NPFL063 Introduction to Linguistics

2013 Winter (the most recent version)

my web	purl.org/jh
e-mail for homework etc:	Jirka.LastName@gmail.com (start the email's subject with NPFL063)
Language:	Czech or English (see below)
Office hours:	by appointment
Time & Place:	Thu 9:50-12:10 S11

1  Description and objectives of the course

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

2  Language

The course is taught in Czech or English depending on mutual agreement. 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 homeworks and exams will assume that you have read them all. 
In most cases, the assigned reading will be from the following books (the Library has several copies):

• 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

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

When emailing, use the following subject "NPFL063 . "

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 21
[HW 2 - Trees]	Dec 12
[HW 3 - Imported NP clusters]	Jan 3
[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.

Milestone	Points	Due	How
Your selected topic for approval	5	Nov 14	email
Half a page summary (can be bullets), 5+ reliable sources	5	Dec 5	PDF/MS Word/plain text by email
Draft version - I will provide feedback	10	Jan 3	wiki
Final version	10	10 days before you want a grade	wiki

For details see this page.

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

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 3	Introduction	[handout]
Oct 10	Animal Communication	[handout]
Oct 17	--
Oct 24	Phonetics	[handout]	Fromkin Ch 6
Oct 31	Phonetics; Phonology	[handout]	Fromkin Ch 7
Nov 7	Morphology	[handout], [slides]	Fromkin Ch 3
Nov 14	Morphology			paper topic deadline
Nov 21	Syntax	[slides] [handout]	Fromkin Ch 4	HW 1 due
Nov 28	Prague School - in Czech
Dec 5	Linguistic Theories	[GB slides], [DG slides]		paper summary deadline
Dec 12	Semantics	[handout],  [slides]		HW 2 due
Dec 19	Semantics, Pragmatics	[handout]
Jan 2	Historical Linguistics	[handout], [slides]	Fromkin Ch 12	HW 3 due, paper draft deadline
Jan 9	Psycholinguistics	[slides]