Course Syllabus

Course Information
(course number, course title, term, any specific section title)

COURSE NUMBER: HUSL 7384 SECTION: 501

COURSE TITLE: The Nature of Language TERM: Fall 2006

DAY: Monday TIME: 7:00pm – 9:45pm

ROOM: JO 4.798 (Seminar Room)

Professor Contact Information

(Professor’s name, phone number, email, office location, office hours, other information)

Instructor: Dr. Esteban Egea

Contact Number: 972 883-2243
E-mail address: egea@utdallas.edu
Office location: JO 5.306
Office hours: Mon. 5:00 – 6:30 p.m., or by appointment

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions

(including required prior knowledge or skills)

NONE. But a conscious understanding and manipulation of good spoken and written English
language is assumed and recommended.

Course Description
This course is an inquiry into the nature, origins, and evolution of language, the relationship of
language to thought and to creativity, language as a social tool, and non-verbal patterns of
communication.

This course will deal with linguistic theory and method / practice. Consequently, it will attempt to
look at current knowledge about language, what language is and how it works; at the different
theories of language origin and its evolution, genetically, topologically, and geographically; at
the theoretical and critical discussions that are a necessary precondition and complement to the
experimental studies of the use of language and the social organization of behavior in diverse
speech communities; and the meaningful human interaction that takes place through conduits of
communication that are non-verbal (kinesics and gestural phenomena).

This course is designed in such a way that it presupposes no previous background in linguistics.
The approach to be used in the course will be resolutely eclectic, that is, the instructor will
choose from those linguistic approaches and techniques which seem to be most helpful and
profitable in making linguistics understandable and useful for second language teaching. In
addition, this course will attempt to give a thorough overview of the three major grammar
systems in their historical order: Traditional Schoolroom Grammar, American Descriptive
Grammar and Transformational-Generative Grammar coupled with an overview of the issues
that bear on second language teaching and learning, such as, language variation, the neurology
of language, language contact and pragmatics (the use of language for communication). This
course is also part of the 12-hour ESL endorsement program available at UT-D. For more
information, please call Professor Esteban Egea at 883-2243 (office), or send e-mail:
egea@utdallas.edu.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

Long range objectives: A broad understanding of human language: what it is,

what it's used for, and how it works. The purpose of this course is not to teach you to speak or
write better, but to enable you to recognize an uninformed statement about language when you
hear it or read it. In the end, it is hoped the course will have left you with a sharper ear for
language, a deeper understanding of its nature, and a livelier interest in all its manifestations,
especially in what relates to teaching English as a second/foreign language. With these
objectives in mind, examples will be drawn not only from English but from the structure of other
world languages in order to exemplify teaching points. Several linguistic videos will enhance
these perspectives.

Short range objectives: Students will:

1. examine his/her own linguistic beliefs and attitudes.

2. become aware of both the diversity of language systems and their

fundamental similarities.

3. gain a reasonable taste of most of the subfields of linguistics: phonetics

and phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics (regional, social,
gender and stylistic variations), psycholinguistics (first and second language acquisition),
neurolinguistics and graphemics.

4. be equipped with some tools and techniques for linguistic analysis and
to give you some practice using these to discover the organizing principles of a language.
5. acquaint himself/herself with the basic concepts necessary to further
pursue linguistic studies, if he/she wishes to.

6. explore the ways in which English has become an important and powerful
world (global) language, and the most “successful” language ever; and explore the whys and
wherefores of the history, current status and future potential as the international language of
communication. This objectives will be enhanced by having the students watch the video entitled
“The Global Tongue: The English Language.”
Required Textbooks and Materials

h Edward Finegan, Language: Its Structure and Use, Boston, Mass.:

Wadsworth/Thomson Publishers, 2004, 4th ed. (New ed. ISBN: 083840794-3)

h David Crystal, English as Global Language, Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University

Press, 2003.

Suggested Course Materials

Ø Peter Matthews, The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Linguistics, New York: Oxford University Press, 2005
(Reissued).

Ø Joseph Gibaldi, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th. paperback edition, 2003).

Ø American Heritage Dictionary (4th. paperback edition).

Assignments & Academic Calendar

(Topics, Reading Assignments, Due Dates, Exam Dates)

This syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. The

changes will be announced in advance of the class day affected.

PLEASE, TURN OFF CELL PHONES AND/OR BEEPERS WHILE IN CLASS.

LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN: "The limits of my language mean the limits of my

(Austrian, 1889-1951) world" (Die Grenzen meiner Sprache bedeuten
die Grenzen meiner Welt).

NOTES: FALL term classes begin at UTD on Thurs. August 17, 2006 - CENSUS DAY is Friday, September 1, 2006.
Last day of classes at UT-D: Mon, Nov 27, 2006.- Last day of classes for this course will be Mon, Nov. 20,
2006.
Drop/Withdrawal deadlines: Please check Comet calendar for signature procedures. Graduates last day
to withdraw from a course with an automatic “W” is Mon. Oct. 30.

>>>> The final exam period at UT-D for Fall 2006 is Tues, Nov. 28 – Mon, Dec. 4, but NO FINAL EXAM will be
given in this course. Please, see assignments for Nov.13 and Nov. 20.

Aug 21 Mon: Fill out Information Sheet; Language & Teaching; Introduction to the course.-
Course objectives and policies.- Discussion of Term Paper topics, etc. EXPLAIN THE
REASON FOR THE SYLLABUS AND THE PURPOSE OF EXERCISES IN THE
TEXTBOOKS.

***** VIDEO(S): "Unlocking Language" (VT3039) -- SEE NOTE in “"COURSE & INSTRUCTOR POLICIES" (ENCLOSED
HERE) about the meaning of VT????
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Aug 28 Mon: FINEGAN: Preface, pp. iii-vi; Ch.1: Language and Linguistics, pp.1-29 &
Make use of "GLOSSARY" (when necessary), pp.571-585 and the "INDEX", pp.587-601.

***** VIDEO(S): THE HUMAN LANGUAGE SERIES: Part I: Discovering the Human Language: "Colorless Green
Ideas" (VT2676).
____________________________________________________________________

Sept 04 Mon: FALL 2006 UNIVERSITY CLOSING DUE TO LABOR DAY.

____________________________________________________________________

Sept 11 Mon: FINEGAN: PART ONE: Language Structures, p.37; Ch 2: Words and
their Parts: Lexicon and Morphology, pp.39-69.

FINEGAN: Ch.3: The Sounds of Languages: Phonetics, pp.79-102; &

Ch.4: The Sound System of Language: Phonology: pp. 109-136.

***** VIDEO(S): “ Human Speech Articulation (VT3260) or "Normal Speech Articulation ("VT2969).
___________________________________________________________________

Sept 18 Mon: FINEGAN: PART THREE: Language Change over Time and Language
Development and Language Acquisition, pp.443 & Ch.15: Acquiring First
and Second Languages, pp.537-65.

***** VIDEO(S): "Language Development" (VT1153) and/or THE HUMAN LANGUAGE SERIES: Prog. #2:
Acquiring the Human Language: "Playing the Language Game" (VT2677).
_____________________________________________________________________

Sept 25 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.5: The Structure and Function of Phrases and Sentences:
Syntax, pp.145-71.

>>>>> Study Sheet and Sample Test(s) to be provided for TEST #1.

***** VIDEO(S): THE HUMAN LANGUAGE SERIES: Part III: The Human Language Evolves: "With or Without Words" (VT2678).
________________________________________________________________

Oct 02 Mon: =====> T E S T #1 (Review Study Sheet and Sample Test(s) provided earlier by instructor)
NOTE: Test may be postponed if it is deemed necessary.

IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT: (Equivalent to one(1) course grade): DUE DATE: ,Mon. Oct 16:
Term Paper topic + bibliography assignment (See instructions to be provided by the instructor).
______________________________________________________________________

Oct 09 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.6: The Study of Meaning: Semantics, pp.179-215 & PART
TWO: Language Use, p. 257 & Ch.8: Information Structure and
Pragmatics, pp.259-83.

>>>> REVIEW OF TEST #1.

***** FILM: “In Search of the First Language” (VT2754) or any other comparable video.
____________________________________________________________________
Oct 16 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.7: Language Universals and Language Typology, pp.223-48
& Ch.9: Speech Acts and Conversation, pp.293-319.

===> Term Paper topic + bibliography assignment DUE TODAY.

***** VIDEO(S): "The Global Tongue: The English Language" (VT1059) and/or "American Tongues" (VT2022).
_____________________________________________________________________

Oct 23 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.10: Registers and Styles: Language Variation Across
Situation of Use, pp.327-52.

CRYSTAL: Preface, pp.ix-xii; Ch.1: Why a Global Language, pp.1-23;

Ch.2: Why English?: The Historical Context, pp.24-63 & Ch.3: Why
English?: The Cultural Foundation, pp.64-77.

***** VIDEO(S): “Secret of the Wild Child ” (VT2753).

_____________________________________________________________________

Oct 30 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.11: Language Variation Among Social Groups: Dialects,
pp.361-404.

CRYSTAL: Ch.4: Why English?: The Cultural Legacy, pp.78-112 &

Ch.5: The Future of Global English, pp.113-140. (Peruse FURTHER
READING" section, pp.141-42)

***** VIDEO(S): "THE STORY OF ENGLISH SERIES: Program #2: Mother Tongue" (VT2089-b).
_______________________________________________________________________

Nov 06 Mon: FINEGAN: Ch.13: Language Change Over Time: Historical Linguistics,
pp.445-489 & Ch.14: Historical Development in English, pp.499-530.

FINEGAN: Ch.12: Writing, pp.417-40.

>>>>> TEST #2 STUDY SHEET and Sample Test(s) (to be provided by instructor).
_______________________________________________________________________

Nov 13 Mon: =====> T E S T #2 (Review Study Sheet and Sample Test(s)

provided earlier by instructor).

NOTE: Test may be postponed if it is deemed necessary.

_______________________________________________________________________

Nov 20 Mon: >>>> T E R M P A P E R S due.

>>>>> PLEASE, SEE "COURSE & INSTRUCTOR POLICIES" accompanying this syllabus regarding
term paper issues, and policy regarding INCOMPLETE grade .
>>>>> COURSE EVALUATION
Grading Policy
(including percentages for assignments, grade scale, etc.)

1) GRADE DISTRIBUTION:
TEST #1 .........................…………….. 100% of the final grade
TEST #2 ........................... 100% of the final grade
TERM PAPER topic + bibliography assignment...100% of the final grade
TERM PAPER .....................……….... 100% of the final grade
OTHER (class participation, exercises, attendance, daily work, extra
credit, attitude, etc.)…………………..100% of the final grade
______
TOTAL ...………………….................... 100%

2) Equivalences in the instructor’s grading scale and UT-D’s:

HUSL 7384 UT-D
A+ = 100 - 96 (4.00 Excellent)
A = 95 - 93 (4.00 Excellent)
A- = 92 - 90 (4.00 Excellent)
B+ = 89 - 86 (3.00 Acceptable)
B = 85 - 83 (3.00 Acceptable)
B- = 82 - 80 (3.00 Acceptable)
C+ = 79 - 76 (2.00 Poor)
C = 75 - 73 (2.00 Poor)
C- = 72 - 70 (2.00 Poor)
F = 59 - 0 (0.00 Failure)
====================================
P = Pass (P and X do not produce grade points)
X = INCOMPLETE (See below policy regarding “incompletes)
CR = CREDIT
NC = NO CREDIT
W = Withdrawn
WP = Withdrawn Passing
WF = Withdrawn Failing

Course & Instructor Policies

(make-up exams, extra credit, late work, special assignments, class attendance, classroom citizenship, etc.)

QUICK OVERVIEW OF RESPONSIBILITIES: One major term paper (10 -15 pages), two tests, quizzes, special
assignment, and class participation.

1. Each student is responsible for signing the ATTENDANCE SHEET every class. If this is not done, an absence will be
counted against him/her. SEE note below about number of allowed ABSENCES in this course.
2. If a student is late 15 minutes or more, half of an absence will be counted against him/her.
3. If a student leaves the classroom at any point during the class and does not return, and does not advice the instructor in advance
as to the reason in writing, an absence will be counted against him/her.
 1) The instructor reserves the right to modify the syllabus and these policies if it is
deemed necessary during the semester.

2) NO MAKE-UP TEST WILL BE GIVEN in this course. If a test is missed for any reason,
the student must advise the instructor to determine a course of action. If a make-up test is given,
the student will have to take it at a time chosen by the instructor and ten(10) points will be deducted
from the grade obtained. Only in case of illness this policy will NOT applied provided that a written
medical excuse is furnished

3) NO LATE TERM PAPERS will be accepted unless a

valid reason exists (e.g. illness, etc.). Computer crashes, erasure of data, printer malfunctions,
destruction of software programs due to computer viruses are NOT acceptable excuses. At any
rate, a doctor's excuse or a computer expert's statement will be advisable for the instructor to
accept late term papers.
Additionally, any material that is handed in late (viz. term-paper, or special assignment, etc.) will be
penalized as follows:

(a) after the first day the material

is due -- 10 points off.
(b) after the second day -- 20 points off.
(c) after the third day -- 40 points off.
(d) no material will be accepted after the third day. (CONTINUED)
 4) If it becomes inevitable to miss any of the TESTS, the student must (a) advise the
instructor to determine a course of action, and/or (b) in case of illness, provide a medical
excuse.

5) ABSENCES: Regular attendance is expected and

strongly advised. If you miss more than two(2) classes, your grade will be lowered
ten(10) points of your final grade for every time you are absent. If for illness reasons you
miss more than two(2) classes, you will have to present a written medical excuse to the
instructor.

6) An INCOMPLETE (an "X" grade) is NOT an automatic grade given by instructors at

UT-D, and it will NOT be granted in this course unless the problem is discussed with the
instructor two(2) weeks before the end of the semester. UTD policy to this respect follows
(Please, see Graduate Catalog and below “Incomplete Grade Policy”).

7) VIDEOS / FILMS: If you happen to be absent when a video is shown in class, you
can view it afterwards in the McDermott Library Multimedia Services Office for 4 hours
but the video(s) must remain in the library and must be viewed on library equipment. For
more information call the Multimedia Services Office at 972 883-2999 or send e-mail to
librarymedia@utdallas.edu. The Multimedia Services Office is located on the second
floor, office MC 2.530.
NOTE: VT???? number corresponds to the call number used by the Audiovisual
Collection of the Multimedia Services Office for its videos / films.

Field Trip Policies

NONE

Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and regulations
for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility of each student and
each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and regulations which govern
student conduct and activities. General information on student conduct and discipline is contained
in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic
year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the Rules and
Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1, Chapter VI, Section 3, and
in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the university’s Handbook of Operating
Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of citizenship.
He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the Regents’ Rules,
university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to discipline for violating the

Course Syllabus Page 8

 standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or off campus, or whether civil or
criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic honesty. Because
the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity of the work done by the
student for that degree, it is imperative that a student demonstrate a high standard of individual
honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions related to
applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as one’s own work or
material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic dishonesty involves one of the
following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or falsifying academic records. Students
suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from any other
source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on plagiarism (see
general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of turnitin.com, which searches the
web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication between
faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email raises some issues
concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email exchange. The university
encourages all official student email correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email
address and that faculty and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a
UTD student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the
identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD
furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with
university personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level courses.
These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog. Administration procedures
must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle withdrawal requirements from any
class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork
to ensure that you will not receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the
class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities,
of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other fulfillments
of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a serious effort to
resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or committee with whom the
grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”). Individual faculty members retain
primary responsibility for assigning grades and evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at
that level, the grievance must be submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the
respondent’s School Dean. If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the

Course Syllabus Page 9

 respondent, the student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an Academic
Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The results of the academic
appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of
Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and
regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably missed at
the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed. An incomplete grade
must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the subsequent long semester. If the
required work to complete the course and to remove the incomplete grade is not submitted by the
specified deadline, the incomplete grade is changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational opportunities
equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in room 1.610 in the
Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and
Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable adjustments
necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For example, it may be necessary
to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders or animals (in the case of dog guides) for
students who are blind. Occasionally an assignment requirement may be substituted (for example,
a research paper versus an oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes
enrolled students with mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities.
The college or university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or
mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty members
to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations. Individuals requiring special
accommodation should contact the professor after class or during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required activities for
the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose places of worship are
exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible regarding
the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so excused, will be allowed to
take the exam or complete the assignment within a reasonable time after the absence: a period
equal to the length of the absence, up to a maximum of one week. A student who notifies the

Course Syllabus Page 10

 instructor and completes any missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A
student who fails to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the purpose of
observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about whether the student has
been given a reasonable time to complete any missed assignments or examinations, either the
student or the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution, or
his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative
intent of TEC 51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief
executive officer or designee.

Off-Campus Instruction and Course Activities

Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state law and
University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related activities. Information
regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the website address given below.
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean.
(http://www.utdallas.edu/Business Affairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm)

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 11