IntroductionLanguage means everything. Through words--spoken, written, or signed--we propose and seal, agree and argue, analyze and worship, amuse and enlighten. They are between us, around us, and within us. Our parents remember our first words, and our children remember our last. Any understanding of these invisible, intangible, omnipotent entities, then, must make us more insightful, effective, and sentient in everything we do. In this course, we will pursue this understanding by examining many fascinating facets of our own language, American English. As we visit its phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, as well as the broader psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic aspects of language in general, we will take brief looks at some issues and concepts--assimilation, inflection, transformations--and longer looks at others--language change, competence, dialect. Because most of you probably have few linguistic courses in your past and even fewer in your future, I have designed this course as an opportunity both to become generally familiar with the terms, concepts, and tools involved in the study of language and also to apply your new knowledge and skills to explore several linguistic phenomena in depth. On a larger scale, I hope that you use your experience here to become a better writer, reader, speaker, teacher, parent, citizen, and person. SuppliesRequired
Recommended
Be Your BestYou can expect me to be the best teacher I can be. I will be on time to class, give you my full attention and energy during every class discussion, respond thoughtfully to your oral comments and written assignments, and work hard to make this course interesting and rewarding. I expect you to be your best, as well. Although this course is no more difficult than most college courses, it demands regular attendance, a commitment to in-class discussion and writing, and a large amount of out-of-class preparation, including reading and writing assignments, library research, and study. I expect you to make these commitments, to show up to class on time and ready to work, and to turn in neatly typed, carefully edited assignments on time. Please note that I will not accept late assignments except in the case of personal incapacitation, a death in the family, or an advance arrangement with me. For tips on improving your study habits, see Be Your Best. RewardsWhen you invest a large portion of your time and energy in a class for 15 weeks, you should expect something more than a grade in return. If you work hard in this course, you likely will earn a good grade, but you also will receive several other, more lasting and important benefits, including a broad knowledge of linguistics, specific details about the English language, a heightened appreciation of language and life, and crucial skills in reading, writing, speaking, interpreting, researching, and collaborating. In short, this course will give you ample opportunities to prepare for a productive, fulfilling future. You also will produce tangible evidence of your progress by building a World Wide Web site and writing journals, in-class essays, and an analytical article, all of which you will collect in a portfolio. Please keep this portfolio neat and organized and bring it with you to conferences with me. While your grade in this course depends on the work that goes into this portfolio, I hope that its value to you will outlast this semester and that you will continue to consult it and add to it when you read, write, listen, or teach in the years to come. To create your portfolio, you will need a three-ring binder, five dividers, and notebook paper. Divide the portfolio into the sections listed below.
As we explore various topics, make note of ones that will be particularly useful to you. For example, if you are a teacher, you might want to focus on language acquisition, linguistic competence, dialect, usage, dyslexia, register, and slang. Drawing on these notes, write an introduction to your portfolio; in about five typewritten, double-spaced pages, briefly summarize what you learned about each topic and explain ways you will use your new knowledge and skills in your work or personal life. I will use the following criteria to evaluate this introductory essay:
Place 50 or so sheets of blank notebook paper in this section and use this paper to take notes on terms, concepts, examples, and other details while you read the assignments and while we discuss the material in class. During each class, I will ask you to apply your knowledge and skills to write a brief essay. Because I often will allow you to refer to your portfolios to write this essay, you will want to take careful notes on your reading. Each of these essays, which may cover anything we have covered in the class up to that point, will be worth 1 to 5 points. You must be present when this essay is assigned to earn credit for it.
You also will write four one-page journals outside class on material we are studying. Please type your response and include it in this section of your portfolio. These journals are worth 5 points each, distributed as follows: insightful analysis of a linguistic concept (3 points), clarity of writing (1 point), readability (1 point). World Wide Web Site (20 points) Early in the semester, you will sign up to build a World Wide Web site on a specific linguistic concept or phenomenon. As you build your site, refer to the following criteria, which I will use when I grade the sites:
You will sign up for a date and time to submit your site to me on a diskette. After this deadline, I will not accept the site. At any time before the due date, you may bring me a draft of your site, and I will be happy to comment on any of these criteria and help you master the technology. I also will give at least one workshop on using Netscape Composer to build a Web site. When the semester is complete, every thorough, clear, well-organized, accurate, and insightful site will remain on the Web as part of All English. Thus, by working hard on this project, you not only will learn a great deal about a linguistic concept, practice analyzing language, improve your writing and research skills, and practice using new computer technology, but will have an electronic publication that you can cite in resumes and portfolios.
This section should contain this syllabus, a list of your classmates and their phone numbers, and a bibliography of reference materials you can use in studying the English language.
Near the end of the semester, you will submit your portfolio to me and give an oral presentation on it. After this presentation, which should last about 10 minutes, I will ask you questions about the material in your portfolio. As you prepare your portfolio and presentation, please observe the following criteria, which I will use when evaluating them:
The grading scale is as follows: 90-100, A; 80-89, B; 70-79, C; 60-69, D; below 60, F. |
Fall 1998 · 122 Dial · 6:30-9:30 p.m. R Professor Mark Canada Online
forum ScheduleClick on the name of each unit for objectives, assignments, terms, and class activities. Please complete the assignments in each unit before the unit begins and retain the information for the duration of the course--and beyond. LanguageAugust 20: Language, linguistics PhonologyAugust 27: Phonetics, phonology,
IPA MorphologySeptember 10: Morphemes, inflection,
dictionaries, lexicon SyntaxSeptember 24: Transformational
grammar, ambiguity SemanticsOctober 8: Pragmatics, figurative language, obfuscation PsycholinguisticsOctober 22: Brain physiology,
linguistic competence and incompetence, computers and language SociolinguisticsNovember 12: Usage, Standard
English |
© Mark Canada, 1998