Room: LI 108
ENGL 452.001: The Structure of English
Time: TuTh 9:30-10:45 Professor: Dr. C. Cain
Office Hrs: LI 218C
TuTh 8:20-9:20;
12:30-1:30
and by appointment
Phone: 410.704.3915
E-mail: ccain@towson.edu
Purpose of the Course
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to aspects of the study of the English language. The course focuses on the core areas of linguistic study—phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics—but includes extensions into related matters, such as variation and dialects, pedagogical concerns, and linguistic theory. The course is designed for students who have little or no familiarity with the scientific study of language.
Goals for the Course

Acquire an appreciation for the centrality of the study of the English language to larger concerns, including English studies and pedagogical applications.

Acquire an understanding of the nature of language and the role of linguistics.

Achieve a working familiarity with English phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.

Acquire an understanding of linguistic variation and dialects in English.
Text
Brinton, Laurel J. 2000. The structure of Modern English: a linguistic introduction .
Amsterdam: John Benjamins. (with accompanying CD-ROM workbook)
Web Site
<http://pages.towson.edu/ccain/452.htm> Consult the syllabus, review announcements, download fonts, browse resources, etc.
Attendance
More than four absences will result in a grade of F for the course.
Requirements and Grading
Four tests (20% each / 80% total)
Homework (20%)
Homework
The homework is designed to facilitate a better understanding of the concepts introduced in the textbook and in class. Students who consistently fail to complete the homework will struggle in this class. Homework is due on the day it is assigned (see the schedule below). Late homework will not be accepted for any reason
—“late” refers to

any time after the class meeting of the day on which the assignment is due. If you know that you cannot attend a class meeting on a day for which homework has been assigned, notify me before that class meeting so that I can accept your homework.
Evaluation of Homework
Again, the homework assignments are intended to help you understand the material we’ll be reading and discussing. The answers to the homework exercises are included on the CD-ROM containing the workbook that accompanies our textbook. Naturally, you should only check your answers after you’ve made an earnest attempt to complete the homework assignment, since it will not help you to understand the material if you mindlessly copy the answers. Accordingly, individual homework assignments will not be evaluated on a percentage basis. Students who turn in homework assignments on time and completed in full will receive full credit; students who either fail to submit homework on time or who do not complete it in full will receive no credit (i.e., it’s all or nothing). So, for example, there are eighteen homework assignments over the semester.
A student who turns in all eighteen assignments on time and in full will have an average of 100 calculated as 20% of the final grade, per the grading scheme above. A student who has fifteen homework assignments (because three were either not submitted on time or not completed in full) will have an average of 83 calculated as 20% of the final grade, per the grading scheme above.
Making Up Tests
Only students who notify me ahead of time that they must miss a class meeting for which a test has been scheduled will be allowed to make up a test.
Schedule
We will do our best to keep the schedule below; however, it may be necessary to make minor alterations as appropriate reasons dictate. This is a comprehensive guide to what we will be doing on a day-to-day basis this semester, so there is no excuse for being unprepared. Readings and homework assignments should be completed by the date on which they are assigned.
Date Topic Reading Homework
Tu 1/27 Welcome and introduction;
The nature of language and linguistics
Th 1/29 The nature of language and linguistics
Ch. 1 1.1, 1.2
Tu 2/3 The sound of English: phonetics—consonants
Th 2/5 The sound of English: phonetics—vowels and transcription
Tu 2/10 The sound patterns of English: phonology—phonemic rules
Ch. 2
Ch. 2
Ch.3
2.2
2.3, 2.4, 2.5

Th 2/12 The sound patterns of English: phonology—processes
Tu 2/17 The sound patterns of English: phonology—stress and syllable structure
Ch. 3
Ch. 3
Th 2/19 Exam 1
Tu 2/24 Words and word formation in
English: morphology—words and morphemes
Th 2/26 Words and word formation in
English: morphology— processes
Tu 3/29 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—NP, AP,
AdvP, PP
Th 4/1 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—VP
Ch. 4
Ch. 4
Tu 3/2 Grammatical Categories and
Word Classes in English
Th 3/4 Grammatical Categories and
Word Classes in English
Tu 3/9 The Analysis of Meaning in
English: semantics
Th 3/11 The Analysis of Meaning in
English: semantics
Tu 3/16 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—phrase structure
Th 3/18 Exam 2
Tu 3/23
Th 3/25
Ch. 5
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Spring break
Ch. 7
Ch. 7
Ch. 8 Tu 4/6 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—adverbials and post-verbal PPs
Th 4/8 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—AUX
Tu 4/13 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax— passivization, yes/no questions, negation, imperatives
Th 4/15 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—finite clauses ( that— , adverbial clauses)
Ch. 8
Ch. 8
Ch. 9
3.1
3.2
3.3, 3.5
4.1, 4.2, 4.3,
4.4
4.6, 4.7, 4.8,
4.9
5.3, 5.5
6.2, 6.3
7.1, 7.2
7.3
7.4, 7.5
8.1, 8.2
8.3, 8.4
8.5, 8.6

Tu 4/20 Exam 3
Th 4/22 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—finite clauses ( wh —clauses)
Tu 4/27 The Structure of English
Sentences: syntax—non-finite clauses
Th 4/29 Variation in English: dialect—
Tu 5/4
Th 5/6
American English
Variation in English: dialect—
American English
Variation in English: sociolect—African American
English
Tu 5/11 Variation in English: pedagogical implications
Th 5/13 Final exam—8:00-10:00 a.m.
Ch. 9
Ch. 9
Handout, “Regional
Dialects”
Handout, “Regional
Dialects”
Handout,
“Language Among
Black Americans”
Handout, “The
Ebonics
Controversy”
Handout, “Using the Vernacular to
Teach the
Standard”
9.1, 9.2
9.3, 9.4, 9.5