Instructor
Chris Colburn, Ph.D.
Office: World Languages Office
Office phone: 630-907-5017
email: cmc@imsa.edu
AIM: DrCoachChris
Office Hours: 11:30am-noon and 1:20-2pm A/C days;
11:30am-12:30pm D days;
other times by appointment only

Course Objectives
This course is designed to be a broad-based overview of the scientific study of language. The topics we will cover during the course include the "core" areas of linguistic theory (morphology, syntax, semantics, and phonology) along with other important areas, such as phonetics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and language acquisition. These areas will be examined through a cumulative series of problems, readings, and exercises. Our investigations will involve not only English and other European languages, but take will take a pluralistic approach common in the field, examining data from languages of Africa, Asia, Polynesia, and the Americas.

The course is also designed to increase your awareness of other language varieties and the role of language in social and cultural interaction. Over the course of this class you should acquire a sense of what components make up language and what the study of language is about. You will also become aware of the areas of investigation proper to linguistics and gain an awareness of the basic techniques and objectives of linguistic analysis. Based on your interests and the skills you acquire in the course, you will have the opportunity to engage in independent research to pursue solutions to problems in a subfield of your choosing.

Class Meetings
Class will meet twice weekly during mods 11-13 (12:10-1:20pm) on A and C days in Room A121 unless otherwise informed by the instructor.  All students are expected to be present at all class meetings.  Success in this course demands as much attention to the work covered in class as the work done outside of class.  Come to class with the reading completed, as it provides necessary background for the work to be done in class.  Be ready to ask questions, discuss, and solve problems based on the material to be prepared for a particular day.  Class participation makes up 16% of the final grade.  Make-ups are not encouraged, but will be handled on an as-needed basis. Excused absences will be handled on an as-needed basis. Proper documentation of such absences will be required. Unexcused absences or requests for extensions made after the due date of an assignment will result in a grade of zero for that assignment.

Required Text
Stewart Jr., Thomas W. and N. Vaillette (eds). 2007. Language Files, 10^th Edition. Columbus: Ohio State University Press.
This text is referred to elsewhere in the syllabus as LF.

Supplementary Materials
Additional Materials may be taken from the following texts (with permission):
Fromkin, Victoria and R. Rodman 1998. An Introduction to Language, Sixth Edition. Orlando: Harcourt Brace.
Frommer, Paul R. and E. Finegan 1994.  Looking at Languages: A Workbook in Elementary Linguistics. Orlando: Harcourt Brace.
O'Grady, William, M.Dobrovolsky, and M. Aronoff 1989. Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction.  New York: St. Martin's Press.
Additional instructor-created materials may be made available as needed on the instructor's website at

http://staff.imsa.edu/~cmc/linguistics/

Useful reference and problem-oriented materials created by others will be linked from the instructor's site to the originals.

Grading
As mentioned above, class participation makes up 16% of the final grade semester grade.  Over the course of the semester, there will be 6 tests (2 in-class and one take-home per quarter), each of which will make up 9% of the semester grade.  During the first quarter, student development of a research project to undertake in the second quarter will make up 15% of the semester grade.  The additional 15% of the semester grade will be assessed through the completion of the independent research project developed in the first quarter.  Quarter grades will be determined through the assessment of the work performed during that quarter.  For example, first quarter grades include participation, tests 1-3, and final project development.  Second quarter grades include participation, tests 4-6, and final project completion.
Grading Scale: below 70=D, 70-72=C-; 73-76=C; 77-79=C+, 80-82=B-, 83-86=B, 87-89=B+, 90-92=A-, 93-97=A, above 98=A+

Tentative Schedule of Class Meetings and Topics
(subject to change based on need/interest/scheduling)

Week 1 (week of 1/14)
1/14 (A) Introduction (LF Chapter 1); Distribution of Syllabi; Phonetics (LF Chapter 2 (omit file 2.7))
1/17 (C) Phonetics

Week 2 (1/21)
1/22 (A) Phonetics
1/24 (C) Phonetics wrap-up

Week 3 (1/28)
1/28 (A) Phonology (LF Chapter 3)
1/31 (C) Phonology

Week 4 (2/4)
2/4 (A) Phonology wrap-up; review
2/7 (C) Test on Phonetics/Phonology; Morphology (LF Chapter 4)

Week 5 (2/11)
2/11 (A) Morphology
2/13 (C) Morphology

Week 6 (2/18)
2/21 (C) Morphology; Syntax (LF Chapter 5)

Week 7 (2/25)
2/25 (A) Syntax
2/28 (C) Review/Take-home Test on Morphology/Syntax
2/29 Take-home test due at NOON

Week 8 (3/3)
3/3 (A) Semantics (LF Chapter 6)
3/6 (C) Semantics

Week 9 (3/10)
3/10 (A) Test on Syntax/Semantics; Pragmatics (LF Chapter 7); Project Designs Due
3/13 (C) Pragmatics/Language Variation (LF Chapter 10)

Week 10 (3/17)
3/17 (A) Language Contact (LF Chapter 11)
3/19 (C) Language and Culture (LF Chapter 13 (omit File 13.4))

--SPRING BREAK--

Week 11 (3/31)
3/31 (A) Sociolinguistics Wrap-up
4/3 (C) Language Change (LF Chapter 12)

Week 12 (4/7)
4/7 (A) Language Change
4/10 (C) Test on Sociolinguistics/Language Change; Psycholinguistics Overview (LF Chapter 9)

Week 13 (4/14)
4/14 (A) Language and the Brain/Language Processing
4/17 (C) Language Processing; Psycholinguistics Wrap-up

Week 14 (4/21)
4/21 (A) Language Acquisition (LF Chapter 8)
4/24 (C) First Lanugage Acquisition

Week 15 (4/28)
4/28 (A) First and Second Language Acquisition

Week 16 (5/5)
5/5 (A) Second Language Acquisition and Beyond: Applications
5/8 (C) Test on Psycholinguistics/Language Acquisition; Linguistics and Writing (LF File 13.4); Research Project Presentations Begin

Week 17 (5/12)
5/12 (A) Computational Linguistics (LF Chapter 15); Research Project Presentations
5/14 (A) Computational Linguistics/Machine Translation; Research Project Presentations

Week 18 (5/19)
5/19 (A) Research Projects due; Research Project Presentations
5/22 (C) Take-home test on Linguistics and Writing/Computational Linguistics/Machine Translation; Research Project Presentations; Course Wrap-up
5/23 Take-home test due at NOON