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Linguistics 101

This document provides information about Linguistics 101, an introductory linguistics course taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11 am in Emerson 307. It lists the instructor, Dr. Nina Radkevich, and two teaching fellows. The course will introduce students to the main fields of linguistics research and develop skills in linguistic analysis. Assessment will include homework assignments, a midterm exam, final exam, and class participation. Readings will come from the listed textbooks and topics will range from phonetics to semantics over the course of the semester.

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Kaguya Daitan
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46 views

Linguistics 101

This document provides information about Linguistics 101, an introductory linguistics course taught on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10-11 am in Emerson 307. It lists the instructor, Dr. Nina Radkevich, and two teaching fellows. The course will introduce students to the main fields of linguistics research and develop skills in linguistic analysis. Assessment will include homework assignments, a midterm exam, final exam, and class participation. Readings will come from the listed textbooks and topics will range from phonetics to semantics over the course of the semester.

Uploaded by

Kaguya Daitan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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LINGUISTICS 101:

THE SCIENCE OF LANGUAGE


M, W 10-11 a.m., Emerson 307

Instructor: Dr. Nina Radkevich


Office: Boylston 306
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: 495-2549
Office hours: Tuesday 2-3 p.m. or by appointment

Teaching Fellow: Sun-Hee Bae


Office: Boylston Hall
e-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: Thursday, time TBA

Teaching Fellow: Louis Liu


Office: Boylston Hall
e-mail: [email protected]
Office hours: Tuesday 1-2 p.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is an introduction to linguistic theory. The goal of this course is at least two-
fold: first, to introduce students to main areas/fields of linguistics research; second, to
develop skills of linguistic analysis of data from English and other world languages. The
course discusses methods, findings and theory of linguistic research on the sound system
and the structures of human language, the relationship between structure and meaning,
linguistic universals and first language acquisition. The course builds a foundation for the
next level courses offered in the department.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

• Readings
• Homeworks (see below) (20%)
• 1 Mid-term exam (30 %)
• Final exam (40 %)
• Class participation (10%)

HOMEWORK POLICY

The primary function of your homework assignments is in the teaching/learning area.


You will learn the subject matter much better if you do the homework assignments. You
probably cannot learn what is required in the course without doing the homework. The
secondary function of homework is my assessment of your learning.
You may discuss your homework with a student in this course. In fact, a study group can
be a good supplementary learning mechanism, and it is encouraged. HOWEVER: You
may NOT simply copy another student’s answers, nor may a group turn in one common
set of answers (whether or not they are written on multiple pages with different names on
the top). The first defeats the learning purpose; the second defeats the assessment
purpose.

Homeworks are due in class on Wednesdays. Late homeworks received any time after
the end of class (11 a.m.) on the Wednesday on which they are due and before the
beginning of class (10 a.m.) on the following Monday will be accepted and scored with a
deduction of 20% for lateness. Late homeworks received any time after the beginning of
the Monday class following their due date will not be accepted anymore.

PARTICIPATION

A vital aspect of this course is your participation as it is a direct indicator of the teach-
ing/learning aspect. The following will score you participation points:

• Asking questions in class


• Asking questions by e-mail (feel free to e-mail me with any questions/concerns)
• Answering questions in class
• Raising issues beyond the material discussed in class

READINGS

PRIMARY READINGS

O’Grady, William et al. (2009). Contemporary Linguistics. Boston: Bedford/ St.Martins.

OPTIONAL READINGS:

Akmajian, Adrian et al. (2010). Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and


Communication. Cambridge: MIT Press.
Fromkin, Victoria et al. (2010). Linguistics: An Introduction to Linguistic Theory.
Blackwell Publishing.
Language Files. 10th Edition. Ohio State University Press

Date Topic Readings Homework


01/23 The science of Linguistics O’Grady : Ch.1 HW1 available
01/25 Linguistic Knowledge (p.1-11)
Linguistic Competence Akmajian: Ch.1
(p.5-11)
01/30 Phonetics O’Grady: Ch.2 HW1 due
02/02 Physiology of Sounds (p.15-34; 38-40) HW2 available
Types of sounds Fromkin: p.483-512
Transcription (IPA)
Consonant Articulation
02/06 Vowel Articulation O’Grady: Ch.2 HW2 due
02/08 “Exotic” sound systems (p.34-37) HW3 available
02/13 Grammar of sounds O’Grady: p.59-81; HW3 due
02/15 Phonemes and Allophones 87-97 HW4 available
Natural Classes Fromkin: 543-548
02/20 Presidents Day O’Grady: 97-103 HW4 due
02/22 Features Fromkin: 566-571 HW5 available
Derivations and Rules
02/27 Midterm Review HW5 due
02/29 MIDTERM
03/05 Midterm Discussion TBA HW6 available
03/07 Morphology O’Grady: 115-131
Word Structure Analysis Akmajian: p. 18-44
Hierarchy in Morphology Fromkin: 54-57, 67-
69
03/12 SPRING BREAK
03/14 SPRING BREAK
03/19 Derivation vs. Inflection O’Grady: p.131-144 HW6 due
03/21 Word Formation in Fromkin: 35-39; 75- HW7 available
English 83
Exotic Word Formation
03/26 Structure of Sentences O’Grady: 155-168; HW7 due
03/28 Parts of Speech 194-195 HW8 available
Syntactic Constituents Akmajian:170-186;
Phrase Structure Rules 194-198
04/02 Syntactic Trees O’Grady: 168-190 HW8 due
04/04 Syntactic Parameters Akmajian: 198-204 HW9 available
Transformations

04/09 Semantics O’Grady: 203-220 HW9 due


04/11 Language Files:
04/16 Semantics O’Grady: 351-385 HW10 available
04/18 Language Acquisition Akmajian: 481-519
04/23 Languages of the World TBA HW10 due
04/25
05/01 Final Exam Review

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