HS 309 Introduction to the Study of Language (Autumn 2016-17)
Instructor Name: Prof. Vaijayanthi M. Sarma
Course Type: Theory
Pre-requisites: None
Course Content:
1. Definition, Constituents and Features of Language, Can Animal Communication be called Language? Myths about Languages, etc
2. Building blocks of languages: Phonetics (speech sounds), Morphology (word formation), Syntax (sentence structure) and Semantics (meaning)
3. Examples of languages, real and fictional to understand the building blocks
4. Poetic Devices relating to Sound: Rhyme, Rhythm, Alliteration, etc
5. Historical Linguistics
6. Lexical and Phrasal Semantics, Humour (Eg. Word-play)
7. Writing Systems
8. Language and Music
9. Language and Thought
1. Definition, Constituents and Features of Language, Can Animal Communication be called Language? Myths about Languages, etc
2. Building blocks of languages: Phonetics (speech sounds), Morphology (word formation), Syntax (sentence structure) and Semantics (meaning)
3. Examples of languages, real and fictional to understand the building blocks
4. Poetic Devices relating to Sound: Rhyme, Rhythm, Alliteration, etc
5. Historical Linguistics
6. Lexical and Phrasal Semantics, Humour (Eg. Word-play)
7. Writing Systems
8. Language and Music
9. Language and Thought
Other topics covered:
Books:
1. An Introduction to Language, Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, Nina Hyams. (Main Textbook)
2. The Language Instinct (Recommended Nonfiction Read)
1. An Introduction to Language, Victoria Fromkin, Robert Rodman, Nina Hyams. (Main Textbook)
2. The Language Instinct (Recommended Nonfiction Read)
Lectures: No attendance policy.
Due to a large class, slides are used for teaching.
While the slides are available, the concepts can be readily grasped if one attends classes regularly.
Due to a large class, slides are used for teaching.
While the slides are available, the concepts can be readily grasped if one attends classes regularly.
Assignments:
There are very simple Moodle assignments posted fortnightly. The assignments usually
take less than five minutes to complete and are graded leniently because of the lack of an
objectively correct answer. They constitute about 10% of the final grade.
There are very simple Moodle assignments posted fortnightly. The assignments usually
take less than five minutes to complete and are graded leniently because of the lack of an
objectively correct answer. They constitute about 10% of the final grade.
Exams and Grading:
Assignments - 10
Quiz 1 - 10
Midsem - 30
Quiz 2 - 10
Endsem - 40
The difficulty of the exams is moderate, but in terms of preparation required it is easy. There is minimal rote-learning of facts and the questions usually require common sense and logic, and few important concepts which are themselves quite logical to learn.
Assignments - 10
Quiz 1 - 10
Midsem - 30
Quiz 2 - 10
Endsem - 40
The difficulty of the exams is moderate, but in terms of preparation required it is easy. There is minimal rote-learning of facts and the questions usually require common sense and logic, and few important concepts which are themselves quite logical to learn.
Online material:
Follow-up Courses:
Pro-tips:
1. This is not a course on English language, it is a course about the study of everything that can be classified as a language. While the instructor may often use English as the go-to example to illustrate concepts, fluency in the language is not a pre-requisite, but a working knowledge helps.
2. If you are not sure whether is course is for you, I'd suggest reading the Steven Pinker book mentioned above, as it gives an informal gist of linguistics.
1. This is not a course on English language, it is a course about the study of everything that can be classified as a language. While the instructor may often use English as the go-to example to illustrate concepts, fluency in the language is not a pre-requisite, but a working knowledge helps.
2. If you are not sure whether is course is for you, I'd suggest reading the Steven Pinker book mentioned above, as it gives an informal gist of linguistics.
Personal Comments:
Respondent: R. Basuhi
Comments
Post a Comment