Sie sind auf Seite 1von 6

LINGUISTICS 1150: Introduction to Language and Linguistics

[lwstks lv n ffti: ntdk n tu lwd nd lwstks]

Spring 2015

Time:
Tuesday, Friday 9:50-11:30am (Section 04)
Location:
03 Snell Library
Instructor: Adam I. Cooper
Office:
547 Nightingale Hall
Email:
a.cooper@neu.edu (the best way to reach me)
Phone:
x 3175
Office Hours: Tuesdays 11:45-12:45pm, 3:30-4:30pm; Wednesdays 1:45-2:45pm; and by appointment

Textbook (Required)
Mihalicek, Vedrana, and Christin Wilson, eds. 2011. Language Files: Materials for an Introduction
to Language and Linguistics. 11th edition. Columbus, OH: The Ohio State University Press.

Course Site
On Blackboard. Here you will find class slides, practice exercises, helpful and/or interesting links,
supplemental readings, and the like. I encourage you to check it regularly.

Course Description
Linguistics is, simply put, the study of human language. In this course we will explore a variety of
questions which linguists seek to address, perhaps the most basic of which is What do we know when
we know a language? We will establish a working definition of language distinct from other forms
of communication, human and animal and introduce the core modules of grammar, which govern
the ways in which we pair form and meaning to produce and interpret meaningful utterances. We will
also examine related issues such as how speakers learn language and how language can change across
time and space.

Course Goals and Objectives

Gain an understanding of the scope of linguistic study.

Gain a survey understanding of the core subfields of language study (phonetics, phonology,
morphology, syntax, semantics and pragmatics) as well as the areas of language acquisition,
psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, and historical linguistics.

Gain experience in analyzing linguistic data from a wide array of languages.

Develop linguistic problem-solving skills.

Linguistics 1150

Spring 2015

Course Requirements, Grading Breakdown, and Grading Standards

Careful reading of the assigned sections in the textbook

7 Homework assignments

30%

1 Midterm examination

25%

1 Final examination

25%

Regular attendance and active participation in class

20%
100%

If you submit all homework assignments on time, your final grade will be based on your six
highest scores (i.e. your lowest homework score will be dropped).
In addition, all students are expected to participate in the TRACE (Teacher Rating and Course
Evaluation) survey at the end of the term.
This course will adhere to the following grading standards. While there is no curve, I do pay attention
to demonstrations of improvement over the course of the semester.
Letter
Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C-

Percentage

Status

93 100%
90 92.9%
87 89.9%
83 86.9%
80 82.9%
77 79.9%
73 76.9%
70 72.9%

Outstanding
Achievement
Good
Achievement

Letter
Grade
D+
D
DF

Percentage
67 69.9%
63 66.9%
60 62.9%
0 59.9%

Status
Poor
Achievement
Failure

Satisfactory
Achievement

Readings
Careful reading of the textbook gives you a valuable opportunity to reinforce the concepts that will
prove critical in this course. So its very important to keep up with the readings as the course
proceeds, even though, as you will find, they sometimes overlap with the material covered in lecture.
Indeed, while Im always happy to address any questions you might have about the material, careful
reading of the textbook can often obviate the need to meet; as such, Id ask that you make sure youve
read the relevant chapter prior to contacting me.
See the schedule on the final page for reading assignment due dates. Readings from the textbook
should ideally be completed before the relevant class meeting. (If you have the time, its not a bad
idea to review them afterwards too!)

Linguistics 1150

Spring 2015

Homework Assignments (30%)

Overview. Homework assignments benefit both of us: they provide you with an opportunity for
further practice honing the skills youll be expected to develop as we advance through the course,
and they provide me with an opportunity to evaluate how this is proceeding.
There will be 7 homework assignments in this course, with a frequency of roughly every week
and a half, and consisting of exercises from the textbook. (See the schedule for specific exercises
and due dates.) I will aim to return assignments within a week.
Each homework assignment will have additional guidelines you will be expected to follow
beyond the instructions given in the textbook. I will distribute these at least one week (two
classes) before the due date. Always make sure that exercises have been completed fully this
means both paying attention to any and all instructions, and looking on the next page of the
textbook to check if exercises continue or not!

Policies. Assignments should be submitted by the end of class on the stated due date. Late
assignments will be accepted without penalty only in cases of genuinely extenuating
circumstances (as determined by me). Please notify me as soon as you think such
circumstances have presented themselves, certainly before any relevant due date. I reserve the
right to impose a 10% per day penalty on assignments turned in after the due date, for which no
such accommodations have been made. That being said, turning in an assignment late is almost
always better than not turning it in at all: if you dont turn in an assignment, this means that
a score of 0% will be factored into your overall homework average.
You may work together with your fellow classmates on homework assignments, provided you do
so in groups no larger than four, and that you each turn in your own write-up of the
assignment, written in your own words (multiple copies of the same write-up will not be
accepted). If you do work in a group, please make sure to write the names of your group-mate(s)
on the top of the first page of your submission.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with the More on Homework Assignments handout, which has
guidelines for formatting your submissions and tips for homework success.

Examinations (25% + 25% = 50%)


This course has midterm and final examinations. Both will be closed-book and closed-note.

The midterm is currently scheduled for Friday, March 6 (in class). This date may be pushed
back, subject to our progress I will confirm no later than the end of the sixth week of
classes (i.e. by February 20).

The final will take place during the examination period (April 24-May 1); the exact date, time,
and location will be announced as soon as they have been made available. Any conflict with the
final exam date should be registered as soon as possible.
The final exam will be cumulative, but with an emphasis on material covered after the midterm
(i.e., from Language Acquisition onwards). You will be expected to maintain a firm grasp of
the material introduced before the midterm this will be a necessity in successfully
approaching the material covered after it!
3

Linguistics 1150

Spring 2015

Regular Attendance and Active Participation in Class (20%)


Class attendance is required and will be recorded regularly by sign-in sheet. Active participation
means asking questions, answering questions, venturing solutions, and the like; in other words you
should come to class prepared to contribute your perspectives and opinions and be open to engaging
in hands-on learning. In short, you should strive to remain engaged in the classroom
conversation.
In-class use of non-essential electronic devices (including cell phones) is not permitted. Texting,
emailing, tweeting, web-surfing, gaming, writing papers, etc. during class time will have a negative
outcome on your final grade.
It will not be unusual for material presented in class to complement and/or supplement the material
found in the textbook, so it will be important to take notes during lecture. It will also help to bring the
required textbook to class, as we may refer to it for relevant data and/or exercises.
Additionally, a significant component of this course will involve hands-on practice with data analysis
and problem solving. You may be asked to examine a set of data ahead of time, for collaborative inclass discussion.
Lastly, participation may also involve brief in-class quizzes (5-10 minutes in length) that review the
previous classs main points. Quizzes will be scored on a three point scale: -, , + and are chiefly
intended as motivation to regularly process new material, by giving you a sense of how well youre
doing so.
Policies on missing class:

If you know you will be missing class for a legitimate reason, please inform me as soon as
possible, preferably before the relevant class. Legitimate absences will not incur penalties for
missed quizzes.

If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to bring yourself up to speed on what you
missed. I will be happy to meet with you to explain what you dont understand, but I will not
repeat a lecture.

Academic Integrity
All students are expected to fully abide by the Northeastern University Academic Integrity Policy in
every aspect of their engagement in the course. Cheating, fabrication, and/or plagiarism will not be
tolerated: suspected cases of academic dishonesty will be immediately referred to the Office of
Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution (OSCCR) and a grade of zero will be given to any
assignment involving full or partial fabrication and/or plagiarism.
For more information on Northeasterns Academic Integrity Policy, please visit
http://www.northeastern.edu/osccr/academic-integrity-policy/.
For more information on what constitutes plagiarism, please visit
http://www.lib.neu.edu/online_research/help/avoiding_plagiarism/.
You are also welcome to see me if you have any questions.
4

Linguistics 1150

Spring 2015

Where to Find Help

Instructor. I am always happy to help answer questions, and provide extra assistance. Drop by
anytime during my office hours, or make an appointment, if those arent convenient. Im also
happy to answer questions via e-mail (be sure to allow for a day or two, as I may not be able to
respond immediately).

Study groups. Many students find that discussing their work with their fellow classmates helps
them to understand the material more fully. Small study groups of two to four people are ideal, as
they allow for everyone to contribute their ideas and questions to the discussion.

Peer Tutors. Peer tutors are students (usually linguistics majors) who have excelled in the course
in the past, and have been recommended by Linguistics professors for their ability to explain the
material to others. These tutors are paid for their time by the college, so their services are free to
you. Youll need to sign up through the CSAS Tutoring Program at 101 Lake Hall (617-3738931; http://www.northeastern.edu/csastutoring/). Please note that it usually takes a week or so to
be assigned a tutor and work out a schedule, so plan ahead.

Online Help. The slides, worksheets, and datasets from class are posted regularly to Blackboard;
these will be especially useful if you missed something in class. Practice exercises (and keys) are
also regularly posted, and provide a valuable opportunity to hone your analyzing skills.

Extra Credit
Opportunities for extra credit will be available occasionally throughout the course, usually as part of a
homework assignment. These opportunities must be taken when they are offered, and turned in on
time. Additionally, extra credit can be obtained in the following ways:

If you are the first to identify (by email) a typo or mistake in any materials Ive prepared and
posted to the Blackboard course site (an incentive to check it regularly!).

If you attend the end-of-semester Linguistics Student Research Session, tentatively scheduled
for Wednesday, April 22 (the last day of classes), and report on your experience. This forum,
hosted by the Linguistics Program, will showcase student projects from a number of Linguistics
courses this term so its a great opportunity to see active linguistic research at Northeastern!
Details to come as the date approaches.

Preliminary Schedule
The schedule on the following page should give you an approximate idea of how we will proceed
over the course of the semester. Note that it is not set in stone. Rather, its subject to change based
on our progress moving through the material. I will provide updates as needed, in a timely manner.

Linguistics 1150
Week
1
2

Day

Introduction

F. Jan. 16

What is Language?

Tu. Jan. 20
F. Jan. 23

Reading Due

Ch. 2

Phonetics

F. Feb. 13

HW 1: Ch. 2, ex. 6, 7, 8, 13,


14, 15, 18u.-nn., 19k.-dd., 20

Ch. 4

HW 2: Ch. 3, ex. 6, 12, 15,


16, 17, 28, 37; 40 (E.C.)

Ch. 5

HW 3: Ch. 4, ex. 2, 4a.-d.,


5e.-h., 11, 24k.-p., 36, 43

HW 4: Ch. 5, ex. 16, 18a.-g., 20,


29b., f., l., m., 32, 36b.

Morphology

Tu. Feb. 17
F. Feb. 20

Ch. 3
Phonology

F. Feb. 06
Tu. Feb. 10

Homework Assignment Due

Ch. 1

Tu. Jan. 27

Tu. Feb. 03

Topic

Tu. Jan. 13

F. Jan. 30
4

Spring 2015

Syntax

Tu. Feb. 24
7

8
9
10
11

12

F. Feb. 27

Semantics

Ch. 6

Tu. Mar. 03

Pragmatics; Review

Ch. 7

F. Mar. 06

Midterm examination

Tu. Mar. 10
F. Mar. 13
Tu. Mar. 17
F. Mar. 20
Tu. Mar. 24
F. Mar. 27
Tu. Mar. 31

Spring Break (no class)


Language
Acquisition

Ch. 8

Language and the


Brain

Ch. 9

Ch. 10

Sociolinguistics

HW 5: Ch. 8, ex. 9, 10, 12, 14;


Ch. 9, ex. 6, 9b.-g., 20h.-o., 21

F. Apr. 03
Tu. Apr. 07
13

14
15

F. Apr. 10
Tu. Apr. 14

Language Contact

Ch. 12
Ch. 13

Historical
Linguistics

HW 6: Ch. 10, ex. 15, 16, 17;


Ch. 12, ex. 18, 19, 23

F. Apr. 17
Tu. Apr. 21

HW 7: Ch. 13, ex. 1, 7,


15, 17, 37, 38

Review

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen