Professor: Dr. Lynn Santelmann
Office: 229 East Hall (across the street from Shattuck Hall)
Phone: 725-4140, E-mail: santelmannl@pdx.edu (note: e-mail = last name + FIRST initial)
Office hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2 PM to 3 PM or by appointment
Prerequisites: None
Contacting me outside of office hours: You can send e-mail, call my voice mail or leave a note in my box in East Hall 221. Please leave your number and the best time to call, and I will get back to you. You can call my voice mail or send an e-mail message at any time (24 hours a day!)

Dealing with the on-line portion of the course:
1. Plan ahead. Murphy's Law dictates that failures will happen when you can least afford it. So, give yourself time to try again if there is something wrong with the equipment.
2. Contact me AS SOON AS the problem develops. If I know about it I can help you get around the problem. If it's a problem on my end, the sooner I know about it, the sooner I can get it fixed so you can continue. I will also know then that you have attempted the assignment.
3. For on-line quizzes, contact me ASAP. If I cannot fix the problem, I will reschedule & make copies available.

Required texts:

Available at PSU Bookstore

1. The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker
2. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, edited by David Crystal
3. Language Myths, edited by Laurie Bauer & Peter Trudgill

Course description

This course is a general introduction to the nature and study of human language. This course will explore issues in what it means to learn, speak and understand language, and how our use of language changes through time, culture or social context. Topics to be studied will include: how human language systems differ from animal communication, the basic structure of language, language and cognition, how languages vary across time and across the world, how language is used in social contexts, and how language is learned by children and adults.

This course is designed for students who are not intending further study in linguistics. This means that it will not fulfill the prerequisites for students wishing to continue study in linguistics or considering applying to the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) certificate or Master's program. Linguistics 390 is the course that fulfills the prerequisites for these programs. If you are a Foreign Language major, check with your advisor as to whether they will accept this course for your requirements.
 

Format of Course
This course will be introduce and explore issue through lectures, videos and demonstrations, small group exercises and discussions. Out of class, students will have the opportunity for on-line exercises & quizzes, as well as a chance to follow up on all of the activities with written essays. Please note: The lectures are often designed to parallel, NOT duplicate information covered in the texts. That means that regular attendance is important for your understanding of the material. You will be expected to use examples from class in your written work.
 

Course objectives:

To develop understanding of the basic nature of human language and how human language differs from other communication systems

To understand of a few of the issues and areas that linguists study - language structure, language in social contexts, language variation, language acquisition.

To become more aware of the language around you.

To examine your attitudes toward and beliefs about language.

To become both the diversity and the fundamental similarities among languages.

To learn to argue a position or an opinion and support your position using data.

Student Learning Objectives

At the end of Ling 290, students will be able to:

Unit 1: What is human language ?

Define some of the basic features of language design.

Describe how human language is different from animal communication systems.

Compare and contrast animal communication systems to human language.

Recognize and illustrate basic structural properties sounds, words and sentences.

 

Unit 2: Language and society

Identify, illustrate, and discuss the difference between descriptive and prescriptive grammatical rules.

Identify and discuss common myths about language.

Define dialect (including the standard dialect) and register.

Describe how language use ( register & dialect) is influenced by personal and social identity.

Evaluate consequences (positive and negative) of using a specific register or dialect (including the "standard" dialect) in different social situations.

Examine popular attitudes toward differences between dialects.

 

Unit 3: Language change and comparing languages

Identify and describe several ways in which language changes over time.

Identify and describe how language changes due to contact with other languages.

Define pidgin & creole, illustrate their features and explain how they are related.

Describe several universal properties of languages across the world

Describe several ways languages of the world differ.

Describe and discuss myths and theories of why language changes.

 

Unit 4: Language and humans

List and illustrate the major stages of language acquisition in children.

Define "critical period" and discuss whether a critical period exists for language learning.

• Identify the basic areas of the brain used for language.
• Compare and illustrate the relationship between language and thought.
• Discuss evidence for and against language being innate and uniquely human.
• Compare and contrast chimpanzee's and human's use of human language systems

 
Assignments

You will be evaluated based on your performance on several different assignments during the quarter:

• discussion & discussion reports
• on-line quizzes
• written essays
Please note that assignments are expected to be completed using APA bibliographic style, i.e. using IN TEXT citations for ideas and information that are not your own. Please note: APA style is different from MLA style. For information on how to use APA style, consult the Writing Center's information: http://www.writingcenter.pdx.edu/resources/apa-samples.html

Discussions & In-Class exercises will be both large & small group. These will require you synthesize information from class lectures, completed readings and the videos. At the end of discussions, students will be asked to write a brief report on-line giving the highlights of the discussion; we will then synthesize the reports so that the major points of the discussion are available to all. For in-class exercises, students may be asked to complete portions of the assignment before the next class period.

Discussion & etiquette This course is intended to get you to think about issues of language. Because of that, it is imperative that you participate in discussions, and that you allow your classmates the opportunity to discuss and explore their ideas. Please follow these guidelines:

Please respect others' opinions and their time:

• No personal comments
• No snide comments
• Acknowledge other people's comments
• Call each other by name
• Allow other people time to contribute
Participate fully:
• Prepare (do the readings, come to class) before you participate
• Keep your comments on subject and relevant
• Support your opinions with FACTS and analysis. Opinions alone are not enough.
• Don't be afraid. Sometimes the most profound discussions are based around very simple comments.
• Ask questions if you don't understand.
On-line quizzes will be brief, open-book quizzes to make sure that you understand the basic terminology and concepts that we need for discussions, projects and essays. Quizzes will be done outside of class time; you will have a weekend to complete them.

Essays will be asked to complete several essays during the quarter designed to allow you to synthesize information from class, videos, readings, and discussion, as well as to provide you with an opportunity add your own insights. More detailed instructions will be given in class and on-line. We will briefly discuss each essay in class before the assignment is due.

Schedule of Assignments: All written assignments handed in must be typed (or word-processed) with pages stapled together.

Schedule of Readings: See last page.

Course Grading (You must complete at least 80% of the assignments to pass this course.)

On-line quizzes 10%
Discussion, in-class exercises & reports 30%
Essays 60%
 

Grading Criteria

Discussions will be graded based on contributions posted on the web-site, follow-up reports and in-class assessments. Attendance will be factored in to this grade.

Quizzes will be graded on a percent scale. An A or A- will fall between 91-100% of the points, a B+, B, or B- will fall between 90-81% of the points, a C, C+, or C- will fall between 80% and 71%.

Essays will be graded on an A-F scale. "A" essays will contain (i) clear, concise summaries of background information, (ii) a well developed thesis, (iii) well documented argumentation in support of the thesis and (iv) a clear conclusion. "B" essays will contain 3 of these 4 parts; "C" essays 2 of the 4, "D" essays only one of these.

Policy on Late Assignments

If you are seriously ill or have a family emergency, you must notify me as soon as you know there might be a problem with meeting a deadline. My voice mail and e-mail both work 24 hours a day, so you can call or send a message at any time. If you miss a deadline due to an emergency, I will need a written confirmation (on letterhead) of what the problem was.

The on-line quizzes will only be available for a short period of time (about 3 days). You must take the on-line quiz during this time. No make-ups will be possible, except in cases of emergency as described above.

Discussions will take place in-class on the days assigned. Reports are due the class period after the assigned discussion. No make-up of the in-class discussions are possible.

Late essays will be penalized a letter grade per day (i.e. B to B-). Essays more than 4 days late will not be accepted. NOTE: WEEKENDS COUNT AS 2 DAYS. Thus, if an essay is due on Friday and you turn it in on Monday, that essay is 2 days late!

Incompletes are RARELY given, and only under extreme circumstances (properly documented).

Students with special needs: Please see me if you have a disability that may require some modification of the seating, testing or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Also, call Disabled Students Services at 725-4150 or TDD 725- 6504. I will work with you to arrange needed supports.

Withdrawing from Class: October 19^th is the last day to withdraw without instructor approval. November 16^th is the last day to withdraw with departmental or instructor approval. I understand that students occasionally need to withdraw from a course. If you need to withdraw and you need my signature, please don't hesitate to come see me. You won't have to explain why. If you attend class, even once, and stop coming to class without withdrawing, you will receive a grade of F.