LING001 Introduction to Linguistics Fall 2008

Instructors: Julie Anne Legate jlegate@ling.upenn.edu 610 Williams Hall Office Hour: Wednesday, 1:30-2:30pm Lecture: Mon/Wed 12-1,  ANNS 110 Webpage: http://www.ling.upenn.edu/courses/ling001/

TAs and recitations: Stefanie Brody: brodysg@ling.upenn.edu Office Hours: Monday 10-12pm 402 Williams Hall Bob Lannon: lannon@ling.upenn.edu Office Hours: TBA Williams Hall Yanyan Sui: yanyans@ling.upenn.edu Office Hours: TBA 401 Williams Hall NUM     DAY TIME       ROOM        TA 201 REC F 11-12NOON    WILL 3     Stefanie  202 REC F 12-1PM       WILL 3     Stefanie  203 REC F 12-1PM       EDUC 008   Bob      204 REC R 3-4PM        TOWN 319   Bob   205 REC R 3-4PM        BENN 138   Yanyan    206 REC R 4:30-5:30PM  TOWN 305   Yanyan

Announcements:

General course information

Schedule

Week 1: Introduction
Sept 3	Introductory Notions. The scientific study of language. slides
Week 2: The notion of grammar, Sound
Sept 8 Sept 10	Grammar. Descriptive vs. prescriptive. Phonetics: The sounds of language.
READING: Chapter 1, Chapter 2 (for weeks 1 and 2)  HOMEWORK ONE: Due Sept 17
Week 3: Structure of Sounds
Sept 15 Sept 17	Phonology: The structure of sounds. Phonology: The structure of sounds.
READING: Chapter 3 HOMEWORK TWO: Due Sept 24
Week 4: Structure of words
Sept 22 Sept 24	Morphology: The structure of words. Morphology: The structure of words.
READING: Chapter 4 HOMEWORK THREE: Due Oct 1
Week 5: Structure of sentences
Sept 29 Oct 1	Syntax: The structure of sentences. Syntax: The structure of sentences.
READING: Chapter 5 HOMEWORK FOUR: Due Oct 8
Week 6: Structure of sentences and Meaning
Oct 6 Oct 8	Syntax: The structure of sentences. Semantics: Meaning of language.
READING: Chapter 6 HOMEWORK FIVE: Due Oct 15
Week 7: Meaning
Oct 13 Oct 15	NO CLASS -- FALL BREAK Semantics: Meaning of language.
READING: HOMEWORK: STUDY FOR QUIZ
Week 8: Pragmatics - Toward the 2nd half
Oct 20 Oct 22	Midterm. Pragmatics: Language in context.
READING: Week 9: Language Typology
Oct 27 Oct 29	Language typology Language typology
READING: HOMEWORK SIX: Due Nov 5
Week 10: Language Variation and History
Nov 3 Nov 5	Language in History Language in Society
READING: HOMEWORK SEVEN: Due Nov 12
Week 11: Language Learning
Nov 10 Nov 12	Language as an Instinct Language Acquisition I: Learning to listen
READING: HOMEWORK EIGHT: Due Nov 19
Week 12: Language Learning
Nov 17 Nov 19	Language Acquisition II: Learning to speak Language Acquisition III: Words and Grammar
READING: HOMEWORK NINE: Due Nov 26
Week 13: Language and Non-Humans
Nov 24 Nov 26	Animal Communication Animal Communication
READING: HOMEWORK TEN: Due Dec 3
Week 14: Brains and Computers
Dec 1 Dec 3	Language and the Brain Language and Computers
READING:

General information

Description:	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; 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 Natural Sciences and Mathematics (Sector VII). Although accessible to a general audience, Ling 001 is also recommended as an introduction for students considering a major or minor in linguistics.
Readings:	The textbook is: Contemporary Linguistics, by O'Grady, Archibald, Aronoff, and Rees-Miller, 5th edition. We will also read excerpts from other sources, in particular, The Infinite Gift, by Charles Yang. Excerpts will be made available later in the semester; the book itself is fun but optional.
Requirements:	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. There are three kinds of assignments that will be graded: Homework: There will be frequent homework assignments (distributed most Wednesdays, due the following Wednesday in class); they give practice in applying the principles studied in class and in analyzing particular linguistic phenomena. Normally the materials will only be available on the web, from the links on the course schedule. They are graded on a scale of 0-10. Late assignments will be penalized, and will no longer be accepted once the answer sheet has been posted. Since there are recitations on Thursday at 3 pm, that is generally the latest that assignments will be accepted, even with penalty. Homeworks submitted after this time will receive a grade of zero. Make-up assignments will be provided only for students with proof of a medical or personal emergency. 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. The following specific rules on homework will apply to all assignments: 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. Email submissions are NOT accepted unless you have prior permission due to illness or other extenuating circumstances. Make arrangements through your TA, and (upon approval) email it directly to him or her. Assignments that are submitted after the end of class, or that are emailed after 12 noon on Wednesday, will be penalized one point. Assignments that arrive after midnight on Wednesday will be penalized two points. No late assignments will be accepted after 3pm on Thursday, because that is when answer sheets will be posted. Recall also that makeup assignments are not provided except in the case of a documented medical or personal emergency. Turn in your homeworks to your own TA at the beginning of class. Always include your recitation section (201-206) on your assignment. It is okay for you to work in groups or discuss homework questions with other students, but you must write up your own answers for submission. Midterm: An in-class midterm exam on Mon Oct 20th will test knowledge of basic facts and concepts covered in the first half of the course (weeks 1-8). It will take the form of multiple-choice, matching, and short-answer questions requiring you to explain or illustrate a particular concept in linguistics. Final: A comprehensive final exam will cover material from the entire course, with more emphasis on the second half (since it was not included on the midterm). Like the midterm, it will consist of multiple-choice, matching, and short-answer questions.
Grading:	Your final grade for the course will be determined as follows: Homework assignments: 45% Midterm exam: 20% Final exam: 35% While attendance and participation are not a formal part of your grade, regular attendance in recitation sections (especially discussions) will affect whether your grade is rounded up in borderline cases.