Missouri Western State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Department of English, Foreign Languages and Journalism ENG 232: Language Awareness Section 01 - TR 2:00-3:20 pm -  Murphy 119 Fall 2008

Course Philosophy and Objectives

Are you convinced your dog understands you when you talk to her? Do you think you have an "accent" or think that other people "talk funny"? Do you wonder how young children acquire language long before they can tie their own shoes? Are you interested in extraterrestrial communication? Do you enjoy the witty wordplay in cartoons? These are just some of the topics that we cover in ENG 232, an introductory linguistics course. Linguistics is about more than just theories about language's roots, structures, and functions; it's about the essential place of language in our lives. Language is fun. This class is designed to show you just how cool (as in California  kewl ) the study of language can be. Come with questions--leave with answers! Over the course of the semester, we will

• study linguists' theories about the roots, acquisition, nature, and functions of language
• learn about the sounds, structures, and symbols of language
• debate issues of language in relation to speech communities, culture, and gender
• explore constructed languages and attempts at interspecies and extraterrestrial communication
• examine the current state of language and its future
• understand and appreciate linguistic variety.

Textbook:

• Clark, Virginia P., Paul A. Eschholz and Alfred F., eds. Rosa. Language: Introductory Readings. 7th Edition. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2007.
• Thomas, Lee and Stephen Tchudi. The English Language: An Owner's Manual. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.

• Access to a good  Collegiate Dictionary, like the fourth edition of The American Heritage College Dictionary
• A Computer flash drive or CD-RWs
• Photocopies of various sources
• Pocket folder for turning in Etymology Report

Daily Assignments and Quizzes
Daily assignments include answering questions about the readings, doing field research, learning to divide language into its components, and creating messages to send to other worlds. Some activities will extend beyond class time and require work outside of class. The reading questions and activities will highlight the important points from our readings and will help you prepare for the final exam. There will be frequent (read: pretty much daily) quizzes over the reading assignments. Quizzes cannot be made up without a documented excused absence; however, there are plenty of bonus points throughout the semester to bolster your final quiz average. Quizzes will be done on WebCT, during the first ten minutes of the class hour.

Etymology Report
We will write a one page (~500 words) paper that reports on the history of a basic word as it developed from its Indo-European root to its modern usage using the the Oxford English Dictionary and the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. Papers will use internal MLA documentation for citation.

Have Fun
And I mean it. Don't let academic sounding essay titles like "Developmental Milestones in Motor and Language Development" discourage you! Even the most abstruse essay contains some fascinating bits of language lore that we will enjoy testing, debating, mangling, and dismantling. And while technical jargon will be required learning, really, really, really technical jargon will merely be bandied about in class in the spirit of  "so that's what that's called!" and "hmm, isn't that interesting?" and "geez, who'd have thought?"

Grading
Over the course of the semester, you will read a variety of essays about language and linguistics. In addition to the readings and quizzes, you will do a number of daily assignments and quizzes, write an etymology report, and take a final exam. The quality of your work, the percentage of the work that you complete, and your efforts at participation will determine your final grade.

Your Final Grade Distribution is as follows, if you choose to take the Final Exam:

• Daily Assignments and Quizzes = 50%
• Etymology Report  = 10%
• Final Exam = 40%

Your Final Grade Distribution is as follows, if you choose NOT to take the Final Exam:

• Daily Assignments and Quizzes = 90%
• Etymology Report  = 10%

Attendance and Promptness
Attendance is mandatory. School functions, illness, and personal crisis do not absolve you from your classroom obligations, so while due consideration is given to the student struck by lightening on the way to class, an absence cannot be designated as "excused" or "unexcused"--it simply "is." I consider two absences to be reasonable, but keep in mind that any absence can affect your final grade, as you are not here to take quizzes, participate, or turn in your work. Chronic lateness will count toward this total and please note that if you are late, you can not take a quiz begun before your arrival.

Regular attendance is an essential part of the student's educational experience and a requirement for an adequate evaluation of student academic progress. You are responsible for material covered or assignments given which you missed because of absence. All out-of-class assignments are due at the beginning of the class period. No quizzes can be made up or late assignments accepted unless you have a well-documented emergency.

You should note, however, that mere attendance does not mean you will pass the course. You must perform adequately on the tasks required and show initiative in completing the course requirements.

As some of you know, in order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100 and 200 level courses. The University allows you an excused absence when acting as an official representative of the university, provided you give prior written verification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. The university considers all other absences as unexcused, unless specified by the instructor. My policy is to grant excused absences for documented personal emergencies (i.e. illness, family death, personal crisis) and acts of nature (i.e. potentially hazardous snow/ice conditions). Advance notice, if possible, is desirable; however, documentation is due no later than the next class period after your return to class. It would be extremely helpful to convey information about your situation to me via email before your return so that I can send you any relevant work due upon your return since you are responsible for the upcoming class work even if you missed the previous class. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this class before the midterm report, October 15 is three (based on our twice per week meeting schedule). Thus, when you have four unexcused absences I must report you to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate.

Finally, if I should be unable to meet class, you will be notified in person by a secretary, a fellow instructor, or by the Lab Manager--NOT by a note on the classroom door. Be sure to note any assignments due upon my return.

Participation And Preparation
You are expected to make significant contributions to the class in the form of participation and preparation. Participation includes the oral contributions you make and your efforts to be a part of our discourse community. Preparation includes doing the daily readings and assignments, as well as engaging exuberantly in our activities. Keep in mind that live classroom discussion

gives you practice arguing with others respectfully and professionally

gives you opportunities to formulate applications of principles

gives you prompt feedback on difficult or confusing issues and material

increases your retention of material through explaining, summarizing, and questioning.

Classroom Courtesy
Practice courteous and respectful exchanges. We, as students of language, should be particularly careful to note how tone and language contribute to the overall impression of our words. The University expects all students to conduct themselves so as to maintain an effective environment for learning, to act responsibly in accordance with good taste, and to respect fully the rights of others.

Student Disability
Any student in this course who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities must contact me during the first week so that we can discuss class requirements.

Late Work
All assignments are due at the beginning of the hour on the due date, unless otherwise specified. Learning is a cumulative process and each assignment in this course is designed to build on the last assignment; therefore, late work disrupts this important aspect of the learning process. Therefore, no daily work will be accepted late and quizzes can not be made up or started late without a well-documented emergency. The etymology report has a grace period of NO MORE THAN 24 hours from the due date/time for technical difficulties. No work will be accepted after the last class day before the final exam.

Computer Usage
You will be called upon to read some materials online, use WebCT, and utilize computers in and outside of class time. Your etymology report must be word processed in MSWord.

University Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms.

Please see the 2006-07 Student Handbook and Calendar on page 21 for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

Course Policy on Academic Honesty

. . . it is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation. -- Herman Melville

Final Thoughts
Despite Einstein's assurances that even the motions of dust motes have pattern, life to us mere mortals is unpredictable. I recognize that at times your outside life may interfere with your classroom life. It is up to you to set your priorities and to realize that "doing it all" is not always possible or even desirable. If you are feeling overly stressed about all you have to accomplish, you need to come see me.

Course Schedule

Introduction to Language

August

26 (T)

Introduction to the Course

28 (Th)

Film: Discovering the Human Language

September

2 (T)

Reading for Class: Owner's Manual pp 31-44 and Daniels' "Nine Ideas About Language" pp 3-19

History of Language

4 (Th)

Film: The Story of English, Part Two: The Mother Tongue
Assign Etymology Report

9 (T)

 Reading for Class: Owner's Manual pp 139-166

Sounds and Structures in Language

11 (Th)

Reading for class: Owner's Manual pp 50-57 and Callary's "Phonetics" pp 87-107

16 (T)

Phonetics, cont.

Phonetic Olympics

18 (Th)

Reading for class: Ohio State University Language Files' "The Minimal Units of Meaning: Morphemes" pp 147-15

23 (T)

Francis' "Word-Making: Some Sources for New Words" (Handout)

25 (Th)

Reading for class: Owner's Manual pp 205-237

30 (T)

Reading for class: Owner's Manual pp 205-237

 

October

2 (Th)

Reading for class: Owner's Manual pp 205-237

Language and Culture

7 (T)

Film: American Tongues

9 (Th)

Readings for class: Owner's Manual pp 277-306 and Macauley's "Regional Dialects and Social Class" pp 383-396

14 (T)

Etymology Report Due (Don't forget your folder!)

Reading for class: Roberts' "Speech Communities" pp 267-276 and Wolfram and Schilling-Este's "Standards and Vernaculars" pp 398-408

 

16 (Th)

Readings for class:  Rickford's "Suite for Ebony and Phonics" pp 414-422

21 (T)

Language Survey

23 (Th)

Reading for class: Johnson's "Discourse Patterns of Males and Females" pp 517-28 and Tannen, "'I'll Explain It to You': Lecturing and Listening" pp 531-543

Constructed and Symbolic Languages

28 (T)

Reading for class: Emmorey's "Sign Language" (handout)

30 (Th)

Film: Star Trek Next Generation: Darmok

November

4 (T)

Reading for class: Owner's Manual pp 248-257
Reading for class: Pinker's "The Tower of Babel" pp 235-250

6 (Th)

Interplanetary Messages Readings

Create ET Messages

Language Acquisition

11 (T)

Film: Acquiring the Human Language

13 (Th) 

Reading for Class: Moskowitz's "The Acquisition of Language" pp 529-555

18 (T)

Reading for Class: Miller and Gildea's "How Children Learn Words" pp 643-650

Animal Communication (Bonus points to anyone who can sing the theme song from Dr. Doolittle)

20 (Th)

Film: Signs of the Apes, Songs of the Whales

25 (Th)

Reading for class: Kemp and Smith's "Signals, Signs, and Words: From Animal Communication to Language" pp 591-610 and Ohio State University Language Files' "True Language?" (Handout)

December

2 (T)

Film: A Conversation with Koko

4 (Th)

ET Assignments Due

Review for Final Exam

9 (T)

Final Exam 2:00-3:50 pm