Currently, I am not teaching.

Linguistics 201
Introduction to Language in the Humanities
2006 Spring

Readings | Course Goals | Grading | Special accommodation needs | Schedule | Links || My Homepage


The final exam and the paper are due on Wednesday, June 7 by 5pm.

General Comments on Paper Drafts - The final exam in PDF.

The paper will not be accepted without me seeing its draft. As I said, do not ignore my comments on your draft - incorporate them or persuade me you were right, otherwise you loose points.

Most of the handouts from the class are available from the Schedule below.



Instructor:Jirka Hana
e-mail:(my last name).1@osu.edu
Phone: 292-7343 (office)
Office: Oxley 221
Office hours: Tue 2:00-4:00 or by appointment
My mailbox: Oxley 222
Text: Georgios Tserdanelis, Wai Yi Peggy Wong (eds): Language Files, 9th edition (please bring to classes)
Course www: http://ling.osu.edu/~hana/201/
Time & Place: Mon, Wed 12:30-2:18 in 129 Mendenhall Lab

1  Description and objectives of the course

We will attempt to answer questions like the following ones: The course will attempt to do the following things: The examples used in this course will be taken from various languages, although primarily from English. However, the focus of the course is not on any specific language or languages; rather, it is on properties common to all languages and on ways in which languages may differ.

2  Readings

Readings are to be read before class. Some of the readings will not be covered in class, but homeworks, quizzes and exams will assume that you have read them all. Sometimes I can give you some short additional reading (e.g. an online article), not mentioned in the schedule.

3  Tests, Grading and the like

3.1  Homeworks
On some Wednesdays, a homework will be assigned. It will be due on the following Monday 5 p.m. - you can either print it and give it to me in class or put it into my mailbox or send it to me as e-mail (as PDF, MS Word or plain text). I am not responsible for homeworks that are lost before they reach me. No late homework will be accepted (except extraordinary circumstances).

It is strongly suggested that you work on homeworks in groups of two or three people (write who you worked with at the top of the page). However you have to write it up individually, in your own words. The group is allowed to consult any source except other humans. Each homework will be graded on a scale 0-100%. Incorrect answers are better than no answers. The homework with the lowest grade will be dropped and I calculate the average percentage from the rest.

3.2  Quizzes
There will be several short quizzes. A quiz will cover topics from previous classes and readings (your preparation). You have to work on the quiz on your own and, unless told otherwise, you cannot consult anybody or any book, notes etc. Each quiz will be graded on a scale 0-100%. The quiz with the lowest grade will be dropped, and an average percentage-score will be calculated from the remaining quizzes.

Paper
A short paper (approximately 3 pages) is due with the final exam. The paper must be typed. The suggested topic is Black English (African American Vernacular English) -- its grammar, history and place in the American society. You will be required to integrate information from several serious sources. However, you will also have to add your opinion about the sociological/political issues connected with BE. I will not grade your opinions but the way you can support them. You are required to turn in an outline of the paper and a list of sources by the 6th week and a preliminary draft by the 8th week of class. Exact details will be given to you by the end of the 3rd week. If you strongly prefer some other topic, discuss it with me by the end of the 3rd week.
3.3  Exams
There will a midterm and a final exam. Both exams will be cumulative; midterm will be in-class, final will be take-home. You have to work on the exams on your own.

3.4  Linguistics outside of the classroom
Information concerning this requirement can be viewed here. Overall, you must do one of the following: You must complete a questionnaire for each experiment/talk and submit them to me as soon as possible but not later than the last day of regularly scheduled classes for the quarter. If your schedule makes it impossible to fulfill the requirements, you may be eligible for an alternative written assignment, if you talk to me by the end of the second week.

3.5  Active class participation
"Active participation" refers to your comments and questions during class, your answers to my questions, etc. I do not keep track of whether your answers, etc. are correct, but simply whether or not you participate.
If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get reliable notes from a fellow student. Do not ask me what any missed lecture was about. Lectures won't be repeated for anyone.
3.6  Make-up policy
If there are extraordinary circumstances and you have to miss a quiz/exam, contact me, preferably in advance, by e-mail. Retakes will be scheduled within one week after the original quiz/exam and will be oral.

3.7  Grading
Homeworks 0-150
Quizzes 0-100
Midterm 0-200
Final 0-200
Paper 0-200
Linguistics outside of the classroom 0-50
Active class participation 0-100
Total: 0-1000

    B+ 899-870 C+ 799-770 D+ 699-670
A 1000-930 B 869-830 C 769-730 D 600-669
A– 929-900 B– 829-800 C– 729-700 E 599-0

As an example, consider a student who gets the following percentages from quizzes: 90, 50, 80 and 100%. I drop the lowest one (50%), calculate the average from the rest (this comes to 90%) and so the student gets, overall, 180 points for quizzes (90% of 200).

4  Special accommodation needs

Any student who feels he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to discuss his or her specific needs. In coordination with Office for Disability Services I will be more than willing to help.

5  Schedule

The free Acrobat Reader to view the PDF files, can be downloaded here.

Week   Date Topic Reading Handouts Other
1 M 03-27 Course overview and organization   [PDF]  
  W 03-29 Introduction 1 [PDF]  
2 M 04-03 Animal communication 2 [PDF]  
  W 04-05 Pragmatics - Language and Context 8 (skip 8.2, 8.6) [PDF]  
3 M 04-10 Semantics - Language and Meaning 7 (skip 7.4), 15.3 [PDF]  
  W 04-12 Syntax - Sentence structure 6.1, 6.2, 6.4.1 [PDF]  
4 M 04-17 Syntax 6.3-6.6 (may skip 6.5) [PDF]  
  W 04-19 Syntax   [PDF]  
5 M 04-24 Phonetics - Language sounds 3.1-3.6 [PDF]  
  W 04-26 Midterm      
6 M 05-01 Phonetics 3.7-3.10    
  W 05-03 Phonology - Sound pattern 4 [PDF] Paper outline due
7 M 05-08 Morphology - Word structure 5 [PDF] HW due LF 3.6 ex 5 u-nn, ex 6 ee-hhh, 8
  W 05-10        
8 M 05-15 Language Change 11.1, 12 (skip 12.2) [PDF]  
  W 05-17 Language Variation 10   HW due LF 4.5 ex 1.6 Korean; 5.6 ex 1.1 Turkish (Solution); Friday: Rough paper draft due
9 M 05-22 Language Variation   [AAVE], [Comments on Drafts]  
  W 05-24 Language and Mind 9 [PDF]  
10 M 05-29 Memorial Day      
  W 05-31 Language and Computers; Summary 14, 11.5 [PDF] HW due: instructions"

6  Links

Language Files Links
FAQ about Linguistics
Contemporary Linguistics Links Course for Beginners ->
This document was translated from LATEX by HEVEA.