LING 15 – Introduction to Linguistics

Instructor: Richard Abend

Office: Hu 104

Office Phone: 831 646-4112

Email: rabend@mpc.edu

Class Text: A Concise Introduction to Linguistics, Second Edition, ©2009, Pearson Education, Inc. Authors: Bruce M. Rowe and Diane P. Levine

The text is available from the MPC Bookstore or online at Amazon.com, etc.

OVERVIEW:

Linguistics is defined as the Science of Language and like all sciences, it has various branches. For example, the study of the sounds of language is one very large part of linguistics and is divided into two separate areas: phonetics and phonology. Linguistics also has branches that examine words (morphology), how words are combined into phrases and sentences (syntax), the meanings of words and phrases (semantics) and how context affects meaning (pragmatics). Other areas of linguistics focus on language use by specific groups of people (sociolinguistics) and the effect a language has on its users (linguistic anthropology). Language learning (language acquisition), sign language, written forms of language, and communicating without words (nonverbal communication) are other branches of the science of language. Linguistics also examines how languages are related to each other and how languages change over time (historical linguistics).

Our class will introduce each of these core areas of linguistics to you. Please, don’t be intimidated! As a native speaker of a language, you possess tremendous knowledge about language. As a matter of fact, you already know more about your own language than the entire field of linguistics has discovered. Unfortunately, you are not consciously aware of what you already perfectly know! But, this class will help you see it.

Enjoy our class and please stay in contact with me and the rest of our group. It’s too easy to get lost in cyber-space, and remember that you are not alone. We are all in this together! I enjoy teaching and especially enjoy linguistics, so please feel free to contact me as often as you like. I want you to succeed and also to enjoy our class. Let me help you do that.

To keep our class manageable, each week will be organized similarly. Each Monday morning by 8 am, the week’s activities will be ready for you on our class’ homepage. You will find links to that week’s READING, FORUM (Discussion Board), and other activities. There will also be links for you to SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS and take QUIZZES. We will exchange very few actual papers during the semester. Almost everything will be completed electronically. Of course, save all your files because things sometimes do get lost. 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the conclusion of this class, you will be able to

· Use the common vocabulary of linguistics

· Define Language and describe its systematic nature.

GRADING:

This course awards letter grades (LG) unless you opt to receive a Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) grade. Discuss this option with a counselor if you are considering it. A special “Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) Grade Request Form” must be submitted during the first weeks of the semester to be eligible for this option. The grading scale is

A or CR = 100 – 90%

B or CR = 89 – 80%

C or CR = 79 – 70%

D or NC = 69 – 60%

F or NC = 59% or lower

Grades are calculated by the following formula:

*Forums =  10% of the total grade

*(There are weekly forums during the semester.  For each forum missed, 1% will be deducted from the final grade.)

Quizzes = 60% of the total grade

Final Project = 30% of the total grade

SYLLABUS:

                              WEEK ONE –

§ FORUM I – “Class Self-Introductions”

§ FORUM II –

§ CHAPTER ONE – “The Nature of Communication”

                             WEEK TWO –

§ FORUM –

§ CHAPTER TWO – “Phonetics”

§ CHAPTER ONE QUIZ

                             WEEK THREE –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER THREE – “Phonology”

§ CHAPTER TWO QUIZ

                             WEEK FOUR –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER FOUR – “The Morphological Component”

§ CHAPTER THREE QUIZ

                             WEEK FIVE –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER FIVE – “Syntax”

§ CHAPTER FOUR QUIZ

                              WEEK SIX –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER FIVE – “Syntax”

WEEK SEVEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER SIX – “Semantics and Pragmatics”

§ CHAPTER FIVE QUIZ

                              WEEK EIGHT –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER SEVEN – “Sociolinguistics and Linguistic Anthropology”

§ CHAPTER SIX QUIZ

                              WEEK NINE –

§ FORUM

                              WEEK TEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER EIGHT – “Language Acquisition”

§ CHAPTER SEVEN QUIZ

                              WEEK ELEVEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER NINE – “Sign Language”

§ CHAPTER EIGHT QUIZ

                              WEEK TWELVE –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER TEN – “Writing Systems”

§ CHAPTER NINE QUIZ

§ FINAL PROJECT ANNOUNCED

                              WEEK THIRTEEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER ELEVEN – “Nonverbal Communication”

§ CHAPTER TEN QUIZ

                              WEEK FOURTEEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER ELEVEN – “Nonverbal Communication”

                              WEEK FIFTEEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER TWELVE – “Historical Linguistics”

§ CHAPTER ELEVEN QUIZ

                              WEEK SIXTEEN –

§ FORUM

§ CHAPTER TWELVE QUIZ

§ FINAL PROJECT DUE