Syllabus

This class will provide some answers to basic questions about the nature of human language. Throughout the course, we will be learning (in many different ways) that human language is a surprisingly intricate -- yet law-governed and fascinating mental system. In the first 2/3 of the class, we will study some core aspects of this system in detail. In the last part of the class, we will use what we have learned to address a variety of questions, including how children acquire language, what are the similarities and differences among languages, how spoken (and signed) language relates to written language, among others.

1. Readings

There is one required textbook:

O'Grady, William, John Archibald, Mark Aronoff and Janie Rees-Miller. 1997. Contemporary Linguistics: an Introduction [Third edition]. New York: Bedford/St. Martins. ISBN: 0312137958. ["CL"]

There will be handouts and readings that will supplement (or in some cases substitute) for sections of the book.

2. Attendance

Attendance in class and recitations is required. While you can learn a lot from the readings, many classes will present material not in the readings, or will present the material in a slightly different way. Attendance will be taken in recitations and from time to time may be taken in the lecture as well.

3. Weekly Problem Sets

There will be weekly assignments, some from CL, others handed out in class. These will often be problems from real languages (sometimes slightly simplified) that use the concepts and analytic techniques discussed in class and in the readings. A few assignments may call for extra effort, including data collection.

The problems will be handed out on Monday and will be due the following Monday. It is our goal to have the problems corrected for discussion in recitation by Friday. (When holidays intervene, we may make minor modifications in this schedule.) Late problem sets will not be accepted except for compelling reasons and with explicit e-mail permission of the instructor or recitation leader.

Honesty policy for problem sets: General discussion of the assignments with other students is acceptable and encouraged (e.g. "Remind me, how do I know if something is an allophone?"), but you must arrive at the actual solutions to problems on your own and write them up on your own.

If you are having serious problems with any assignment, do not hesitate to get in touch with the instructor or your recitation leader in person or by e-mail. We are more than happy to help.

4. Exams

There will be two in-class (30 minute) quizzes and a sit-down final exam. The final exam will cover material from the entire course, and will be a mixture of factual questions and problems. If you did well on the problem sets and quizzes, you should do well on the final exam.

5. Grading