Use it to keep track of what we've done and where we're going.
See also the schedule of topics for an overview.
M Jan 10
- Covered: Introduction to the course; What is linguistics?
[outline]
- Handout - Course information and policies
- Reading: CL Ch 1, especially sec 3
- Assignment: Homework #1, due F Jan 14 in recitation
W Jan 12
- Covered: Languages and dialects; language attitudes [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 2, sec 1-4, plus Table 2.16 on p 39
- Assignment: Homework #1, due F Jan 14 in recitation
M Jan 17
-
Holiday -- No class
W Jan 19
- Covered: Why we need phonetic symbols; the vocal tract
[outline]
- Interactive vocal-tract model, by Daniel Hall
- Reading: CL Ch 2, sec 5
- Assignment: Homework #2, due M Jan 24 at the beginning of lecture
M Jan 24
- Covered: Consonant properties [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 2, sec 6
- Here is more information about American English vowels (includes audio files)
W Jan 26
- Covered: Vowel properties [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 3, sec 1-3
- Assignment: Homework #3, due M Jan 31 at the beginning of lecture
M Jan 31
- Covered: Phonemes and allophones; natural classes [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 3, sec 6 -- don't worry about the fine details of syllable structure; just try to see how the phonological rules relate to the language examples
- CL Ch 3, Appendix
- Review CL Ch 3, sec 1-3
- Prepare: Work out the natural-class practice examples on the last slide from today's outline, and prepare to discuss on Wednesday
W Feb 2
- Covered: Complementary distribution; Phonological rules [outline | Spanish and Korean data sets]
- FYI: There is no new reading for Monday's lecture; we will discuss this Greek data set, which you may want to print out and bring on paper
- Assignment: Homework #4, due M Feb 7 at the beginning of lecture
- Practice: Keep drilling sound symbols and properties, so that when you're looking for a natural class in a phonology problem, you can find it!
M Feb 7
- Covered: Working with phonological rules and natural classes [outline (corrected 5pm) | Greek data set]
- Prepare: We found the environments for [k], [ç], [c], and [x] in the Greek data set; see if you can complete the analysis for discussion on Wed
- Upcoming: EXAM #1 is on M Feb 14
- More information about the exam will be provided in Wednesday's lecture
- Bring questions about the material to your recitation on Friday
W Feb 9
- Covered: Working with phonological rules and natural classes, cont. [outline]
- Prepare: EXAM #1 is on M Feb 14
- Study guide
- Bring questions about the material to your recitation on Friday
M Feb 14
- EXAM #1
- FYI: We will discuss this Swahili data set in class on Wednesday; you may wish to bring a print-out for making notes
W Feb 16
- Covered: Introduction to morphology [outline (corrected 5:30pm) | Swahili | Spanish]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 5, sec 1.1, "Categories of words"
- CL Ch 4, sec 1, "Words and word structure"
- Assignment: Homework #5, due M Feb 21 at the beginning of lecture
M Feb 21
- Covered: Word structure [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 4, sec 2, "Derivation" (sec 2.2 won't be on the exam but might be useful to read)
- CL Ch 4, sec 3, "Compounding"
- CL Ch 4, sec 4, "Inflection"
W Feb 23
- Covered: Derivation, inflection, and compounding [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 4, sec 6, "Morphophonemics"
- Review CL Ch 4, pp 120-121 on infixes
- Assignment: Homework #6, due M Feb 28 at the beginning of lecture
M Feb 28
- Covered:
[outline]
- Morphology and phonology
- Introduction to syntax
- Reading: CL Ch 5, sec 1
- Sec 1.1 is review (word categories)
- Sec 1.2-1.4 are new material -- read carefully!
W Mar 2
- Covered: Phrase structure, constituency tests [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 5, sec 2, "Complement options"
- CL Ch 5, sec 5.2, "Modifiers"
- CL Ch 6, sec 3.2, "Structural ambiguity"
- Assignment: Homework #7, due M Mar 14 at the beginning of lecture
M Mar 7 ~ W Mar 9
-
Spring Break -- No class
M Mar 14
- Covered: Structural ambiguity; modifiers; complement options [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 5, sec 3, "Move"
W Mar 16
- Covered: Movement: Questions [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 5, sec 4, "Universal Grammar and parametric variation"
- Assignment: Homework #8, due M Mar 21 at the beginning of lecture
M Mar 21
- Covered: Syntax beyond English [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 6, intro (p 203)
- CL Ch 6, sec 1.1, "Semantic relations among words"
- CL Ch 6, sec 1.3, "What is meaning?"
- CL Ch 6, sec 3.3, "Thematic roles"
W Mar 23
- Covered: Intro to semantics; Morpheme and word meaning [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 6, sec 1.2, "Semantic relations involving sentences"
- Assignment: Homework #9, due M Mar 28 at the beginning of lecture
M Mar 28
- Covered: Sentence meaning; Truth conditions [outline] [outline supplement]
- Reading: CL Ch 6, sec 4; focus on 4.1 and 4.4
- Upcoming: EXAM #2 is on M Apr 4
- More information about the exam will be provided in Wednesday's lecture
- Bring questions about the material to your recitation on Friday
W Mar 30
- Covered: Presupposition; Conversational maxims [outline]
- Upcoming: EXAM #2 is on M Apr 4
- Study guide
- Bring questions about the material to your recitation on Friday
M Apr 4
- EXAM #2
W Apr 6
- Covered: Child language acquisition: Basic concepts and research methods [outline]
- Reading:
- Background from today's lecture (make sure to read)
- CL Ch 10, sec 1, "The study of language acquisition"
- CL Ch 10, sec 6, "What makes language acquisition possible?" (to be discussed also Monday)
- New reading -- due for Friday and Monday
- CL Ch 10, sec 2, "Phonological development"
- CL Ch 10, sec 4, "Morphological development"
- CL Ch 10, sec 5.1-5.4, "Syntactic development"
- Background from today's lecture (make sure to read)
- Assignment: Homework #10, due M Apr 11 at the beginning of lecture
- FYI: Participants wanted for a linguistics experiment
M Apr 11
- Covered: Mental grammar in acquisition; Universal Grammar [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 14, chapter intro
- CL Ch 14, sec 1-4
- CL Ch 14, sec 6
W Apr 13
- Covered: Language variation; Language in social contexts [outline]
- Reading:
- CL Ch 7, sec 1, "The nature of language change" (read carefully)
- CL Ch 7, sec 2, "Sound change" (read 2.4 carefully and skim the rest)
- CL Ch 7, sec 3-5, "Morphological/syntactic/semantic change" (skim)
- Assignment: Homework #11, due
M Apr 18 at the beginning of lecture
- Note: Part of this assignment is a language variation survey (PDF). You need to collect your survey data and bring it to recitation on Friday (for your participation grade that day). Then, you are asked to write up your survey results as part of your homework to turn in on Monday.
M Apr 18
- Covered: Mental grammar in historical language change [outline]
- Reading: CL Ch 7, sec 7
W Apr 20
- Covered: Language families; comparative reconstruction [outline]
- Prepare: Final-exam review session in recitation on Monday
- Prepare a question or a topic to review during your recitation
- Study guide -- Use this as a reminder of what topics have been covered and emphasized
- Very useful handout: "Test-taking strategies to help you in college," by Alice
M Apr 25
- RECITATION -- classrooms as follows
- 601 (Alice) -- Hanes 120 (our normal lecture classroom)
- 602 (Justin) -- Phillips 222
- 603 (Emily) -- Greenlaw 317 (the usual Fri rec classroom)
- 604 (Amy) -- Phillips 220 (the usual Fri rec classroom)
- Covered: Overall conclusions; what to remember about human language [outline]
- Prepare: Final exam on F Apr 29 at noon in Hanes 120
- Study guide -- Use this as a reminder of what topics have been covered and emphasized
- Very useful handout: "Test-taking strategies to help you in college," by Alice