1. Introduction to Linguistics Prof. Sharon Hargus Spring 2006

2. Ideas about language What do you already know about language?
What is interesting to you about language?

3. Ideas about language heard at ’05 ITE
Some languages are more modern than others.
People who speak with a southern accent are not as smart as other Americans.
Some languages are harder than others.
There are rules for the pronunciation of different languages.
Which do you believe to be true? Which do some people believe to be true?
take a minute to talk to your neighbor about this

4. Are some languages more modern than others?
What does ‘more modern’ mean?
Has a word for ‘World Wide Web’?
Has written records over a longer period of time?
Has changed less over time?
Zuni—spoken in New Mexico

5. English vs. Zuni Is English more modern than Zuni?
English  Old English  Proto-Germanic  Proto-Indo-European (ca B.C.)

6. Attitudes about accents
People who talk with a southern accent are ____________.
People who talk with a ____________ accent are ___________.

7. Accents and advertising
A: Old Betsy here just won’t start any more and my wife says to get her out of here.
B: Why don’t you donate her?
A: My wife?

8. Are some languages harder than others?
What are criteria for determining difficulty?
Extensive nominal case (accusative, genitive, etc.)?
Finnish: nominal cases
Latin: 7
German: 4
Verb must go at end of sentence?
Are consonant clusters harder than tone, or vice versa?
‘Difficult’ depends on
one’s native language
language being acquired
age of acquisition

9. Are there rules for pronunciation in language?
Sahaptin:
Sahaptin

10. Consonant clusters in Sahaptin
Some attested combinations
tsnits ‘your (man’s) younger sister’
kw’siis ‘pointed’
kw’laapsh ‘bare, empty’
Some unattested combinations
kp occurs but not pk
k’sh occurs but not k’sh etc.
Consonant clusters are not random in Sahaptin; there are patterns

11. What is linguistics?
The study of human language as a rule-governed system of knowledge
What linguists do: make explicit the systems of knowledge found in human language
Much of this class is about how to discover such systems, some results

12. Goals for student learning in this class
Learn some concepts about language
Develop competence in linguistic analysis
Learn some tools for analyzing language
Learn some facts about particular languages

13. Some questions we’ll discuss
Lots of languages are going extinct. Is that good or bad?
How close have chimpanzees and other primates come to learning a human language?
Is American Sign Language a language or is it pantomime?
What’s the big deal about Ebonics?

14. We’ll also discuss Phonetic transcription Paradigms wh- questions
“it’s just semantics”
Good vs. bad grammar
Many other technical issues in the description of language

15. A preview on grammar
What does “grammar” mean to you?

16. Administrative matters
Class website:
Syllabus
Lecture slides and video clips
FAQs about the course (and answers)
Corrections to the textbook (if needed)
Links to on-line quizzes
I welcome your feedback on this class

17. Highlights of the syllabus
Grades based on midterm (25%), final (35%), homework and quizzes (30%), participation (10%)
Textbook: Fromkin, Rodman and Hymans (2003). There will be quizzes about the reading through Catalyst Tools.
Exams will be multiple-choice, machine scorable. You will be tested on lectures, assigned readings, and any new materials reviewed in sections.

18. On its way… Turning Point Audience Response System
Hopefully in place to use in lecture by Mon of 2nd week of classes
Students purchase wireless RF Response Card devices (“clickers”) in the book store: $33 new, $24 used.

19. Student responsibilities
Do the assigned work on time
Read the textbook
Homework announced Fridays in lecture, due Thursdays in section
No make-up exams
Be respectful of others
Getting to know me is your job
Office hours: Mondays 3-5

20. Next lecture Endangered languages
Reading: 3 short articles accessible on-line through our library system. See the syllabus.