Great Ideas about Language (Q1084)
Autumn 2014
possibly the first Great Idea….
Module convenor
Lynne Murphy
Mondays 15.00-15.50
lynnem@sussex.ac.uk
Arts B348, (67)8844
Office hours: Mon 1-2, Wed 11-12
Lectures
Chichester 3 R143
Seminars
Thursdays in Fulton 102
see Sussex Direct for time
This document contains:
p. 2ff General module info:
content & teaching method, tutors & contact details, rules and tips
p 4-5 Detailed info about the Scribe/Reviewer Assignment
p. 6 Week-by-week module outline
2
General module information
Module Content
This module explores the history of ideas about language from the Enlightenment to
the present. Through lectures and seminars we will explore the answers to the
following: What questions have propelled linguists and philosophers at different
points in history? How have the attempts to answer them influenced and been
influenced by the intellectual milieu of the day? How do one's assumptions about
what language is affect what counts as evidence in investigating it? How have these
ideas fared through the decades? Key topics that we will consider include: the birth
of linguistics in the shift from diachronic to synchronic studies, Chomskyan
rationalism and innatism, the linguistic turn in philosophy, the relation between
language and thought, European structuralism and functionalism, and the cognitive
turn.
Teaching method
One 50-minute lecture per week, plus one 50-minute seminar per week.
Tutors
Teaching of this module is the responsibility of all members of the English Language
and Linguistics staff. Each week has a single tutor covering a particular topic, who is
indicated in the timetable at the end of this document. Please feel free to contact any
of the tutors in office hours to discuss their week’s topics. For general organisational
issues regarding the module, contact the convenor (Lynne M).
tutor
Charlotte Taylor
email @sussex.ac.uk
Charlotte.Taylor
John Lonergan
J.Lonergan
Lynne Cahill
L.J.Cahill
Lynne Murphy
(convenor)
Melanie Green
Roberta Piazza
lynnem (or M.L.Murphy)
M.J.Green
R.Piazza
office hours
Tues 5-6
Wed 3-4
Mon 12-1
Wed 2-3
Mon 11-12
Wed 11:30-12:30
Mon 1-2
Wed 11-12
Mon 2-4
tba
room
B245
B247
B243
B348
B250
B248
Assessment
 30% ‘scribe’ exercise (See below.)
 70% take-away paper (48 hours, max 2000 words) in January assessment period
Learning outcomes
The successful student on this module will be able to:
1. Identify and explain key ways in which theories of language can differ.
2. Trace a broad history of modern linguistics, from the seeds present in the 18th
century to current theories in the 21st.
3. Synthesize material from seminar discussions into cogent reports.
4. Apply critical thinking skills in order to assess the relevance of different types of
linguistic phenomena to particular theoretical approaches.
3
Reading List is accessible on-line through the Library or Study Direct pages
Study Direct
There is a Study Direct website for this module. This site is a place to:
 Download module materials.
 Read announcements relating to the module.
 Participate in discussions of module materials or assessment.
 Access other links/documents related to the module.
Seminars
Seminars will consist of facilitated discussion on the topic of the week.
Prepare for seminar by reading about the seminar topic—see the module outline
(below) for information on what topics will be covered and the reading list for where
to read about them. A week before seminar, a seminar preparation sheet will become
available on Study Direct.
Everyone should prepare for seminar by reading broadly on the topic and jotting
down questions, thoughts, proposals regarding the material. Some weeks you will
have to take specific roles in the seminar: scribe, reviewer or champion. The first two
of these are described in the Scribe Assignment section below.
Seminar champions are students who have been assigned in a particular week to
take especial responsibility for the topic. In the weeks when you are champion, be
sure to:
 read deeply as well as broadly
 be extra ready for the tutor to call on you to contribute
 take responsibility for making sure that the discussion does not flag
(NB: this does NOT mean ‘monopolize the discussion’. Think of ways to
encourage others to contribute by asking different kinds of questions or
raising debatable points.)
Working/discussing with others
Learning at university shouldn’t be a lonely endeavour. In certain circumstances,
you are encouraged to discuss issues from the class with your classmates and other
people. The following are acceptable and encouraged forms of cooperation:
o Have a pre-seminar reading group with one or more of your group in order to
help you meet deadlines and discover points you’d like to raise in seminar.
o Act as scribe reviewer (this is a required form of collaboration.
o Prepare for the take-away paper BEFORE the questions are released.
It is absolutely forbidden to discuss the content of the take-away paper with
others once the questions have been released. If you do so, you risk being
reported via the University’s misconduct procedure. If you have questions about the
paper that need to be answered, play it safe and contact the module convenor.
4
Scribe assignment
This assignment has two types of activity:
1.
Being a seminar scribe, i.e. preparing a record of our seminar discussion.
2.
Participating in peer review for two other students’ scribing.
The components are explained in more detail below. Learning objectives, deadlines,
and marking information are at the very end of this section. Information about who is
assigned to scribing/reviewing in which weeks will be available on Study Direct.
1. Scribing
Ideally two students each week will be assigned to be the scribe for that seminar
session (more/fewer depending on seminar numbers). There are separate (and
FIRM) deadlines for each of the parts; see below. As scribe, your task is to:
a. Individually create a hand-out reflecting the main points of the discussion in
your seminar group.
o Maximum length = two sides of A4. Minimum font size = 11.
o The heading must include your name and a title reflecting the week
and topic of the session, e.g. ‘Week 2: Lexicography’.
o The work must accurately and concisely summarize our seminar.
o You can organize the information in a different order/way than it was
discussed in the seminar, if that makes it more accessible.
o Headings, bullet-point or numbered lists, tables and other visually
accessible kinds of presentation can be used to organize/highlight
material. This document should not look like an essay. Long
paragraphs are absolutely discouraged.
o You must cite sources that were discussed in the seminar or that you
have used in preparing the hand-out and provide a references list.
o You must use MS-Word for this assignment.
b. You will find this assignment easiest if you have prepared well for the
seminar—reading broadly on the topic—and if you come to the seminar ready
to listen well and take notes.
Email your draft to your peer-reviewers and Lynne Murphy before the next
lecture.
c. After you receive your reviewers’ comments on your draft, rework it so that it’s
the most brilliant thing you’ve ever written, then submit by email to Lynne
Murphy by the deadline.
2. Reviewing
You will be assigned TWO other students to serve as a reviewer for. For each of
these, you will need to:
 note the people/weeks that you’ve been assigned to peer-review for and
make sure to be at those seminars and to prepare particularly well for them,
so that you can give meaningful feedback on their documents;
 read and comment on their draft document, using the reviewing features on
MS-Word to comment and track changes;
o Pay attention to accuracy, readability, conciseness, referencing,
formatting and proof-reading—i.e. all requirements of the assignment.
o Make sure to point out what you think the author has done well, as
well as what they could improve.
o Where you think things could be better, offer concrete suggestions for
improvement, wherever possible.
 email the commented-upon draft to its author & Lynne Murphy before the
deadline.
5
Learning objectives for this assignment
Knowledge: close knowledge of aspects of the history of linguistic ideas
Skills: The task involves skills that are transferable to other modules (especially
Research Dissertation) and to any career that involves communication skills:

Recognizing and extracting key points from a complex interaction

Writing and formatting in a reader-friendly, concise way

Critical reading of own and others’ work; giving and assessing peer advice

Editing and word-processing skills
Scribing/reviewing assignment deadlines
If you are assigned to scribe in on the seminar that’s on Thursday of week “X” then:
Who
Scribe &
reviewers
Scribe
When
Thursday week X
By Monday week X
(before 15:00 lecture)
Reviewers By Thursday week Y
(before 15:00)
Scribe
By Monday week Y
(before 15:00 lecture)
What
Attend seminar, take good notes
Submit draft to peer reviewers by email & copy
to Lynne Murphy
Review draft and return with comments to the
scriber (by email) and copy to Lynne
Rework your document & post as attachment
in the Seminar Scribing forum on SyD
Important notes/rules on electronic submission of materials:
 Both scribe and reviewers must make sure to COPY ALL EXCHANGE OF
DRAFTS TO THE CONVENOR (lynnem@sussex.ac.uk). These emails are the
evidence of on-time submission. Late penalties will be applied otherwise.
 Please use university email addresses for all module business. Make sure you’re
checking Sussex email in a timely way in order to receive drafts from peers.
 Failures of your personal internet access (can’t get a connection at home, etc.)
are not valid excuses for failure to meet deadlines. Use university services
whenever possible and have alternative plans in case yours fail.
 If Study Direct is by any chance not working when you’re supposed to be
uploading your final version, make sure to email the work to Lynne M so that it’s
not counted as late.
Marking
Task
% of mark
Scribe
80% of total
Review
20% of total
(i.e. each of
your 2 reviews
is worth up to 10
marks)
Includes
 Submitting a complete 1st draft
 Accurately representing the seminar
 Prioritising important info
 Illustrating main points w/ examples/facts
 Reader-friendly flow of info/text
 Proper citation/referencing
 Staying within page limit & other rules (see above)
 Using peer feedback & self-critique—showing
improvement in final draft
 Meeting all deadlines
 Showing good critical insight on what the scribe’s
done well & what could be improved
 Showing understanding of the seminar material (i.e.
catching errors/omissions & not making any yourself)
 Meeting all deadlines
6
Module outline
Q1084 Great Ideas About Language 2014
Each week there is
a lecture on Monday at 15:00 in CHI3 R143
a seminar on Thursday in Fulton 102
The time of your seminar depends on which group you’re in, so please check your
Sussex Direct timetable.
week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
tutor
Lynne M
Lynne M
Lynne C
Melanie
Roberta
Roberta
Lynne M
John
John
Charlotte
Lynne M
topic: The Great Idea(s)
What makes a great idea? Some early ones
Dictionaries and Enlightenment ideas about language
The comparative method and Neo-grammarians
American structuralism to Chomsky’s rationalism
European structuralism and beyond
Functionalism
reading week
The linguistic turn in philosophy
Sociolinguistics
Linguistic relativity
Cognitive linguistics; The new empiricism
Review: The politics of linguistics