University of Waterloo
Department of English Language and Literature
ENGL 306A, Sec 002: Introduction to Linguistics
Winter 2023
(Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-5:20, St J2 2007)
Dr Ken Hirschkop
Office: Hagey Hall 245
Office Hours: Live: Tuesdays, 3:00-4:00
Virtual: at whereby.com/kenhirschkop, Wednesdays 2-3
Email: khirschk@uwaterloo.ca
Course Aims and Outcomes
This course is an introduction to the field of linguistics. As linguistics is itself an entire discipline (like political science or physics), that is a very tall order. We will at least touch on almost all the major subfields in linguistics, including the history of language, sociolinguistics and linguistic variation, and pragmatics. While our focus will be on the ‘core’ areas of contemporary technical linguistics – phonology, morphology and syntax – we will also examine broader questions about how language works, where it comes from, and the role it has in social life.
My aim is to provide you with knowledge of linguistics that will help you with the rest of your program, and that will enrich your understanding of literature, rhetoric, and communication.
By the end of the course you should:
- Understand the basic shape of linguistics as a discipline and have a grasp of some of the philosophical and methodological issues facing linguists
- Be familiar and comfortable with a broad range of concepts in linguistics, which together cover most of the key subfields within the discipline
- Have a good grasp of basic concepts in phonology, morphology, syntax, and the study of linguistic variation.
- Be able to analyse sentences and words grammatically
- Be prepared for advanced or specialized study in linguistics
- Understand many of the key linguistic features of the English language.
Readings:
There are no formal printed readings for the course; you’ll become acquainted with the material through lectures and occasional on-line material I’ll assign during the semester.
Throughout the term I will provide links to websites that provide information and analysis relevant to the topics on the course. You should look at these whenever you can: they will help master the material on the course.
The Powerpoint presentations used in the lectures will be posted on the course LEARN site after each lecture.
Classes
Because there are few readings, nearly all the material covered will be presented in class. Attendance is therefore essential. The class will be in lecture format, but questions and discussion are encouraged. There will be times when I will want questions about the material from the class and times when we practice certain analytic procedures in class. The material is often quite technical: if you aren’t clear about what a term means or how we analyse something, ask about it in class (if you are confused, chances are someone else is as well).
If you have to self-isolate due to Covid or some other illness, you can use the Powerpoint presentations on LEARN to cover the material.
Assessment:
The course is assessed on the basis of two midterm exams and a final exam, all of which will be delivered remotely (on-line). The first midterm will cover the material we look at in weeks 1-5 (general questions in linguistics, phonetics, phonology and morphology). The second midterm will cover syntax, discourse theory, and speech act theory. The final exam will cover all the material on the course.
First midterm 25%
Second midterm 25%
Final Exam 50%
If you fail to appear for an examination, you will be given a mark of 0 for that exam, unless you provide evidence of a medical condition that made it impossible to sit the exam or of an unforeseeable domestic crisis. Please note that the Final Examination period for Winter 2023 is April 13-28 and that student travel plans are not acceptable grounds for granting an alternative final examination time (this applies also to the midterm exams).
Class Schedule:
Week 1 (January 10, 12)
Introduction
Tuesday: What is language? How do we study it?
Thursday: What is linguistics?
The sounds of language (weeks 2-3)
Week 2: January 17, 19
Tuesday: Phonetics
Thursday: Phonology
Week 3: January 24
Tuesday: A brief history of sound changes in language (and an introduction to historical linguistics)
Words, morphemes, and meanings (weeks 3-5)
Week 3: January 26
Thursday: Morphology - derivational
Week 4: January 31, February 2
Tuesday: Morphology – inflectional
Thursday: Word structures – the classes of words
Week 5: February 7, 9
Tuesday: The meanings of words
Thursday: First Midterm Examination
Syntax, style, and discourse: combining words into sentences (weeks 6-9)
Week 6: February 14, 16
Tuesday: Introduction to Syntax
Thursday: Syntax
Reading week: February 20-24
Week 7: February 28, March 2
Tuesday: Syntax
Thursday: Syntax
Week 8: March 7, 9
Tuesday: Syntax review
Thursday: Language as discourse, language and style
Week 9: March 14, 16
Tuesday: Speech act theory and conversation analysis
Thursday: Second Midterm Examination
Language and society (weeks 10-12)
Week 10: March 21, 23
Tuesday: Linguistic variation: dialects
Thursday: Linguistic variation: sociolinguistics
Week 11: March 28, 30
Tuesday: Linguistic variation: urban vernaculars, registers, code-switching, indexicality
Thursday: Language and society I
Week 12: April 4, 6
Tuesday: Language and society II
Thursday: Review for final examination
Additional information
Academic Integrity
In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the Office of Academic Integrity webpage for more information.
Discipline
A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence and to take responsibility for his/her actions. Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
Grievance
A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Appeals
A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.
Note for Students with Disabilities
AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AcessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.
Chosen/Preferred First Name
Do you want professors and interviewers to call you by a different first name? Take a minute now to verify or tell us your chosen/preferred first name by logging into WatIAM.
Why? Starting in winter 2020, your chosen/preferred first name listed in WatIAM will be used broadly across campus (e.g., LEARN, Quest, WaterlooWorks, WatCard, etc). Note: Your legal first name will always be used on certain official documents. For more details, visit Updating Personal Information.
Important notes
- If you included a preferred name on your OUAC application, it will be used as your chosen/preferred name unless you make a change now.
- If you don’t provide a chosen/preferred name, your legal first name will continue to be used.
Mental Health Support
All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health support if they are needed.
On Campus
Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.
- Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca / 519-888-4567 ext. 32655
- MATES: one-to-one peer support program offered by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and Counselling Services
Off campus, 24/7
- Good2Talk: Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925-5454
- Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880
- Here 24/7: Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247
- OK2BME: set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213
Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website
Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF)
Download the WatSafe app to your phone to quickly access mental health support information.
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory.
Academic freedom at the University of Waterloo
Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6
Cross-listed Course (if applicable)
Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric.