NPFL063 Introduction to Linguistics

2024 Winter

 

E-mail for homework, etc:	Jirka.LastName@gmail.com (replace LastName with my last name; start the email's subject with NPFL063)
Language:	English
Office hours:	By appointment (via Zoom)
Time	Wed 12:20
Place	S9 (we no longer start in S3)

1  Description and objectives of the course

The course will help students familiarize themselves with the fundamental features of human language, its structure and development, its place in society, etc. It also introduces linguistics as a science, its history, and methodology, with a focus on structural linguistics.

2  Language

The course is taught in English. I will repeat in Czech anything that you don't understand. All course materials (slides, readings, web pages, etc.) are in English. Homework, the final exam, and the paper can be submitted in English, Czech/Slovak.

3  Readings

Readings (when assigned) are to be read before class. Some of the readings will not be covered in class, but homework and exams will assume that you have read them all. 
In most cases, the assigned reading will be from the following (the Library has several copies of the books):

• Reader (under development; 2020-10-05)
• V. Fromkin, R. Rodman, N. Hyams: An Introduction to Language. 8th edition or later; preferably the International edition of 8th edition, Heinle, 2006.
• D. Crystal: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language. Cambridge University Press; 1997

4  Assignments, Tests, and Grading

4.1  Homework

In some classes, homework will be assigned. Unless specified otherwise, the assignment is due by midnight before the class. If it is reasonably easy to type it in a text processor, send it by e-mail as an attachment (use PDF, MS Word, Google Docs, or plain text). Otherwise, you can email a scan or bring it to class. Please write legibly.

When emailing, use the following subject "NPFL063 HW #", e.g., "NPFL063 HW 1" for the first homework assignment.

You can use English or Czech/Slovak.

It is a good idea to work on homework in a group of two or three people (write who you worked with at the top of the page). However, you have to write it up individually, in your own words. Each homework assignment will be graded on a scale 0-100%. Incorrect answers are better than no answers.

Homework assignment	Due
[HW 1 - phonology]	Nov 6 (the day before class)
[HW 2 - Trees]	Nov 26 (the day before class)
[HW 3 - Imported NP clusters	Dec 3 (the day before class)
[HW 4 - Implicature in Ads]	Before grade

4.2  Article

You will create a Wikipedia-like article on a selected linguistic topic. Consider writing about something that can be useful for your thesis. You can use English or Czech/Slovak. See this page for more details see.

Milestone	Points	Due	How
Your selected topic for approval	5	Nov 5	email
Half a page summary (can be bullets), 5+ reliable sources	5	Nov 19	Google docs / cloud version of MS Word 365 / Overleaf / plain text by email
Draft version - I will provide feedback	10	Jan 15	Google docs / cloud version of MS Word 365 / Overleaf  (give me full edit rights so I can comment and see updates)
Final version	10	10 days before you want a grade	Google docs / cloud version of MS Word 365 / Overleaf

4.3  Exam

There will be an in-class final exam. You can bring and use any notes or literature, but you have to work on your own.

You can use English or Czech/Slovak. Even mixing the languages is allowed (e.g., using English terminology in Czech sentences). 

4.4  Active class participation

"Active participation" refers to your comments and questions during class, your answers to my questions, etc. I do not keep track of whether your answers, etc. are correct, but simply whether or not you participate. 
If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to get reliable notes from a fellow student.

4.5  Grading

You need to submit all homework assignments, the article, and the final to get a zápočet (and a grade).

4.5  Late submissions

Late submissions are automatically penalized in the following way:

Homework	up to one week late	20%
	more than one week late	80%
Article	one week late	20%
	more than one week late	50%

However, if you see you cannot meet a deadline, talk to me about it before the deadline, and most likely, we can find a later deadline when you can submit without any penalty.

5  Schedule and Handouts

The schedule below is preliminary and can slightly change. If I update a handout, I will add the date of the update in parentheses.

Date	Topic	Handout	Reading	Other
Oct 2	Introduction	[slides] [handout]
Oct 9	Animal Communication	[handout]
Oct 16	Phonetics	[handout]	Fromkin Ch 6
Oct 23	Phonology	[handout]	Fromkin Ch 7
Oct 30	Morphology	[handout] [slides]	Fromkin Ch 3
Nov 6	Morphology			HW 1 & paper topic deadline (Nov 5)
Nov 13	NO CLASS
Nov 20	Syntax	[handout] [slides]	Fromkin Ch 4	paper summary deadline (Nov 19)
Nov 27	Syntax / Linguistic theories	[GB slides] [DG slides]		HW 2 due (Nov 26)
Dec 4	Semantics / Pragmatics	[handout]  [handout] [slides]		HW 3 due (Dec 3)
Dec 11	Historical Linguistics	[handout] [slides]	Fromkin Ch 12
Dec 18	Psycholinguistics	[slides]
Jan 8	Exam			paper draft deadline (Jan 15)