Linguistics 1

Introduction to Linguistics

Spring 2013

Instructor: John A. (Jack) Hawkins, Professor of Linguistics, UC Davis Emeritus Professor, Cambridge University TAs: tba

Lecture Times: Tues & Thurs, 1.40 - 3.00 pm, Giedt 1001 Instructor's Office Hours: tba Kerr Hall 270

TAs' Office Hours: check with section TA Sections: LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 LIN 001 B01 B02 B03 B04 B05 B06 B07 B08 B09 W 9.00 - 9.50 Kerr 293 W 11.00 - 11.50 SocSci 80 W 12.10 - 1.00 Storer 1342 F 9.00 - 9.50 Kerr 293 F 10.00 - 10.50 Kerr 293 F 11.00 - 11.50 Kerr 293 F 1.10 - 2.00 Kerr 293 F 11.00 - 11.50 Wellman 119 F 10.00 - 10.50 Wellman 119

Class web site: Accessible via http://smartsite.ucdavis.edu. Assignments and assignment due dates, lecture handouts and announcements will all be posted on the web site. Course Content: Linguistics 1 provides an introduction to the theories, methods and data of linguistics. Students will be introduced to the basic principles of linguistics and will be exposed to data from, and facts about, English and other languages of the world. The course will cover major areas of the field, including phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical linguistics, sociolinguistics, language universals and typology, psycholinguistics and neurolinguistics. The course aims to give insight into language in general, how it works, how it changes

over time, how it is controlled by the language areas of the brain, how it is processed in real time, and so on. Textbook: The basic text to be used is: An Introduction to Language, by Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. The publishers have recently brought out a new 10th edition. It is outrageously priced. Students can use this edition if they wish, but the instructor will also allow them to use the two previous editions, the 8th and 9th instead. These earlier editions can be purchased at very affordable prices from e.g. Amazon.com. The UC Bookstore has also acquired a certain number of the 10th edition and of earlier editions for students to purchase. In addition to the textbook, students will be provided with numerous supplementary handouts and data sheets in the lectures that often go beyond the material in the textbook. These items will be posted on the website. Regular attendance at the lectures will be vital in order to achieve an understanding of the course material as presented in the textbook and in the supplementary materials and in order to get a good grade. Students should also attend the TA-guided discussion sections. The selection of questions in the exams will follow closely the selection of topics as presented in the lectures. Assignments and Assessment: (a) weekly reading assignments from the textbook (see the Sequence of Course Topics below) (b) a sit-down closed-book mid-term exam in week 5 counting for 20% of the course grade; special emphasis will be placed on topics and data that the instructor has selected for discussion in the lectures (c) four sets of homework assignments during the quarter to be completed by students individually and handed in to your TA (in hard copy) by the date announced in the lectures, each counting for 10% of the course grade; one of these assignments will be an essay on a topic assigned by the instructor (5 pages double-spaced); the other three will involve various tasks (data analysis, problem-solving, short answers to questions, paragraph-length answers) (d) a sit-down closed-book final exam on Tuesday 11th June (8.00 - 10.00), counting for 40% of the course grade; the final exam will cover work completed during the whole quarter and again special emphasis will be placed on topics and data that the instructor has selected for discussion in the lectures

Sequence of Course Topics (plus chapters from the textbook; the number in square brackets refers to the chapter number in the relevant edition of the textbook): Introduction: Ch.1 [8th, 9th, 10th] "What is Language?" Phonetics: Ch.6 [8th, 9th] Ch.5 [10th] "Phonetics: The Sounds of Language" Phonology: Ch.7 [8th, 9th] Ch.6 [10th] "Phonology: The Sound Patterns of Language" Language Change, Language Families, and Language in Society: Ch.11 [8th, 9th] Ch.8 [10th] "Language Change: The Syllables of Time"; and Ch.10 [8th, pp.409-436] [9th, pp.430-463] Ch.7 [10th, pp.279-311] "Language in Society" Morphology: Ch.3 [8th, 9th] Ch.2 [10th] "Morphology: The Words of Language" Syntax: Ch.4 [8th, 9th] Ch.3 [10th] "Syntax: The Sentence Patterns of Language" Brain and Language, and Language Acquisition: Ch.2 [8th, 9th] Ch.10 [10th, pp.461-487] "Brain and Language"; and Ch.8 [8th, 9th] Ch.9 [10th] "Language Acquisition" Semantics and Pragmatics: Ch.5 [8th, 9th] Ch.4 [10th] "The Meaning of Language" Grading Policy: The course grade will be determined by adding up the scores for the mid-term, the four homework assignments and the final and converting them to an overall percentage score and letter grade in accordance with the weighting given above (mid-term = 20%, each homework = 10%, final = 40%) and in accordance with the following formula: A range 90-100% B range 80-89% C range 70-79% D range 60-69% F below 60% The final exam is given the highest weighting since the instructor is most interested in what students actually know by the end of the course. He may, on occasion, raise a student's grade beyond the range given here, but he will not lower it. A homework that is handed in one day late will receive a 10% reduction; after that the maximum points that can be received for it will be 50% and only up until the due date of the next assignment.

Calendar of Class Meetings: Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Tuesday Thursday 2 Apr 4 Apr 9 Apr 11 Apr 16 Apr 18 Apr 23 Apr 25 Apr 30 Apr 2 May 7 May 9 May 14 May 16 May 21 May 23 May 28 May 30 May 4 June 6 June th Tues 11 June 8.00 10.00

Mid-term = 2nd May

Final exam