ENGL107

Survey of English Linguistics

Daily polls
Sept
03 05
10 12
17 19
24 26
Oct
01 03
08 10
15 17
midterms
29 31
Nov
05 07
12 14
19 21
26 28
Dec
03 05
10 12
finals

• Instructor: Kent Lee
• Fall 2019
• Time: Tue/Thu 1st period, 9.00-10.15am
• Room: 202 서관 (Liberal Arts Building)
• Office hours: by appointment
• Syllabus (강의 계획)

1 Overview

1.1 Course description

This is a first-year level introductory course to linguistics, which provides a general overview of the field. Students will learn basics concepts of human language and linguistics, and will explore how the English language is structured and used. This course aims to prepare students for university linguistic courses, improving their language learning skills (e.g., English as a second language), and developing an interest it English linguistics.

1.2 Course objectives

By the end of the semester, students will

1. Understand basic linguistic terminology;
2. Understand basic concepts of how human language works;
3. Understand basic structural aspects of English;
4. Gain study skills needed for the study of English and other languages.

1.3 Textbook and materials

This might be used as the textbook.

• Fromkin et al. (2018). An introduction to language. (The book is rather expensive, and the 11th edition is new and hard to get in Korea; I will make an electronic version available via Blackboard, so you do not need to buy this book.)

1.4 Announcements

If you just joined the course, you may not have immediate access to notices and info in Blackboard, so please email me. I can send you copies of past email announcements, and most importantly, a link to a copy of the textbook, a free PDF that you can download.

2 Weekly topics and assignments

Daily polls
Sept
03 05
10 12
17 19
24 26
Oct
01 03
08 10
15 17
midterms
29 31
Nov
05 07
12 14
19 21
26 28
Dec
03 05
10 12
finals

Daily polls (right): There is no right or wrong; I just want to know your opinion on these questions. These all add up to a single grade. These are also used to track your class attendance.

2.1 Introduction (Weeks 1-2)

1. What is language? How does human language differ from (a) computer languages, and (b) animal communication?
2. What is a language?
3. What is linguistics? What is it useful for?
4. Overview of key issues, origins of the field
5. Common language misconceptions
6. What is a theory?

Forms & quizzes

• Google Form #1: This is a form to collect basic info and contact info, and to ask you some survey questions.

Lecture materials

Lecture slides (not PPT, but Google Presentation slides) Week 1 intro Week 2 intro

Video lectures Lecture 1: Basic terminology Lecture 2: Key defining issues & history of linguistics

Other links

• An overview of theories and laws in academia, and a very brief, incomplete description of linguistics theories
• Pullam: The great Eskimo vocabulary hoax

2.2 Phonetics & Phonology (Weeks 3-4)

1. Articulatory phonetics
2. Difference between phonetics & phonology

Links

• English consonants
• English vowels
• Official IPA chart
• English lexical stress patterns
• Colloquial contractions

2.6 Midterm (Week 8)

In-class essay exam

2.14 Final exam (Week 16)

In-class essay exam

3 See also

3.1 Videos

• OP (original pronunciation), extract of Romeo & Juliet (cf. text)
• Shakespeare OP links
• Ben Crystal talks about OP
• TYMNK: Adjective order in English
• TYMNK: Why computers suck at translating
• TYMNK: Why Can't Adults Learn Languages Like Children?
• TYMNK: Why Do We Have "Ye Olde"?

3.2 Other links & resources

Additional recommended books

• Crystal, D. (2002). The English language (2nd ed.). London: Penguin.
• Language Files, 12th ed., Ohio State Univ. Press.