Introduction to Linguistic Theory

Linguistics 201
Fall 2002, Lecture Section 7
TuTh 1.00-2.15, Herter 118
 
Instructor: Meredith Landman
Email: landman@linguist.umass.edu
Office: 501 South College
Office hours: Tu 2.30-3.30

Course description. This course is an introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. We will focus on some basic questions about language: What do we actually know when we know a language? How is the structure of language best described? Are there properties which all languages share, and what do those properties tell us about language itself?

Many linguists believe that linguistic knowledge is organized into different modules: knowledge of pronunciation (phonetics, phonology), knowledge of words (morphology), knowledge of sentences (syntax), and knowledge of meaning (semantics). Most of the course will be devoted to investigating these modules. We will also spend some time talking about how children acquire language (language acquisition).

Required Text. O’Grady, et. al. 1997. Contemporary Linguistics. [4th Edition]. Available at the Textbook Annex.

Course requirements and grading.

• Homework (50%). Homework assignments will teach you how to do linguistics more than anything else. Assignments will typically be assigned on a Thursday and due at the beginning of class the following Thursday. Assignments should be typed, unless they require special characters (e.g., phonetics fonts, syntactic trees, etc.). You may work together, as long as you: (i) write the name of the person who you worked with at the top of the page below yours; (ii) write up the assignment you turn in on your own.
  
• Exams (40%). The first exam (on Phonetics and Phonology) will be given approximately halfway through the course; the second (on Morphology and Syntax) on the last day of class. You will be given plenty of time to prepare for the exams. There will be no make-up exams.
  
• Quiz (10%). There will be one phonetics quiz within the first three weeks of the course. You will be given a week in advance to prepare for it.
  
• Attendance. To do well in this course it is essential that you attend all classes. Lectures will frequently cover material not available in the textbook. If you become sick or other trouble prevents you from attending class, you must let me know ahead of time.
  

  Academic Honesty. Be aware of university regulations on academic honesty. Ask me when in doubt. The following are considered to be cheating:

  • copying or sharing all or part of a homework assignment;
    
  • copying answers from books;
    
  • copying or sharing information during an exam.