Queens College, CUNY
LCD 101: Introduction to Language
Tu & Th 9:25-10:40 and 12:15-1:30
Spring 2007
Instructor: Agustina Carando
Contact information: <acarando@qc.cuny.edu> be sure to put LCD101
plus other relevant keywords in the subject field if you wish me to read your
email. If you wish to talk to me, you can normally find me on Tuesdays and
Thursdays from 10:40 to 12:15 (after or before class, depending on your section),
or by appointment.
Course website: Blackboard. You are required to log in on a regular basis to
complete assignments and access relevant course materials. Occasionally, you
will need to print your own handouts in advance and bring them to class.
Required text: Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language &
Linguistics, Georgios Tserdanelis and Wai Yi Peggy Wong (Editors), 9th Edition,
Published by Ohio State University Press, 2004. ISBN: 0-8142-5128-5
Course requirements and grading:
Attendance, Punctuality and Participation = 10%: All students taking this
course are required to attend, be on time, and participate in class. When
you enter the room, please sign your name on the list on my desk.
Participation consists of actively contributing to class discussions based on
the assigned readings for each class and completing in-class exercises. You
are cautioned that lack of attendance, lateness, or lack of participation will
inevitably result in a downgrading of the final mark.
Homework= 30%: It will be posted on Blackboard and must be submitted
electronically as a Word attachment using the Digital Dropbox tool. Make
sure to save a copy onto your hard drive anyway. Email attachments will
NOT be accepted. Late homework will NOT be accepted.
Midterm and Final = 30% each: You will receive a grade of zero for an
exam missed without a written, valid excuse acceptable to the instructor.
An excuse based on medical difficulties must include the name and phone
number of a health care provider. If you miss the midterm with a valid
excuse, either you will be given an option to take a makeup exam or your
course grade will be computed on the basis of your homework and the
final (this choice will be made by the instructor). If you are unable to take
the final and present a written, valid excuse acceptable to the instructor,
you will receive a temporary grade and will be required to make up the
final, possibly next semester.
Conduct: Respect for yourself and others is a given; any other kind of behavior
will not be tolerated. I expect you to turn off your mobile phone before you enter
the classroom. If your phone rings during class, I will deduct points from your
final grade. If you are absent or late, you are responsible for any material you
miss, so please arrange to get notes from a classmate. I expect you to follow the
CUNY guidelines on academic integrity. If you are not familiar with these, they
are available online at:
http://www1.cuny.edu/portal_ur/content/2004/policies/image/policy.pdf. They
cover plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty. Please be
aware of these guidelines as you will be expected to conform to university
standards.
Tentative schedule:
Class 1 (Tue 01.30): getting organized, review syllabus, language myths.
Class 2 (Thu 02.01): “good” language and arbitrariness in language file:1
Class 3 (Tue 02.06): animal communication file:2
Class 4 (Thu 01.08): phonetics file:3
Class 5 (Tue 02.13): phonetics file:3
Class 6 (Tue 02.20): phonology file:4 (hw 1 due)
Class 7 (Thu 02.22): phonology file:4
Class 8 (Tue 02.27): morphology file:5
Class 9 (Thu 03.01): morphology file:5
Class 10 (Tue 03.06): syntax file:6 (hw 2 due)
Class 11 (Thu 03.08): syntax file:6
Class 12 (Tue 03.13): semantics file:7
Class 13 (Thu 03.15): semantics file:7
Class 14 (Tue 03.20): review for midterm (hw 3 due)
Class 15 (Thu 03.22): midterm (normal class time)
Class 16 (Tue 03.27): pragmatics file:8
Class 17 (Thu 03.29): pragmatics file:8
Spring Break
Class 18 (Thu 04.12): psycholinguistics file:9
Class 19 (Tue 04.17): psycholinguistics file:9
Class 20 (Thu 04.19): language variation file:10 (hw 4 due)
Class 21 (Tue 04.24): language variation file:10
Class 22 (Thu 04.26): language contact file:11
Class 23 (Tue 05.01): language contact file:11
Class 24 (Thu 05.03): language change file:12 (hw 5 due)
Class 25 (Tue 05.08): language change file:12
Class 26 (Thu 05.10): visual languages file:13
Class 27 (Tue 05.15): language in a wider context files:15
Class 28 (Thu 05.17): review for final (hw 6 due)
Final exam: To be announced
Reading assignments and papers are to be completed for the date indicated.
Any adjustments to the syllabus will be announced in class and/or online.