Classes

I teach the following classes in a single year:  Linguistics 470 (Children's Speech), Linguistics 670 (Language Development) and one or two advanced graduate seminars in language acquisition.  I have also taught  Linguistics 102 (Intro to Language), and I have a class in the works called Language as a Window to the Mind (Linguistics 120).



Linguistics 102

Syllabus
 Course Description
The most complex ability and set of facts that any human being ever acquires is the (implicit) knowledge of a native language. This course examines what the nature of language is, how the science of linguistics analyzes language data, and how language is integrated within culture and history. Everyone speaks a language and everyone is interested in language at some level. We all notice different accents, we all are aware of "grammatical mistakes" that we and others make, and we all make and understand jokes and play games that use language in clever ways. Language is a continual object of interest in newspapers, magazines, radio, and television. This course will use such materials as a source of data for analysis and, in some cases, as a way to draw attention to myths about language which many, if not most people believe.  We will discuss issues that are relevant to our unique social environment:  Hawaiian Pidgin, Language in society, Language in schools, attitudes about language, etc.

Lecture
The course will be organized around two main texts, The Language Instinct and Contemporary Linguistics.  The latter is a Linguistics textbook that deals with the theoretical foundations of the science of Linguistics.  The former book has been a bestseller and can be found in virtually any bookstore, yet the author, Steven Pinker, is a respected linguist, and although the book is written for a popular audience, it presents a serious picture of language as viewed by many linguists (not all linguists). The full class meetings on Tuesday and Thursday will be a combination of films and lectures. Lectures will expand on themes in the textbooks and the films. You will be responsible for information from all three sources--textbooks, films, lectures--in weekly assignments and in the final examination.
Lecture will be as informal as you allow it to be.  I encourage questions, comments, etc. so long as they are relevant to the topic and Linguistics in general.  I maintain the right to call on people for answers to questions.  Your participation in discussion counts towards your grade, so if you daze out, beware – I’ll catch you.

Assigned reading
I will assign reading to you from either/both the text books.  Ideally, you will do the readings before lecture so that you can ask informed questions.

Course requirements
•    Homework Assignments (8 assignments)     
10 points each, 70 total (17.5% total)
•    One 4-6 page paper  
70 points (17.5%)
•    Attendance     
50 points (12.5%)
•    Participation  
20 points (5%)
•    Linguistics Beyond the Classroom
20 points (5%)
•    Midterm Exam
70 points (17.5%)
•    Final Exam
100 points (25%)
Total 
400 points (100%)

  Homework
There will be  8 homework assignments. You will have one week to complete them.  They must be turned in on time (no exceptions), and they must be legible.  If I can’t read your handwriting you will receive no credit.  I will count the best 7 towards your grade, i.e., the worst score will be dropped.  If you only complete 7 assignments, all 7 will count towards your grade.  If you complete less than 7 assignments, each assignment will still count for only 10 points.
Very Important:  Turn in all assignments on time.  Later assignments will receive no more than half credit.  Assignments more than a week late will not be accepted.
Paper
This is a paper that you will start working on in week 8 or so.  It will be a linguistic analysis of a language that is neither English nor your native language.  If you are a native speaker of a language other than English and you don’t speak any other languages, then come speak to me.  The exact contents of the paper will become clear once we have covered some ground in the first few weeks, but I will give out a lot more details in the coming weeks.  I will also provide a sample paper.

Attendance
Attendance is very important for this class.  This is where we will discuss the readings, the films, etc.  We will introduce new ideas in lecture and I will answer any questions that you may have.  As such, I will take attendance at the beginning of every class.  If you are late, you will lose some credit.

Participation
I will also count points for those people who ask questions.  To be fair, I will consider you having participated if you simply attend class, keep your eyes open, take notes, and try to look interested (even if you are not).  If you ask relevant questions, that will certainly help you.  Chatting in the back of the room (or anywhere in the room) will count against you.

Linguistics Beyond the Classroom
The Linguistics department has a program called the LBC.  See the separate handout for more details on this.  You have a choice to opt out of this, and if you do so, then the 20 points for the LBC will be distributed in the following manner: 
10 points added to the final
10 points added to the midterm

Midterm and Final
The exams will be multiple choice and short answer questions.  The final will be longer than the midterm, and will take place during the Tuesday lecture period of finals week.  If you miss any of these exams without a valid, documented excuse in writing, there will be no make-up.   If missing the exam is unavoidable, then you should talk to me ahead of time (several weeks in advance)


Some important dates are
January 23rd         HW#1 Due
February 6th         HW#2 Due
February 20th       HW#3 Due
March 6th             HW#4 Due
March 13th           Midterm Exam
March 20th          HW#5 Due
April 3rd               HW#6 Due
April 17th            HW#7 Due
April 24th            Papers due
May 1st               HW#8 Due
May 13th             Final Exam


Linguistics 470

download notes 14 (557K)

Course Description

In this course, we will first discuss the structure of language: the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic and semantic systems of language.  We will then consider how normal children acquire these systems, focusing on how their development manifests itself in speech and comprehension.  We focus on the development of language from birth to roughly age 10, and later turn to areas of language that are relevant for clinical purposes.  We consider language acquisition from biological, social/communicative and cognitive perspectives.  We discuss language acquisition in special populations, such as children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI), aphasics, etc.  This class will be of interest to undergraduates and first year graduate students in Linguistics, Speech Pathology, Psychology, Anthropology, Education, etc.

Lecture
Class time runs from 1-30pm-2:45pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays in George 212.  I will usually lecture from notes that I will distribute either in class or on the web. 

Assigned reading:
Weekly readings are assigned from the following:
•    Contemporary Linguistics:  An Introduction.  O’Grady, William; John Archibald; Mark Aronoff; Janie Rees-Miller.
•    The Language Instinct:  How the Mind Creates Language.  Steven Pinker.

This is an introductory class, which means that there is a lot of ground to cover.  I strongly urge you to do the readings ahead of time if possible (but not required), as this will aid in your comprehension and retention of the material.  I also strongly urge you to take advantage of my office hours.  If you cannot make my scheduled office hours, feel free to make an appointment.

Course requirements: 
   Final term paper:  You are required to write a 4-6 page term paper on a topic in the course.  You can base your term paper on the observations that you perform (see below).  The final paper is due in class on the last day of class – Tuesday May 6th, no exceptions.  I will say more about additional requirements and directions later in the semester.

   Exams: Midterm.  There will be one multiple choice/short answer midterm exam.  If you miss this exam for any reason beyond medical or family emergency, then there will be no make-up.  The midterm is scheduled for Thursday March 6th (Week 8) in class. 

   Observations:  I require at least three child observations at the UH Child Care center.  You are required to make an appointment with the director of the facility beginning after week three.  You are required to observe a child interacting with his/her friends for 30-45 minutes.  You are not required to interact with the child, but you should take notes.  You then write up a 1-2 page report on what you observed regarding the language of the child.  You must turn in the reports on or before the following dates:
Report 1:    Tuesday February 11th (Week 5)
Report 2:    Tuesday March 11th (Week 9)
Report 3:    Tuesday April 8th (Week 13)

    Journal:  I require a weekly journal report from each student taking this class for credit.  In the journal you report on funny linguistic experiences you have, things you noticed that relate to language, things that you see on TV related to child language, etc.  Try to connect these experiences to the content of the class.  Journals are due on the Tuesday of every week with the following exceptions:  no journal is due on the first day of class (!), no journal is due on 3/25 (Spring Break), and no journal is due on 5/6 (final day of class).

Final Grade breakdown:       
Final Term Paper        45%   
Midterm Exam             25%
Observations              15% (5% for each observation report)
Journal                        15% (1% for each week, no journal due in  weeks 11 and 17)

Very Important:  Turn in all assignments on time.  Later assignments will receive no more than half credit.  Assignments more than a week late will not be accepted.

Your grade is based solely on how you perform on the above criteria and no extra credit will be allowed under any circumstances.  You will not be evaluated with respect to other students, but solely on the merit of your own work.  Furthermore, once grades have been assigned, there will be no changes except in the cases of clerical error.




Some Important Dates:

February 11th                Report #1 due
March 6th                     Midterm exam
March 11th                   Report #2 due
April 8th                        Report #3 due
May 6th                         Final Term Paper due in class.
Every Tuesday except weeks 11 and 17:         Journal due



Linguistics 670


Course Description: This course is concerned with the question of how children acquire their native language. The primary focus is on grammatical development, how children develop grammatical knowledge of their language and the various stages that they pass through on the way to adult competence. We will look at syntactic, morphological, and phonological development (not in that order). You will be introduced to child language data - what children perceive, say, and comprehend in the course of development -- and data analysis as well as theories of language development. We will look at language development in English and other languages, and also aspects of language acquisition in special populations (eg. deaf children) and under special circumstances (eg. bilingualism, acquisition beyond the "critical period").

Lecture: Class time runs from 8:30am-9:20am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in WAT 113. I will usually lecture from notes that I will distribute either in class or on the web. I will also ask students to lead a discussion in class on a reading of their choice. Ideally, each student will have this wonderful opportunity at least once during the semester. Each Friday we will discuss research methodology in child language acquisition, collecting data, using the CHILDES database and associated CLAN programs, designing experiments involving children, various experimental techniques used in acquisition, etc. We will also spend some Fridays discussing the research project.

Assigned reading: Weekly readings are assigned from the following:

Readings in Language Development. A collection of readings on various topics in language development. [I will make these available for photocopying].

Syntactic Development. O’Grady, William (1997)

This is an introductory class, which means that there is a lot of ground to cover. I strongly urge you to read articles ahead of time if possible (but not required), as this will aid in your comprehension and retention of the material. I also strongly urge you to take advantage of my office hours. If you cannot make my scheduled office hours, feel free to make an appointment.

Course requirements:

    • Research Project
    • : All students are required to complete a term paper/project. This is a semester long, independent research project involving several steps and assignments. You may work with a partner, upon my approval. On Fridays you will transcribe and do various analyses of child language data that will help you prepare for your project. Each student will then select a specific topic for investigation and analysis. You may:
    • Use naturalistic data that you have/are/will collect.
    • Use child language samples from the CHILDES computerized database.
    • Plan (and do!) a small-scale experimental study.
    • Locate a child and do a term-long diary study.

Your results will be written up in a term paper, due the last day of class.

    • Class Conference
    • : In lieu of a final exam, you will give an oral presentation of your findings in a mini-conference. We will schedule the day/time for this conference during the first week of class.
    • Exams: none
    • Critical Responses
    • : Instead of midterms or squibs, students will write short responses to articles. Each response will consist of a critical and theoretically-grounded review of one or two papers on a topic related to the class material, eg. maturation, pro-drop, etc. A response will be due every two weeks (six in total). You will be required to e-mail everyone in the class your response by midnight of the day the response is due. Everyone will then have a chance to read everyone else’s responses and we will discuss the article (and everyone’s responses) at the next class. I will provide you with an article to respond to well in advance of the due date. Grading of these responses will be on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis.
    • Presentation
    • of an article in class. Each student will have the opportunity to read and present an article to the class. The presentation will take the entire 50 minutes of one class period, and discussion will be lead by the student in charge of the article. The purpose of this is not to have you become an expert in one particular article, but simply to read an article very carefully and discuss the pros and cons with your colleagues. If you do not understand everything in the article, you will not be penalized, but you must bring that issue up for discussion.

Final Grade: The breakdown of the final grade is as follows:

 

Responses 30% (5% each)

Research paper 50%

Final Presentation 10%

Article presentation 10%

 

The grade is based solely on how you perform on the above criteria and no extra credit will be allowed under any circumstances. You will not be evaluated with respect to other students, but solely on the merit of your own work. Furthermore, once grades have been assigned, there will be no changes except in the cases of clerical error.

Some important dates are:

September 13th (F, wk 3) Response #1 due

September 27 (F, wk 5) Response #2 due

October 11 (F, wk 7) Response #3 due

October 21(M, wk 9) Project proposal due

October 25th (F, wk 9) Response #4 due

November 8 (F, wk 11) Response #5 due

November 22 (F, wk 13) Response #6 due

December 6 (F, wk 15) Conference abstracts due

December 11 (W, wk 16) Term paper due

December 16 TimeTBA Class conference

 


Test Files for CHILDES Tutorial




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