ch. 3 (§6), phonology: processes and rules of pronunciation
10: Ch. 3 (§ 7), phonology: review of theory; autosegmental representations
11: Ch. 4 (§1-4), morphology: morphemes and word formation
12: Ch. 4 (§5-6), morphology: inflection

Part II: sentence structure and meaning, and language change
13: Ch. 5 (§1-2): introduction to syntax: word categories and rules for sentences
14: FIRST EXAM (on Part I of the course)
15: Ch. 5 (§3), syntax: deep and surface structure; transformations like "Move"
16: Ch. 5 (§4-5) syntax: more on transformations; parameters for variation in syntax
17: Ch. 5 (§6), syntax: other constructions
18: Ch. 6 (§1-2), semantics: word meaning
19: Ch. 6 (§3-4), semantics: sentence meaning; pragmatics: meaning in context
20: Special supplement reading: conclusion of pragmatics; introduction to linguistic fieldwork.
21: Ch. 9: Amerindian (indigenous American) languages
22: discussion: language, culture, and thought.
23: Ch. 7 (§1-3), language change: sounds and morphology; how change spreads.
24: Ch. 7 (§4-5), language change: syntax and vocabulary
25: Ch. 7 (§6), language change: how we reconstruct prehistoric languages
26: Ch. 8. language classification, and a world tour of languages.

Part III: different kinds of "language" — how they're used and learned.
27: Ch. 10 and Supplement reading: language without sound: paralanguage and deaf signlanguage
28: SECOND EXAM (on Part II of the course)
29: Ch. 11: (§1-4): acquisition of language: phonology, morphology, vocabulary
30: Ch. 11: (§5-6): acquisition of language: syntax; the debate on how children learn language.
31: Ch. 12: second language acquisition: how well do adults learn a second language?
32: Ch. 13: psycholinguistics: how we process language.
33: Ch. 14: neurolinguistics: language in the brain.
34: Ch. 15 (§1), sociolinguistics: language and situation: factors in variation —social class, sex, occupation....
35: Ch. 15 (§2), sociolinguistics: regional variation and dialects
36: Ch. 15 (§2 again ), sociolinguistics: language standards, language attitudes, language conflict
37: Ch. 16: writing and its history.
38: Ch. 17: animal communication: do animals have language? can they learn language?
39: Ch. 18: language and computers; intro. to language origin
40: special topic (and course wrap-up): language origin, and what language shows about us as a species.

final exam period: THIRD EXAM

Learning Opportunities

1. Lab practice: A recording of special listening exercises has been made for the Phonetics/Phonology segment of the course (Ch.2-3), with an accompanying script to follow along with (found in the back of your Supplement). This audio practice is essential. On your computer, go to the Language Resource Center site:

http://lrc.wfu.edu

and click on Lin 150 under “Electronic Classes.” It’s best to do it in portions corresponding to each group of sounds we take up in class.

2. Website practice: As explained in the book’s preface, this edition comes with a more robust company website at:

http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/linguistics/

As part of your reading for each chapter, you should check out its links and additional information there.

3. Homework and classwork: A vital part of the daily work for this course is thorough preparation of the assigned reading in the book(s) as well as review of recent material. During class, the instructor builds on what you’ve already read about, helps you apply it, and presupposes it in discussion. In addition, there will be several exercises, some to prepare for class discussion and others for turning in; these will help you develop analytical skills tested on the exams.

4. Outside reading: Linguistics is a huge field, with a lot of works publshed on each of its topics. The professor and textbook writers mention some appropriate references you might want to follow up on if the topic interests you; and you’ll eventually need to start some research for the term paper (explained below). Go to the library’s website,

http://www.wfu.edu/Library/

Then click on “Library Catalog” or, to search for works on a topic through the MLA (Modern Language Association) Bibliography, click on “Electronic Databases.” In addition, you may start exploring languages and linguistics on the Web; I have a sampling of websites attached to my webpage,

http://www.wfu.edu/~whitley

5. Fellow students: Talking about the material is a great way to learn it as you explain and defend your views with other students. (But note that collaboration is not allowed on any written work turned in.) Also, note the "For the Student Linguist" sections at the end of some chapters of the textbook for the insights of previous students of the material.

6. Your prof: Whether you need help with something or have an interesting idea you'd like to discuss, feel free to drop into my office to chat, except right before class (when I tend to be a bit hyper getting everything ready).

Tests

There are three exams as scheduled on the syllabus, and you will receive a study guide outlining each one with sample questions. You have the full period (55 min. on the first 2 exams, three hours on the last one) for each test, but then time is called. If you must miss an exam, a makeup is available if (1) you directly notify me, with a valid excuse, before exam time, and (2) make up the missed exam as soon as you can return to class. In addition, each session starts with a daily evaluation, a brief (about 2 minutes) comprehension check of about 4 questions to check your progress and prepare you for exams. It covers major points in recent material and especially the new material assigned for the day. The grade is simply the number right, plus one point for attendance throughout the period. (Thus, if you get 3 right out of 4 and are present for whole session, the grade is 4.) There are no make-ups for these since the purpose is to gauge your understanding at that point of basic notions to be expanded on in class. (But, with so many of them, missing one or two is a drop in the bucket, does no real harm, and is easily compensated for by extra effort and higher scores on subsequent daily evaluations.) At the end of the course, your daily evaluation point total (e.g., “3+5+2+Ø+4...”) is converted to a grade relative to the overall class norm.

Course Grade

60% the 3 exams (20% each)

20% daily evaluations (10%) and exercises and homework (10%)

20% term paper project

Scale: 93–100=A, 90–92 = A-, 88–89=B+, 83–87=B, 80–82=B-, 78–79=C+, 73–77=C, 70–72=C-, 68–69=D+, 63–67=D, 60–62=D-, <60=F. We adhere to WFU’s grade definitions in the Bulletin: A=exceptionally high achievement; A-, B+, B = superior; B-, C+, C = satisfactory; C-, D, D+ = passing but unsatisfactory; F = failure; I = incomplete (available only under the terms outlined by the WFU Bulletin).

The midterm grade is advisory only, and is based on your major work up to that point.

Term Paper Project

To apply the material to an area of your own interest, you will write a term paper of about 7-10 pp. (word-processed, double-spaced, standard margins), due on the day of the final exam. Don't rush to start it now; linguistics is likely to be a new subject for you and the course will survey a lot of interesting issues that will inspire you later. The paper should be one of the following types (although other proposals are possible; check with me):

1. A contrastive analysis of English and some other language you know something about. A contrastive analysis describes a given subsystem of two languages and, using data, analyzes similarities and differences, often with projections or explanations of the problems that students of one will have in learning the other.

Examples of areas for contrastive analysis:

•the vowel or consonant systems of the two languages;

•their stress and/or pitch (intonation) patterns;

•the inflectional system of their verbs (or nouns, or...)

•a set of related structures in their syntax, such as question formation or sentence structure;

•a portion (“semantic field”) of their vocabulary systems and differences of meaning.

This kind of project often attracts language students and future teachers, and it requires access to data from the language(s) — books or articles and from your own knowledge of the two (or use of an informant).

2. A study of an idea or issue. After researching (articles, books) a subject or question concerning language, you summarize what you have learned in a kind of critical review. The textbook lists promising works at the end of each chapter ("For Recommended Reading"), and the bibliography in any such book or article leads to other relevant readings. A great deal has been written on language in books and journals, and the master source is the MLA Bibliography (see above instructions on how to access it). The WFU library has some works on linguistics, but there are gaps in its holdings, so one limiting factor is what you can get sufficient sources for.

Examples of topics:

•a question/issue in language and society (or culture, or education, or computer technology....)

•the history of a certain idea — different viewpoints, controversies, growth of consensus

•a kind of biography of an important figure in language and his/her views on linguistic issues.

For either type of paper (a language analysis, or a study of an idea), note the following points:

• Most of your sources should come from books/articles (which are professionally refereed), not web postings (which are not);
• It’s up to you to do the preliminary “legwork” – searching, reading, expanding your contact with linguistics, thinking about topics that interest you, and pursuing them further – this investigation on your own is part of the project, and the course.
• After you have a tentative idea from your outside readings, come by to tell me about it so that we can make sure it's a manageable topic.

NOTE: For special information on writing papers about language, see “Writing Papers” at my website (link at end of this electronic syllabus). And at the same site, for typing foreign characters and phonetic symbols in homework or papers, click on Foreign symbols: typing them on your computer. If you’re unfamiliar with how to install a font, bring your computer to me during office hours and I’ll guide you through it.

Miscellaneous advice and policies

1. Never hesitate to bring your questions, problems, and ideas to me. One-on-one talks give us a chance to discuss points that interest you in particular when there wasn't enough time in class.

2. “Practice makes perfect,” “use it or lose it”: the more you practice material and apply it, the better you learn it. Note the reference materials available: the glossary (terms and definitions) in the back of the book, its charts and tables as well as those in the Supplement.

3. We abide by the WFU Honor System in this course; academic dishonesty is not tolerated, and will be handled according to the policies in the catalog and student handbook. Note that any work submitted in this course for a grade (including turn-in homework) must be your own individual effort.

4. We all have our bad days. When obligations pile up, some students wonder whether to come to class since they may be late, blow the daily evaluation, and ruin their image as a model Wake Student. But come anyway. In a survey course like this one, each session goes through a whole subject area or even chapter. If you miss class, you do not miss a lectured recapitulation of the book, but sounds that are modeled and practiced, techniques that are demonstrated, audiovisual examples of important concepts, discussions of issues, etc. — none of which may appear in notes borrowed from a friend. Coming late or unprepared is always better than completely missing out on what we do in class.

  6. I’m glad to answer simple, brief questions by email (e.g., “What’s the homework?”); but for more complicated questions requiring interaction and discussion (e.g., “How can I find out more about language acquisition?”, or “I don’t understand this chapter.” or “How can I improve my daily evaluations?”), please come and see me in my office or after class.

7. In Greene Hall classrooms, there’s no smoking, eating, drinking, gum-chewing, spitting, barfing, or anything else that can mess up the nice carpets and furniture. Also, make sure you turn off all your electronic sound-making devices (beepers, cell phones, iPods, radios, alarms, air horns, etc.) before entering class.

8. If you have a documented disability or condition that can affect your performance in this course, especially on timed exams, please see me as soon as possible about any special accommodations that are needed.

9. I use computer projection in class to illustrate the material. If you likewise wish to use your laptop to take notes, that’s OK (but note preceding comment about turning off sound). But I cannot release my PowerPoints; they contain copyrighted material that “educational fair use” allows as a teaching aid but not for public distribution. (And besides, the crucial diagrams and examples are found in the textbook or supplement anyway.)

For more on linguistics

The WFU minor in linguistics is a valuable addition to majors in English and foreign languages, anthropology and other social sciences, and similar areas. The interdisciplinary faculty committee on linguistics hopes to offer more courses on specific areas depending on student interest. See me or our website, http://www.wfu.edu/academics/linguistics/ for more information on courses, and also on further study and career options in language and linguistics.

RETURN TO LINGUISTICS PAGE

RETURN TO WHITLEY WEBPAGE

HOMEWORK FALL 2009

Dates are the day the work was assigned, normally due during the next class session, with a grace period until 5:00pm that day.

Sept.2: Suppl. p. 8-9: exercises I-A,B,C for turning in; prepare exercises III-IV for class. (Also recommended for vowel practice: p. 12-13 "Practice with reading..." )

Sept.4: Suppl. p. 13: exercises B-C

Sept. 7: Suppl. p. 16: prepare both exercises for in-class checking

Sept. 9: Suppl. p. 20: prepare exercises 1 and 2 for in-classs checking.

Sept. 14: book p. 101-102: problems 1, 2, 3 for turning in

Sept. 18: prepare Suppl. p. 26-27 (exercises 1, 2, 3) for class discussion

Sept. 21: book p. 142: problems 2, 3 for turning in

Sept. 28: Suppl. p. 32-33: exercise for class discussion (on board)

Sept. 30: Suppl. p. 35:exercise for class discussion (on board)

Oct. 12: book p. 238-241: 9, 14, 16, 17

Oct. 21: book p. 284-6: prepare 1, 2 for discussion, 3, 4 for turning in

Nov. 18: Suppl. p. 88-89: choose any two of the 5, and use different colors for the isoglosses (labeled)