The aim of this course is to introduce students to the main methods and results of linguistics, with an emphasis on their practical value in ordinary life. This course is a general survey of the field of linguistics. Students are introduced to data from a range of languages and to basic principles of linguistic analysis.
Time/Location: MWF 10-11, 3 LeConte
Course Code: 22519
No. of Units: 4
Line Mikkelsen, 1210 Dwinelle
mikkelsen@berkeley.edu
Office hours: Monday 12-1, Wednesday 1-2, and by appointment.
| Edwin Ko, 1305 Dwinelle | Brittney Cooper, 1305 Dwinelle | |
| eddersko@berkeley.edu | bcoop001@berkeley.edu | |
| Office hours: Tuesday 4-5 and Thursday 11-12 | Office hours: Monday 3:30-4:30, Thursday 2-3 |
Edward Finegan. (2012) Language: Its Structure and Use. 7th Ed. Cengage.
CourseMate Materials -- Buy a textbook that has an access code for CourseMate, or buy the Electronic book along with "CourseMate for Language: Its Structure and Use" (scroll down to "Available Study Tools"). Read the CourseMate Instructions to join the course on-line. The Course Key for Ling5 at UC Berkeley this fall is: CM-9781285464817-0000031
| section participation | 5% of final grade |
| quizzes (on CourseMate graded pass/low pass/fail) | 20% |
| midterm exam (October 18) | 25% |
| final exam (December 16) | 25% |
| three writing assignments | 25% |
This course will follow the textbook pretty closely. There are 14 chapters in the book, and about 14 weeks of the semester, so the plan is to cover one chapter each week. Each chapter has a quiz on CourseMate, so your quiz grade will be based on your performance on the on-line quizzes. You can retake the quizzes until you get a perfect score. In order for us to know your quiz scores we need for you to follow the CourseMate instructions and join the UCB Ling5 course using our course key: CM-9781285464817-0000031
You will write three essays about linguistics and language this semester. They will be due near the end of each month of the semester - one near the end of Sept., one near the end of October, one near the end of November. Here's an example of an interesting essay that is about 8 paragraphs long, refers to four or five sources, on a linguistic topic, has a point of view, and is well-written.
The midterm exam will be given during the class hour on October 18. The final will be given during the regularly scheduled exam time for this course (December 16 8-11am, location: TBD). The final will cover the last 1/2 of the course only (the material after the midterm). Both exams will follow the format and level of the quizzes, and will only cover material in the textbook. No make-up exams (midterm or final) can be given except in the case of dire documented medical emergencies, or in case the exam time conflicts with a religious obligation day (as per university policy).
(At least some of) the lecture slides are available on bspace.
1: Aug 28 & 30 -- Languages and Linguistics (Chapter 1)
Share your language experience.
2: Sept 4 & 6 -- Morphology (Chapter 2)
3: Sept 9, 11 & 13 -- Phonetics (Chapter 3)
4: Sept 16, 18 & 20 -- Phonology (Chapter 4)
5: Sept 23, 25 & 27 -- Syntax (Chapter 5)
The first essay is due on Sept 27 (bring it to class).
6: Sept 30, Oct 2 & 4 -- Semantics (Chapter 6)
7: Oct 7, 9 & 11 -- Language Universals (Chapter 7)
8: Oct 14, 16 & 18 -- Indigenous Languages
Midterm exam: Oct 18.
9: Oct 21, 23 & 25 -- Pragmatics (Chapter 8)
The second essay is due on Oct 25 (bring it to class).
10: Oct 28, 30 & Nov 1 -- Speech acts/Conversation (Chapter 9)
11: Nov 4, 6 & 8 -- Register/Style (Chapter 10)
12: Nov 13 & 15 -- Dialects (Chapter 11)
13: Nov 18, 20 & 22 -- Historical Linguistics (Chapter 12)
The third essay is due on Nov 22 (bring it to class).
14: Nov 25, 27 & 29 -- Development of English (Chapter 13)
15: Dec 2, 4 & 6 -- Language Acquisition (Chapter 14)
16: Dec 9-13 -- Reading week
Essay final revisions: - due on Dec 11 at 5pm.
Final exam - Mon, Dec 16, 8am - 11am (room TBA)
Academic misconduct is a serious matter, with serious consequences. Plagiarism, failing to cite a source of information, and cheating during exams are all serious offenses. I report academic misconduct to the UC Berkeley Center for Student Conduct and Community Standards.
The UC Berkeley Academic Honor Code: "As a member of the UC Berkeley community, I act with honesty, integrity, and respect for others."