CHU HAI COLLEGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Department of English
Subject:
Subject Code:
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Contact Hours:
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Instructor:
The Chomskian Revolution in Linguistics
ENG 259
Level 2
3 hours per week, 1 term, 3 credits per term
Tuesday, 2:00-4:25pm, Room 307
Winnie Ho [winnieho@chuhai.edu.hk; 2408 7352 (office)]
AIMS
This course aims to explain and evaluate Chomsky’s major contribution to the study of language
and show how various aspects of language may be seen from his perspective. Among other
central topics, the course covers the acquisition and knowledge of language, language variation
and change, surface and deep structures, linguistic communication and linguistic universals. The
course will be based on data from English.
OBJECTIVES
On the completion of the course, students are expected to have a better understanding of:
 the theory and research of Chomskian Linguistics
 the properties of language and the various fields of Chomskian linguistics, focusing on
the studies of language acquisition (how children master their first language, and what's
involved in learning a second language later in life) and transformational-generative
model proposed in Syntactic structures.
 the bases of the contemporary theory of Universal Grammar as it appears in the domain
of natural language syntax
 the use of distributional evidence to construct and evaluate grammatical analysis
 the socio-cultural linguistic system of communities
 the language knowledge in the form of oral and written presentations as well as class
discussions
REFERENCE MATERIALS
1. Smith, Neil V. and Wilson, D (1979). Modern Linguistics: the results of Chomsky’s revolution.
London: Penguin.
2. Smith, Neil V. (1999). Chomsky: Ideas and Ideals. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3. See http://home.chuhai.hk/~winnieho for handouts
ASSESSMENT METHOD
Continuous
Assessment 10%
Linguistic Journals 50%
Quizzes 40%
Pre-reading/preparation, class participation and one seminar/field trip
(details to be announced)
Oral Presentation (10%) and Written presentation (40%)
Quiz 1 (20%) on Topics 1-8 & Quiz 2 (20%) on Topics 9-14
LECTURE SCHEDULE
No.
Date
Oral
Presentation
Topics
Assessments
1
Introduction to ‘Chomskian Revolution’:
21 Jan Transition from structural linguistics to
generative linguistics
Questionnaire
2
28 Jan Review of types of Linguistic Knowledge
Linguistic Journal
Tutorial
3
4
5
Early Corpus Linguistics and the
Chomskian Revolution
18 Feb Chomsky and First Language Acquisition
Chomsky and Second Language
25 Feb Acquisition
11 Feb
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CHU HAI COLLEGE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Department of English
Noam Chomsky VS Nim Chimsky
6
4 Mar (Animal Language Acquisition)
7
11 Mar Sociolinguistics I
8
9
10
11
12
13
18 Mar Sociolinguistics II
25 Mar Chomsky’s Syntax I
1 Apr Chomsky’s Syntax II
8 Apr Chomsky’s Syntax III
15 Apr Chomsky’s Syntax IV
29 Apr Chomsky’s Syntax V
14
13 May For or Against Chomskian Linguistics
15
20 May Revision
Uniting Chomskian Linguistics and
Uniting Chomskian Linguistics and
Deadline for
Linguistic Journal 1
Quiz 1
Deadline for
Linguistic Journal 2
Quiz 2
ADDITIONAL
Teaching Methods
lectures, assignments, group discussions and presentations, reading and listening tasks.
Interactive approach is adopted so as to encourage students’ participation.
Instructions
Students are expected to finish the assigned chapters of the text before coming to lectures in
order to comprehend the lectures and to participate in the class discussion.
Be very careful not to plagiarise: if you quote any ideas or phrases from any source, these should
be acknowledged both in the journal itself and in a bibliography which includes all the sources
you have used. Any plagiarism will result in a 0 grade.
Grades or marks for late assignments will be deducted at a rate of 5% of the total per day. No
assignment will be accepted if the submission is more than one week late.
Linguistic Journals
This is the oral and written description of two areas of linguistics which is of personal interest,
reflecting on your own language using experience AND/OR the language phenomenon you
observe in the community/society and responding to what you have learnt in class. The last
journal needs to be related to Noam Chomsky’s linguistic work. To prepare the journals, students
are highly recommended to refer to the additional readings. The topics are chosen by students
individually.
1 Oral presentation
Time Guide:
10 minutes per person
2 Written presentations
Word Limit: 500 words minimum for each
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