Maya Ravindranath (mayar at ling.upenn.edu) Department of Linguistics University of Pennsylvania
Office hours:
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Class meetings: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:50 am-1:00pm Fisher Bennett Hall Room 407 5/27/08-7/03/08
Course homepage: |
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Course 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; and comparison with non-human communication systems. Students will acquire a variety of tools for linguistic analysis, covering phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics and discourse. The course has no prerequisites, and satisfies the Natural Science and Math Sector (for students admitted in Fall 2006 and later) or the General Requirement in Living World (for Class of 2009 and prior). It is appropriate for any Penn student interested in language and its use. Materials: There is one required textbook: Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics (Department of Linguistics, The Ohio State University). This will be available at the Penn Bookstore beginning in the first week of class. Other assigned readings will be included in the course bulkpack, which will be available for purchase from the Ikon Copy Center on the first floor of Levine Hall (3330 Levine Hall). Any additional readings will be distributed in class or made available online. For students interested in doing further background reading, I recommend Steven Pinker's The language instinct (HarperCollins), and Charles Yang's The infinite gift: how children learn and unlearn the languages of the world (Scribner). William O'Grady et al.'s Contemporary Linguistics (Bedford/St.Martin's) offers a good background in linguistic tools and terminology.
Requirements: The summer CGS schedule goes very quickly, and we will be covering a lot of new material in each meeting. It is therefore very important that you attend every class and complete the readings and written assignments on time. Active participation in class is expected, and in general there won't be opportunities to make up late or incomplete work (except in case of a genuine medical or personal emergency, in which case you should contact me as soon as you can). The three major components to your grade are homework (40%), exams (quizzes - 20%, final - 25%), and a language journal (15%). The details of all of these will be discussed in class. The final exam will be in-class on July 3rd, the last day of class.
(Class participation is not a formal component of your grade, but it will be
taken into account in determining whether borderline grades are rounded up
or not.)
SCHEDULE Please note that this schedule is subject to change. Check regularly for updates, particularly before starting a reading or a homework! Announcement: Office hours on Wednesday, June 4th will be at 9-11am instead of the regularly scheduled hours. May 27 Introduction: Prescriptive and descriptive grammar. Sources of linguistic evidence. The sounds of language: Phonetic transcription. Place and manner of articulation. Slides from Lecture 1
May 29 Phonetics continued. Introduction to Phonology: phoneme inventories, syllable structure, and phonological rules. *Homework 1 due at the beginning of class
June 3 Acoustic phonetics. Phonology continued. Introduction to sociolinguistics: the study of language variation and change. *Homework 2 due at the beginning of class Slides from Lecture 3
June 5 Introduction to sociolinguistics: language variation and change. *Homework 3 due at the beginning of class *QUIZ in class Slides from Lecture 4
June 10 Introduction to Morphology: Word structure. *Homework 4 due at the beginning of class Slides from Lecture 5
June 12 Acquisition of phonology and morphology. *Homework 5 due at the beginning of class.
June 17 Syntax: phrases, sentences and structure. *Homework 6 due at the beginning of class. Slides from Lecture 7
June 19 Typology. *Homework 7 due at the beginning of class *QUIZ in class *Presentations in class: Derek, Hassan
June 24 Language change, language shift, and language death. *Homework 8 due at the beginning of class *Presentations in class: Alejandra, Ian, Chloe, Boyan Slides from Lecture 8
June 26 Semantics. Pragmatics. *Homework 9 due at the beginning of class *Presentations in class: Manya, Alysia, Eugene Slides from Lecture 9
July 1 TBA. Review for final exam. *Homework 10 due at the beginning of class *Presentations in class: Molly, Colin, Megan, Rachel Slides from Lecture 10 Jeopardy questions
July 3 FINAL EXAM.
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