Last update: September 3, 2007
In a Word
Instructor:
Prof. Hagit Borer
Office hours—T, Thurs. 4:00–5:00pm GFS 301A and
by appt.;
(213) 740-4870
borer@usc.edu
why take this class | contact info | readings | course grading | quizzes | homework and lab assignments |
Blackboard link
|
academic integrity
| students with
disabilities | course
outline | references |
Words are the most natural, accessible units of our
language. The existence of words as discreet units seems very
intuitive and straightforward to us, and intimately connected to our thought
processes. But as it turns out, words present a huge mystery to modern
scientists. For instance, the number of words known by adults is
typically underestimated, and most people believe that vocabulary size is
directly linked to literacy. And yet, linguists have determined that an
average, normal adult, regardless of his or her level of education, knows
approximately 50,000 words (although, of course, these words may vary according
to education and background). But how is it possible for a child to learn
so many words, in what appears to be a relatively short period of time?
Others believe that our vocabulary determines how we think, and that as a
result, the nature of thought itself may vary from one language community to
the next. But linguists now believe that most language systems are fundamentally
similar to one another, and that there is no evidence that our speech patterns
determine our thinking.
When scientists attempt to make more explicit what it means for
all of us to routinely use and understand so many words, they are faced with
many important, non-trivial questions. How do we extract words, with
their specific meaning, from the acoustic jumble of speech? How do we
know when strike is a noun and when it is a verb? How do we know
that transformationalize is probably a word in English, even if we don't
know what it means, but that transformize is not? And how do
children, at such a young age, learn all this?
Linguists believe that finding the answers to these questions
gives us a very special window to the workings of the human mind. In this
course, we will explore what makes using language in general and words in
particular a difficult task in principle, and how we think humans do it.
We will learn how to assign structure to words, and how they interact with
other words, we will look at how children acquire words and what goes wrong
when the ability to use words is lost as a result of illness or aging.
Finally, we will investigate how words are used in different social groups,
including gender, class, race, and age.
The goals of this course are to help:
·
gain a scientific
understanding of human language.
·
develop the ability
to analyze complex phenomena in precise terms.
·
assess critically
the way in which scientific discoveries in various fields can interact to give
rise to the understanding of a single phenomenon.
Even if you don’t plan to pursue a career in language or a
language-related area, an awareness of the nature of the subject-matter and its
complexity will enhance your ability to asses critically any other aspect of
human behavior which you may choose to study.
Course Outline
The course will be structured around various word-related tasks
that humans carry out effortlessly every day (recognizing words in a sound
wave; segmenting a complex word into its parts; assessing the meaning of a word
in a social context; etc.). As we examine each task, and see what makes
it complex or difficult, we’ll discuss how linguists, psycholinguists,
sociolinguists and philosophers explain this behavior. In lab, you’ll have
an opportunity to explore data bases both of adult and child speech, and to
apply the analytic tools you learned in class. In addition, you will be
engaged in manipulating and editing sound waves, practicing knowledge that was
acquired in class.
This class will be using Blackboard. During the first lab session, you will be
instructed on how to log onto Blackboard, how to use your own account for class
purposes, and how to use the digital drop box in Blackboard. All students are expected to have an active
personal aludra account, and to know how to log into it.
Reading for the course consist
of a textbook and a reading packet
Course
requirements and grades:
Attendance
is expected in lab section meetings and in lectures and will be recorded.
There will be up to 10 quizzes during the term. If you ARE in class during the quiz, and if you
have been attending class regularly and you do the readings, you should have no
problem getting perfect scores in the quizzes.
The lowest quiz score will be dropped.
Homework and lab assignments:
There will be 4 homework assignments and 4 lab assignments during
the term; some will be assignments involving the use of a computer.
Homework assignments: Some homework
assignments will be distributed in labs and some in lectures, but all will be collected
in lab sections or, when required, submitted using the Blackboard digital drop
box. All assignments are to be done independently. Homework assignments will be handed out at
least one week prior to due date. Homework assignments are to be turned in at
(or before) the beginning of lab section on the day that they are due. Late
assignments are not accepted without a very good reason (e.g.
demonstrable illness or a life-changing event). If you know you need to turn
something in late or if you know you will miss an exam, you must talk to
the professor or to the teaching assistants ahead of
time. Remember, the lowest homework score, of assignments 3-8, will be dropped.
Lab
Assignments: while taking labs, you will be given an assignment, typically
involving the use of a computer and a special computer program. Lab assignments are due by the beginning of
the next lab meeting, and may often be submitted through the drop box in
Blackboard. Normally, students are
expected to complete lab assignments during the lab session but failing that,
they may continue working on their assignment subsequent to the lab session,
providing such work is completed by the due date and is submitted by the
deadline. Remember, the lowest homework/lab
score will be dropped.
Class Web
Site: http://www.usc.edu/dept/linguistics/word.
Contact, information and copy of
class lectures: through the
Blackboard program at http://totale.usc.edu
Academic
Integrity: We expect that all students will uphold the USC Student Conduct
Code. Because violations of the code harm every other student in the class, the
instructors will aggressively prosecute any student who cheats on an exam or
homework or who allows others to cheat on an exam or homework.
·
Please Note: SCampus
2002-2003 (p. 95 under Academic Policies): "Notes or recordings made by
students based on a university class or lecture may only be made for purposes
of individual or group study, or for other non-commercial purposes...This
restriction also applies to any information distributed, disseminated or in any
way displayed for use in relationship to the class, whether obtained in class,
via email or otherwise on the Internet, or via any other medium. Actions in
violation of this policy constitute a violation of the Student Conduct Code,
and may subject an individual or entity to university discipline and/or
legal proceedings."
Students with Disabilities: Students who
need to request accommodations based on a disability are required to register
each semester with the Disability Services and Programs. In addition, a letter
of verification to the instructor from Disability Services and Programs is
needed. If you have any questions, please consult the instructor and
Disability Services & Programs (213 740-0776, STU 301).
Course
Outline and Schedule
|
Lect |
Date |
Lecture and
Reading |
|
1 |
8/28 |
Organizational matters. An introduction to the scientific study of language and words: What
we know when we know a word, and how do we go about investigating the
question. Reading: Aitchinson, Ch. 1-2 |
|
2 |
8/30 |
More on What we know when we know a word, and how do we go
about investigating the question. Reading: Aitchinson, Ch. 1-2 |
|
3 |
9/4 |
Language and Thought (I) Reading: S. Pinker: The Language Instinct, Ch. 3, pp.
55-82 (in Reading Packet); G. Pullum: The
great Eskimo vocabulary hoax, and other irreverent essays on the study of
language, pages to be determined (in Reading Packet). |
|
4 |
9/6 |
Language and Thought (II) |
|
5 |
9/11 |
Concepts and prototypes |
|
6 |
9/13 |
Semantic Networks. |
|
7 |
9/18 |
Parts of speech |
|
8 |
9/20 |
Morphology and Word Structure (I):
Morphemes as the building blocks of words
|
|
9 |
9/25 |
Morphology and Word Structure (II): Word Structure
|
|
10 |
9/27 |
Morphology and Word Structure (III): Word Structure and Word
Trees
|
|
11 |
10/2 |
Film:
Colorless Green Ideas |
|
12 |
10/4 |
Exam I review |
|
13 |
10/9 |
Exam I |
|
14 |
10/11 |
Phonetics – Guest Lecture, Professor Dani Byrd |
|
15 |
10/16 |
The Sound of Words (I): Word recognition
|
|
16 |
10/18 |
The Sound of Words (II) |
|
17 |
10/23 |
The Sound of Words (III): On the Interaction of Morphology and
Phonology Relevant
Linguistics ( |
|
18 |
10/25 |
The Sound of Words (IV) The psychological reality of
phonological systems
|
|
19 |
10/30 |
The Acquisition of Words – sound |
|
20 |
11/1 |
Acquiring Meaning and Rules 1. Aitchinson,
|
|
21 |
11/6 |
Acquiring Meaning and Rules 1. Aitchinson,
|
|
22 |
11/8 |
acquisition film |
|
23 |
11/13 |
Acquiring Second Language |
|
24 |
11/15 |
Brain and Language I |
|
25 |
11/20 |
Brain and Language II |
|
|
11/22 |
Thanksgiving |