LIN 200: Introduction to Language
This course is a general-interest course on language and an introduction to the study of language. We look at topics such as universal properties and
origins of human language, the social and psychological aspects of language, language acquisition in children and adults, dialects and language
variation, writing systems and how language changes over time, with special reference to the history of English. The course also includes an introduction
to the structure of language (phonology, morphology, and syntax) and to scientific linguistic methodology. It is divided into two parts: The Formalisms of
Language and Usages of Language, with the first enabling a more systematic examination of the second. Class meetings are a combination of lecture
and discussion. Tutorials will be used primarily for discussing completed homework assignments and also for clarification and review of lecture topics.
Meeting time and place
In Fall 2009, LIN 200 meets on Thursday mornings, 9–11:00 a.m. in the North Building, Room 292.
Obligatory tutorials are Mondays 1:00, 2:00 and 3:00 or Tuesdays 3:00, 4:00 and 5:00 (but not the first week!). Locations for the tutorials can be
found at: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/regcal/WEBCOURSELIN200H5.pl (click on 2009 Fall/2010 Winter Timetable – you might be asked to log in
with your UTOR ID). This syllabus can also be downloaded from that page by clicking on the “page” icon next to LEC0101). Please attend the
tutorial you are registered for. If you must attend a tutorial section other than the one you are registered for due to scheduling conflicts, please let
your TA know.
Contacting the instructor
Bridget Jankowski
Office: North Building 261C
905-828-3770 (not the best way to reach me!!)
bridget.jankowski@utoronto.ca
Office hours: TBA. D uring scheduled office hours, no appt. is needed,
(Expect responses within 24 hours, and only
you can just drop by. If these times don’t work, please contact me to
during normal business hours.)
make an appointment.
Please feel free to contact me outside of class if there is something you want to discuss or anything you don't understand. If you will miss class,
get the homework AHEAD OF TIME so that you are not behind when you return. Arrange to get lecture notes from another student BEFORE
coming to talk to me about what you missed.
Course Website and Announcements
The course website is accessible at http://portal.utoronto.ca. You are expected to check it regularly, as non-textbook required readings, assignments,
lecture notes, announcements and this syllabus will be posted there. You must have a UTOR ID and a university-issued email address linked to
your Blackboard account in order to receive course-related emails, such as announcements via Blackboard.
Course expectations
I expect students to be responsible and pro-active about their learning. Besides attending lecture and tutorial each week, there are a number of
ways to make sure you learn the material and get something useful out of the course. These inc lude:
looking for examples in your daily life of the phenomena that we discuss -- listen to how people talk
participating in tutorials
re-reading any difficult material
doing homework promptly
coming to office hours when you have questions
forming study groups with other students
Reading
It is important to keep up with the reading: read the chapters listed on the syllabus by the date for which they are listed. This way, you can ask
questions in class about anything that is not clear. We will discuss most topics in class. Bring your book to class. Please check the syllabus each
week for updates. I reserve the right to add or change readings up to a week before the relevant lecture. I will announce any changes in lecture
and post an announcement on Blackboard. Please double-check!
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Fromkin, V., R. Rodman, N. Hyams & K. Humell. 2006. An Introduction to Language, 3rd Canadian ed. Thomson Nelson.
This textbook is available at The UTM Bookstore. The library call number is P106 .F75 2006
OTHER REQUIRED READINGS (available for download from Blackboard):
•
From Walters, K. & M. Brody. 2005. What's language got to do with it? Norton.
o
Crystal, David. Why a global language? 504-515.
o
Duff-Brown, Beth. Customer service calls routed to India. 516-519.
o
Chu, Henry. Taiwan's toddlers learn English. 520-522.
o
Zhu, Derek. Konglish: It's not that bad. 523-524.
o
Tagliabue, John. In Europe, going global means, alas, English. 531-534.
o
Willer, Lynda. Welcome to your world, baby. 336-346.
o
Eckert, Penny & Sally McConnell-Ginet. Learning to be gendered. 347-360.
•
From Eschholz, P., A. Rosa & V. Clark. 2005. Language Awareness. Bedford St. Martins.
o
Thompson, Clive. He and She: What's the real difference? 322-325.
Participation
Although it may be difficult in a large lecture hall, students should try to participate in class, both by asking and answering questions. This is a
good opportunity for you and the instructor to see what concepts are still murky for some people. Remember, in a class of this size, if you are
unclear on something, you’re probably not the only one. However, your participation grade will be determined by your attendance and
participation in the tutorials, assigned by the instructor in consultation with the TA. This will involve hands-on problem-solving and time to ask
questions about the homework and course materials. TAs will keep track of attendance and note who participates frequently. You are also
encouraged to meet with the instructor during office hours to discuss course material and related topics. This also counts as participation. You
may also post items to the class via Blackboard. For example, if you find an interesting and linguistically-relevant article online, tell us about it.
Homework
• You are strongly encouraged to work in pairs (no more than two people) so that you can discuss the concepts and hand in one set of answers.
• Assignments will be announced in class and posted on Blackboard. The weekly assignments are due at the beginning of your tutorial on the
Monday or Tuesday after each is listed on the syllabus. Homework will be accepted early, but not late. Please bring two copies of each
assignment to tutorial - one to hand in and one to discuss during the tutorial.
• If you have clear handwriting, you may handwrite assignments. Otherwise, please type. Make sure your name(s), student number(s), and tutorial
number(s) are at the top of each assignment. If you are working with someone in your own tutorial, please put both student names and numbers
on the assignment and hand in one copy. If you choose to work with someone in another tutorial, you can hand in separate copies, but put both
names on the assignment, so that we know who you worked with. Homework marks are based primarily on whether you complete the homework,
rather than on how good your answers are. This will be discussed further in class once you receive back your first homework.
Exams
There will be a closed-book mid-term test given during tutorial (see syllabus for dates) and a final exam during the final exam period. The date,
time and place for the final exam will be posted on Blackboard as soon as I know.
Further information about course polic ies and procedures is available in Blackboard. Please read it.
Grading
Your grade for the semester will be calculated as shown. Your grade can go up or down significantly depending on attendance and participation
in tutorials. So, be there and join the discussions!
Homework assignments (weekly)
25%
Midterm Test (October 19-20, in tutorial)
30%
Final Exam (TBA)
35%
Participation & attendance (in tutorial)
10%
Email Policy:
Be sure to sign your email (first and last name) and fill in the Subject header in a useful way so I can tell what the message is. I usually check and
respond to email several times a day, Mon-Fri. Do not expect immediate responses, or any responses on nights and weekends.
• Email is NOT for turning in assignments unless prior arrangements have been made. Hard copies must be submitted unless otherwise specified.
• If you ask a question that is answered in Blackboard for you, I will not respond.
• Please use Blackboard's Email function to contact me by email.
• We will not discuss grades by email. You'll need to come to office hours for that.
Please be sure that your @utoronto.ca address is entered in ROSI and write to me from this address. Otherwise, your message my wind up in my
spam folder. Note that you must have a UTOR ID and a university-issued email address in order to receive course-related emails, such as
announcements, via Blackboard. Please ensure a v alid university-issued email address is accessible to me through Blackboard, since this
is only way you can receive course-related emails. The course staff is not responsible for time-sensitive or critical missed emails that are
forwarded to, or sent from, a non-university-issued email address (including Hotmail, Gmail, etc).
Absences
• Tutorial session: If you cannot attend your scheduled tutorial when an assignment is due, you may leave your completed assignment in the linguistics
drop-box (box #265, North building, second floor stairwell). If you leave it in the drop-box you must inform the instructor of this by email, stating when it
was left. Please ensure that your assignment has been successfully received (i.e., if you do not receive a confirmation, it means that it was not received).
Do not fax or leave assignments with administrative staff. Absences without documentation will adversely affect your attendance and participation mark.
Appropriate documentation is a doctor’s note or for other emergencies, a Registrar’s note.
• Homework assignments received after the tutorial will not be graded. Valid exceptions such as illnesses require appropriate documentation.
• Midterm test: If you are unable to write the midterm at the scheduled time due to illness or other reasons genuinely beyond your control, it is your
responsibility to inform the instructor of your situation. In order to for allowance to be considered, you must contact the instructor within one week of the
scheduled exam, providing appropriate documentation. At the instructors’ discretion and depending on scheduling constraints, either a makeup test will be
arranged, or else the test will be dropped from the calculation of your final mark and the remaining portions of your grade re-weighted accordingly. If you
miss the final exam, you must submit a petition for a deferred exam through the Registrar’s Office.
The University of Toronto’s Grading Practice Policy states that:
• Grades should always be based on the approved grade scales. However, students may find that on any one evaluation they may receive a numerical or
letter mark that reflects the score achieved on the test or essay. The cumulative scores may not be directly identified with the final grade. Grades are final
only after review by the divisional review committee [...].
Students (and instructors and T.A.s) are expected to be familiar with, and to abide by, the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters and all other relevant
University regulations. The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters can be found in the calendar for 2009-10. The University of Toronto is serious in its
efforts to ensure academic honesty. A document containing information on plagiarism is posted on the online calendar: http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/regcal/
Week
Tutorial (Monday & Tuesday)
Lecture (Thursday) Topic
1
September 7–8: No tutorials (Monday is Labour Day).
September 10: Introduction
Lecture Reading (Read for THIS WEEK's lecture)
FRHH Ch. 1. Get and study textbook – know all its parts.
Check out the class Blackboard site. HW1 assigned.
The formalisms of Language
September 14–15: Introduction, HW 1 due.
September 21–22: Morphology, HW 2 due, HW 1
returned.
September 17: Morphology
4
September 28–29: Syntax, HW 3 due, HW 2 returned.
October 1: Phonetics
FRHH Ch. 5: 195-223, 229-233. HW 4 assigned.
5
October 5–6: Phonetics, HW 4 due, HW 3 returned.
October 8: Phonology
FRHH Ch. 6: 239-249, 259-282, 287-289, 292-295. HW 5
assigned.
6
October 12–13: No tutorials (Monday is
Thanksgiving).
HW 5 due to drop box by Tuesday afternoon.
October 15: Dialects & Registers
2
3
September 24: Syntax
FRHH Ch. 2: 33-51; 57-72. HW 2 assigned.
FRHH Ch. 3: 81-94, 99-115, 127-128. HW 3 assigned.
FRHH Ch. 11: 477-497, 509-513, 523-5. (No HW assigned –
HW 5 to be reviewed in lecture.)
Usages of Language
7
October 19–20: Mid-term Test in tutorial, HW 4 & 5
returned
October 22: Contact & change
8
October 26–27: Socio, HW 6 due, Midterm returned.
October 29: Globalizing English
9
November 2–3: Globalizing, HW 7 due, HW 6 returned.
10
November 9–10: Acquisition, HW 8 due, HW 7
returned.
November 5: 1st language
acquisition
November 13: 2nd language
acquisition
11
November 16–17: Acquisition, HW 9 due, HW8
returned.
November 19: Language &
gender
FRHH Ch. 12: 534-542, 547-566, 571-573, 576-577. HW 6
assigned.
Crystal (in Walters & Brody 504-514)
Duff-Brown (in Walters & Brody 516-518)
Chu (in Walters & Brody 520-521)
Zhu (in Walters & Brody 523-524)
Tagliabue (in Walters & Brody 531-533)
HW 7 assigned.
FRHH Ch. 7: 307-334, 340-341. HW 8 assigned.
FRHH Ch. 8: 347-350, 363-377, 391-398. HW 9 assigned.
Willer (in Walters & Brody 336-346)
Eckert & McConnell-Ginet (in Walters & Brody 347-360)
Thompson (in Language Awareness 322-5)
HW 10 assigned.
November 26: Language &
FRHH Ch. 13: 586-616. (No HW assigned.)
writing
December 1 – 6: Study Break (No tutorial on Monday November 30).
Final exam: TBA
Readings labeled "FRHH" are in Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams & Hummell. 2006. An Introduction to Language, 3rd Canadian ed. Thomson Nelson.
12
November 23–24: Gender, HW 10 due, HW 9 returned.