ENGL 306A
Fall 2019
(Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:30-12:50, St J1 3014)
Dr Ken Hirschkop
Office: Hagey Hall 245
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 1:00 – 1:30, Thursdays, 1:45-2:20 (or by appointment)
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. Wherever possible, we’ll also think about the relation between linguistics and rhetoric, which is an older tradition of thinking about language.
My aim is to provide you with knowledge of linguistics that will help you with the rest of your program, 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 basic 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. If you wish to consult a text, I have put two good textbooks (which cover most of the topics we examine on the course) on reserve at Dana Porter: René Dirven and Marjolijn Verspoor, Cognitive Exploration of Language and Linguistics, 2nd revised edition (Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2004); and William O’Grady and John Archibald, Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction, 8th edition (Toronto: Pearson: 2016).
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.
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 ask the class to discuss an issue in groups and there will be times when I will want questions about the material from the 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).
ASSESSMENT:
The course is assessed on the basis of two midterm exams, given in class, and a final exam. 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 Fall 2019 is December 6-21 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:
What is language?
September 5(week 1)
Thursday: What is language? How do we study it?
The sounds of language (weeks 2-3)
September 10, 12
Tuesday: What is linguistics?
Thursday: Phonetics
September 17, 19
Tuesday: Phonology
Thursday:Sound changes (and the history of languages)
Words and morphemes: meanings, structure and history (weeks 4-5)
September 24, 26
Tuesday: Morphology - derivational
Thursday: Morphology – inflectional
October 1, 3
Tuesday: Word structures – the classes of words
Thursday: Word meanings/Review
Midterm 1
Tuesday, October 8
Syntax, style, and discourse: combining words into sentences (weeks 6-9)
October 10
Thursday: Syntax
Reading week: October 14-18
October 22, 24
Tuesday: Syntax
Thursday: Syntax
October 29, 31
Tuesday: Syntax
Thursday: Some other versions of grammar
November 5
Tuesday: Language as discourse, speech act theory
Midterm 2
Thursday, November 7
Language and society (weeks 10-13)
November 12, 14
Tuesday: Linguistic variation: dialects
Thursday: Linguistic variation: sociolinguistics
November 19, 21
Tuesday: Linguistic variation: urban vernaculars, registers, code-switching
Thursday: Indexicality
November 26, 28
Tuesday: Language, origins, historical change
Thursday: Language and society
December 3
Tuesday: Review for final examination
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Cross-listed course (requirement for all Arts courses)
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.
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On Campus
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