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This foundation course serves as an introduction to language and linguistics. We will begin by examining the structure of language at all levels: the principles which motivate the structure of conversation (discourse and conversation analysis); how words are related to each other, and what word meaning reveals about the mind (lexical and cognitive semantics); how words are built up from smaller parts (morphology); and how words are arranged in sentences (syntax). We will then discuss the physiology of speech sounds and the vocal tract (articulatory phonetics), and how speech sounds are organized systematically (phonology). Next we will study language variation, the complex relationship between language and society, the principled and systematic ways in which languages change over time, and the psychological underpinnings of language. We will conclude with brief sketches of specific languages, in order to demonstrate how the tools of linguistics are applied in language description. Throughout the semester we will highlight the interdisciplinary nature of linguistics, especially as it relates to anthropology, sociology, and cognitive science. Students will gain experience with hands-on data analysis from a number of languages, and will apply concepts learned in this course to their own language data which they have collected and transcribed.
* Note: If you require course material in an alternative format or need special accommodations due to a disability, please contact the instructor and the Disability Support Services Office (Ley Student Center room 122).
Each student in the class is assigned to one Teaching Assistant, based on the initial letters of the student's last name. See the table on the home page for specific details of which TAs are assigned to which parts of the alphabet. This will help to make such a large class more personal, since it will give your TA a chance to get to know you and your work throughout the semester. Your TA will be grading your assignments and exams, and s/he should be your first point-of-contact for questions and concerns. TAs will also be holding review sessions before the exams. You are welcome to come to any of our office hours at any point during the semester, whether or not you are assigned to that particular TA. And you are always welcome to come to the professor's office hours as well.
The course web page contains links to a number of useful resources about language and linguistics. Among these are links to the IPA fonts that you are required to use when you submit your exams and assignments. The page also contains a direct link to the WebCT course site, where you will download and print your handouts, and where you will submit your homework assignments and exams online. You will receive a handout in class with instructions for using WebCT and the other computer resources you will need. Please familiarize yourself with these, and contact your college computer associates or the helpdesk in Mudd Hall if you get stuck or need additional assistance.
Finegan, Edward. 2004. Language: its structure and use (4th ed.) Boston: Thomson Wadsworth.
The textbook is available at Rice Campus Bookstore. One copy has been placed on reserve in Fondren library for limited 2-hour loan.
Lectures will parallel the readings but will not necessarily cover the same material. You are responsible for all material covered in readings and lectures. Since many of the concepts in Linguistics 200 may be new to you, you will find that you will do your best in this course if you do the reading assigned for each class beforehand. Regular class attendance and active participation is essential for mastery of the material and will be reflected by your overall course grade.
| Top 8 scores from 9 homework assignments | 40% |
| Midterm Exam I (Feb. 21) | 16% |
| Midterm Exam II (Mar. 28) | 17% |
| Final Exam (open-book, open-note) | 25% |
| 4 short online Quizzes/Surveys (announced in class) | 2% |
| Extra-Credit Report (Due by Apr. 18) | 5% | TOTAL | 105% |
There are nine homework assignments for this class, due on most Fridays as noted on the course schedule. Each homework is worth 5% of your course grade. Your lowest of these 9 scores will be dropped, thus leaving 8 scores to be calculated into your overall course grade. Because you have one “free” assignment, late homework will not be accepted under any circumstances. Homework must be submitted on WebCT before 10:00a.m. on the day it is due. Hardcopy homeworks will not be accepted. If you turn your homework in after 10:00a.m. on the due date, you will not receive credit for the assignment--although we will be glad to give you comments and feedback.
* Note: Homework #1 cannot be dropped! Please talk with me if you add the course late.
You will need to do a bit of “fieldwork” for this class, which means you should have access to a digital recorder, camcorder, minidisk, or a way of recording directly to your computer.
There are two midterm exams for this course. Exams will be online during class time (10:00-10:50am) on February 21 and March 28, and they are closed-book, closed-note. The first midterm is worth 16% of your total course grade, and the second midterm is worth 17%,. Make-up exams will be given only under extreme extenuating circumstances, and you must make arrangements with me beforehand. If you miss an exam and do not clear it with me ahead of time, you will receive a score of 0 on that exam.
The final exam (worth 25% of your overall course grade) is cumulative and covers all course material from the semester. It will be online, open-book, open-note. It will take place during the exam time scheduled by the Registrar’s office for this course. You will have three hours to complete the exam. Students who miss the final or fail to turn it in will receive a score of 0 on the exam. Students are not permitted to work together or discuss the exam in any way until after it has been turned in.
There will be four short online surveys which you are required to submit using WebCT at various points during the semester. Each survey/quiz will only take between 5-10 minutes to complete and is worth .5% of your overall course grade. They are ungraded--simply doing the survey/quiz will give you the .5% credit. They will be announced in class, in plenty of time for you to turn them in.
Over the next semester, I would like you to be thinking about language and linguistics outside of this classroom! This may include experiences in your own life, or things you see in the media, news, movies, or internet. Be alert for interesting linguistic behavior that you can observe, comment on, and tell me about in a short written report. (Examples: particular pronunciations; creative use of word-formation processes; interesting, complex or ambiguous syntactic structures; use of metaphor; language used to define social context or relations between participants; example of language change; ‘prior texts’; social stereotypes or attitudes reflected in language form.) Another option: report on a language-related news item or controversy presented on radio, television, the internet, or in the print media. Once you have chosen your data to work with (or your news story), prepare a 3-5 page (double-spaced, 12pt font) report and turn it in to me before April 18. Be sure to tie it into class themes: why is your data/news story interesting, given what we’ve done this semester? Reports will be scored for: (1) originality; (2) appropriateness; (3) relevance and contextualization within the framework of the course; (4) accurate use of terms and concepts discussed in class, and (5) clarity of presentation.
Do not look at notes, problems or exams from previous semesters. Do form study groups to talk about readings and lectures, and to work through analyzing homework problems. I encourage students to work together on homework assignments. However, after you figure/argue them out together, write them up alone. Do not copy assignments or reports from other students (either current or former); to avoid this temptation, always write up your answers separately from the other students in your study group. The final exam will be open-book, open-note, and you are not permitted to discuss the exam with other students. If you write an extra-credit report, it must consist of your own work, and you must cite all sources, including material you find on the internet. See the Rice Honor Council web page for details about the Rice Honor Code, plagiarism, and other general information. Feel free to e-mail me or stop by office hours if you have any specific questions on what is or is not acceptable under the honor code in this class.