Syllabus
English (CRN 26736) or Linguistics (26804) 315:
Introduction to Linguistics
Spring 2010
Instructor: Professor Tina L. Bennett Room: 104 LH
Office: 603 LH Office phone: (316) 978-6694; home: (316) 686-7687
E-mail: tina.bennett@wichita.edu
Office hours: T R 12:15—1:15, T 3:30-4:30, W 12:30-1:20 and 4:00-5:00 and by appt.
Textbook: Anne Curzan and Michael Adams. How English Works. A Linguistic Introduction. 2nd
edition. Pearson Longman.
Objectives: 1) Familiarize students with the field of linguistics and some of its primary
subfields; 2) demonstrate the variety of linguistic structures and their manifestation in English, in
some cases in comparison with other languages; 3) provide for the acquisition of a solid
foundation in terminology and principles of language structure and use; 4) introduce students to
the empirical methods necessary for thinking objectively about English and other languages.
College of Education students in teacher preparation programs should go
to the web site below for additional needed information:
http://webs.wichita.edu/depttools/depttoolsmemberfiles/COEdHome/C
OEDSyllabusinformation.pdf
Requirements: Reading assignments, exercises, and class participation are expected. There will
also be five quizzes, one comprehensive final examination worth 50 points, and a book review
(50 points) which the student will also summarize orally. The lowest quiz score will be dropped;
each remaining quiz will be worth the equivalent of 25 points for a total of 100. Total points
possible: 200.
Regarding attendance, I recommend that students attend at least 80% of the classes or a
minimum of 12 weeks; it is not necessary to provide excuses for absences unless unavoidable
circumstances arise that cause someone to miss more than three classes. A good principle is to
attend all classes since you never know when an emergency, illness, jury duty, or other
unforeseen event may occur. There also tends to be a strong correlation between poor attendance
and poor grades on quizzes and tests, especially for students who choose not to read the
assignments or try the exercises.
The book review will be of a book of your choice which is pertinent to the subject-matter of the
course and also engages your interest. There are fascinating subfields of linguistics which we
will not have time to cover, such as the evolution of language, second language teaching,
language acquisition, language planning, and bilingualism. If you are especially interested in a
topic, by all means try to find a book that will satisfy your curiosity. More specific guidelines for
the book review will be handed out later in the semester. The oral presentations will take place at
three different points throughout the semester, beginning in March.
Tentative Schedule
1/19 Introductions; syllabus review; goals and expectations. (Text Ch. 1.) Intro to phonetics and
phonology. HW:Ch. 3, pp. 67-82
1/26 Phonetics (con’d). In-class exercises, 3.1 and 3.2. Phonetics quiz (self-graded).
2/2
Quiz #1 on phonetics. Intro to phonology. Ch. 3, pp. 82-96
2/9 Review of quiz #1; Phonology (con’d). In-class exercises 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and others
2/16 Quiz #2 on phonology. Intro. to morphology Ch. 4, pp. 104-116
2/23 Review of quiz #2. Morphology (con’d). Exercises 4.1-4.3. Ch. 4, pp. 116-129.
3/2 Morphology: grammatical and lexical categories. Ch.5, 134-164 Exercises 5.1-5.6. 1st
round book reports
3/9 Quiz # 3 on Morphology. Intro to syntax, Ch. 6, pp. 171-183.
3/16 Spring Break
3/23 Review of quiz #3. Syntax (con’d): Phrase structure trees. Ch. 6 pp. 183-192.
3/30 Syntax (con’d): transformations. 2nd round book reports. Ch. 6, pp. 192-206, plus
exercises.
4/6 Syntax (con’d); Semantics, Ch. 7, pp. 214- 234.
4/13 Quiz #4 on syntax and semantics. Intro to Language variation. Ch. 11-12.
4/20 Review of quiz #4. Historical change in English. Ch. 7, pp. 237-242; Ch. 13.
4/27 Quiz #5. Variation and change. . 3rd round book reports.
5/4
Review quiz #5 and review for final exam.
5/18 FINAL EXAM 5:40-7:30 p.m.