This page describes the requirements and other details for the Spring 2006 offering of Linguistics 001: Introduction to Linguistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Specific questions should be directed to Prof. Gene Buckley. See also other courses in linguistics. (Note that the organization of this course is somewhat different from the Fall 2005 offering.)

The other basic pages for Ling 001 are the course schedule, which includes links to the online lecture notes and the homework assignments, and the readings, with links to required materials beyond the textbook.

Ling 001 is a general introduction to the scientific study of language structure, history, and use. Topics include notions of "grammar"; written versus spoken (and signed) language; the structure of sounds, words, sentences, and meanings; language in culture and society; language change over time; language acquisition and processing; and comparison with non-human communication systems. It is appropriate for any Penn undergraduate interested in language or its use.

The course has no prerequisites, and satisfies the General Requirement in Living World (Sector V). Although accessible to a general audience, Ling 001 is also recommended as an introduction for students considering a major or minor in linguistics.

Office Hours and Contact Information
Prof. Gene Buckley	606 Williams Hall	Monday 2–3	gene@ling.upenn.edu
T.A. Łukasz Abramowicz	401–402 Williams Hall	Tuesday 9–11	lukasza@ling.upenn.edu
T.A. Michael Friesner	401–402 Williams Hall	Monday 3–5	friesner@ling.upenn.edu
T.A. Jonathan Gress-Wright	401–402 Williams Hall	Tuesday 2–4	jgress@ling.upenn.edu

Readings

There is one required textbook, available at the Penn Book Center (at the corner of 34th and Sansom Streets). The book is on reserve at Rosengarten, call number P106.P476.

Steven Pinker (1994) The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, William Morrow.

There are also required online readings, available in various forms on the web. Check the readings page every week for updates.

You are expected to do the assigned readings and regularly attend lectures and recitations, since these are necessary for you to understand the material tested by written work. Graded assignments fall into the three categories below. While attendance and participation are not a formal part of the grade, regular attendance in lecture and in recitation sections (especially with an active role in discussions) may affect whether your final grade is rounded up to the next higher level in borderline cases.

Homework

There will be frequent homework assignments (posted most Wednesdays, due the following Wednesday in class); they give practice in applying the principles studied in class and in analyzing particular linguistic phenomena. The assignments will only be available on the web, from the links on the course schedule; but they must be submitted in paper form. They are graded on a scale of 0–10. When possible, the corrected assignments will be returned a day or two later in the recitation section.

There will not be any extra-credit assignments; instead, your lowest homework grade will automatically be dropped at the end of the semester, and will not figure in the calculation of your final grade. If you skip any homework, that grade of zero will be dropped. Rules for homework submission:

1. Your assignment is due at the beginning of class on Wednesday, 12 noon. It's your job to leave enough time to deal with any printing or other technical glitches that may arise.
2. Assignments that are submitted after the end of class will be penalized 1 point. Assignments that arrive after midnight on Wednesday will be penalized 2 points. No late assignments will be accepted after 12 noon on Thursday, because that is when the answers will generally be posted.
3. Always include your recitation section number (201-206) on your assignment so that we can quickly distribute the homeworks to the appropriate TA. Assignments without a section number may be penalized 1 point.
4. You are permitted to work on the homeworks with other students in the class, but the names of collaborators and their recitation sections must be included at the top of each assignment. The assignments must be written up independently, and any questions requiring novel examples, etc., must be distinct in each assignment.
5. Email submissions are not accepted unless you have prior permission due to illness, school-related travel, or other extenuating circumstances. Make arrangements through your TA, and (upon approval) email the assignment directly to him.
6. Make-up assignments will be provided only for students with proof of a medical or personal emergency.

Midterm

An in-class midterm exam on Monday, February 27th, will test knowledge of basic facts and concepts covered in the first half of the course (weeks 1–7). It will take the form of true-false, multiple-choice, matching, and fill-in questions. See the study guide for topics to be covered and sample questions.

Final

A cumulative final exam will cover material from the entire course, with more emphasis on the second half (since it is not included on the midterm). It is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2, 12–2 pm.

Grading

The final grade for the course will be determined as follows.

Interim grades will be circulated by email at various points in the semester.