Malone UI Spring 20 Engl 241 Intro Linguistics

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Engl 241-(01)(02): Introduction to the Study of Language
THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO, SPRING 2020
Image: https://drjohngkuna.com/words-for-thought-how-language-influences-our-thinking-or-doesnt/
Class Time: TR 12:30-1:45 PM
Location: Engineering/Physics Building 202 (Moscow)
UI Harbor Center 128 (Coeur d’Alene)
Instructor: Brian Malone
E-mail: btmalone@uidaho.edu
Office Hours: TR 2:00-3:00; W 11:30-12:30 and by appointment
Office: Brink 127
Department Phone: 208-885-6156
(English main office, use only if urgent)
Course Description:
In 1957, the American linguist Noam Chomsky famously uttered, “Colorless green ideas sleep
furiously.” The utterance follows the grammatical rules of English, but it doesn’t make any sense.
Chomsky’s colorless green ideas distinguishes between syntax – the rules governing how words
combine into sentences – and semantics – how words accrue meaning.
Writers have long enjoyed innovating upon the rules of English to create new words.
Shakespeare famously popularized countless new words to the English language that we still
use today. Lewis Carrol in the mid-1800’s wrote the poem “Jabberwocky,” which begins: “’Twas
brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.” We understand that “slithy” is an
adjective, and “toves” is a noun, but neither is a real word! Yet, in the same poem, Carrol
invented the verb “chortle,” which we still use today. For more recent examples, google the
history behind The Simpson’s coining the verb “embiggen,” or Stephen Colbert’s notion of
“truthiness.” For that matter, google when people started using “google” as a verb!
Among many questions, our class wonders how language can be both arbitrary and systematic.
We will consider how new words form, how they take on meaning, and how their usage often

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expresses the speaker’s identity. We will learn how sound systems work, and we will learn how
geography influences the language we use. We will address these questions, and so many more.
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Thus, we will try to define “language” and learn
why this elusive and fascinating capacity for speech, which is so fundamental to the human, is
worth studying even after we have acquired the languages we grow up speaking.
The class will be both fun and challenging. You will leave each day surprised, reconsidering the
very role that language plays in your life and in the world. You will have to work hard, though,
too. Developing the skills to analyze language requires learning new vocabulary and practicing
through regular assignments and case studies. Still, I promise our discussions will be rich and
fascinating, well worth the challenge.
Required Texts:
This textbook is required for the course. It is available at the UI campus bookstore, directly
through Cambridge University Press, and on Amazon. We will begin using the book the very
first week, so have that before class begins! When you purchase the textbook, please make sure
you buy the second (2nd) edition new or used without extensive markings in the text!
• Genetti, C. (Ed.). (2019). How Languages Work: An Introduction to Language and Linguistics. (2nd
ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Course Outcomes:
By the end of this course, you will…
1. Understand the fundamental concerns of key areas of linguistic inquiry.
2. Consider the relationship between language use and identity for individuals and
communities.
3. Analyze language use phonologically, phonetically, morphologically, syntactically,
semantically, pragmatically, and sociolinguistically.
4. Apply theoretical linguistic concepts to specific cases of language use in English and
cross-linguistically.
Description of Course Work:
1. Blog Posts: These are chances for open-ended reflection on topics discussed in class. They
are also opportunities to bring in real-world examples of language use that you are
wondering about. You may use the blogs to question how language you have
encountered fits with topics we have been discussing. Often, too, the blogs will ask you
to respond directly to a prompt, and they serve as a way for you and me to communicate
directly to work through ideas you have about upcoming assignments.
2. Homework/Classwork: Linguistics is a science that exists largely between math and
humanities. Like in a math class, practice problems are essential to mastering concepts.
The assignments will be graded for accuracy.

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3. Exams: We will have three short exams. They will take place in one 50-minute class
period and will ask you to analyze specific examples of language use by applying
concepts discussed in class. They will combine multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, T/F,
and short answer questions, among others.
4. Final Project: About halfway through the class, we will stop having exams and I will ask
you to begin thinking about a linguistic phenomenon you want to investigate more
closely. Think of this as a “case study.” You might research how a sound or syntactic
construction has changed in a specific language. You might research language in
isolation, or the cultural implications of languages in contact. You might research the
relationship between geography and language, or the causes of a specific language’s
endangerment. You will research the topic and prepare a presentation, accompanied by
slides, which you will record as a podcast to deliver to your classmates. The podcast will be
7-10 minutes long, or 12-15 minutes if you decide to work with a partner. In the podcast,
you will provide an informational overview of your topic, then you will thoroughly
connect the phenomenon to topics we discussed in class to share why the phenomenon
is important to linguists.
Attendance and Participation:
You may miss class three times without penalty. Your fourth and fifth absence will each result in
a reduction of 5% from your final grade. Your sixth absence will result in an automatic “F” in the
class. Please note that our class moves very quickly, and it is often very difficult to recover from
missing material discussed in class. If you must be absent for an excused reason, I respect your
privacy! I do not need to know the details, but I would like you to tell me how and when you
will make up the work you have missed.
Your participation grade results from coming to class prepared and on time – with your laptop,
textbook, and homework. Participation means more than “talking.” I certainly reward
contributions and questions relevant to our discussion, but I also understand that some
students prefer staying relatively quiet in classroom settings. Disruptions, arriving late, speaking
over other students, etc. will result in a loss of points.
Grades:
Point Distribution. Our class is graded out of 100% based on the following categories:
10% Participation
10% Blog Posts
25% Homework/Classwork
30% Three Exams
25% Final Project
Grading Scales. I will award all your blog posts and podcast assignments a letter grade in
increments of 2.5 points. An “A” project, for example, might receive a 100, 97.5, 95, 92.5, or a 90.

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Your homework, classwork, and exams will be graded for accuracy based on point allotment
for specific questions.
Final grades. Your final grade will be determined according to this scale:
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = Below 60
Typically, I round a final grade in the class (not by project!) to the next highest whole letter, so
89.01 average will become a 90, but an 89 is an 89. I will not curve grades otherwise.
Rubric for written assignments and final portfolio:. While each project sheet will have more specific
stipulations, I award letter grades based on the following rubric:
To earn at least a 90, your assignment must be complete (on time, with all prompt
components, meeting length requirements) and show strong evidence of the particular
skills emphasized by the prompt and in class.
To earn at least an 80, you should turn in a relevant assignment on time. However, if
you are missing components of the prompt or if you do not meet the length requirements,
you may be ineligible to earn above an 89.
To earn at least a 70, you must do more than one of the following:
• Submit work late
• Fail to meet page count
• Fail to include a significant component of the prompt
• Demonstrate minimal effort to practice the targeted skills for the assignment
• Appear to have misinterpreted the prompt
You will earn below a 70 if you turn in an irrelevant assignment with multiple missing
components.
Late Work Policy. I will not accept homework or classwork late. If you are absent, you should still
turn in your online assignments on time. Unless we work out a different arrangement in
advance, you should also send me a picture of any written homework before class on the day it is
due.
Your blogs and final portfolio will all lose half a letter grade for each day they are late and will
not be accepted after a week.
If you need to miss an exam, you MUST write to me in advance to schedule a time to make it up.
No exceptions. If you miss the exam without contacting me beforehand, you cannot make it up.

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Redoing Assignments: I will very rarely accept requests to redo work except in extraordinary
circumstances. If you would like a chance to redo an assignment, you must contact me within a
week of receiving your grade. I will not accept any redo requests after fall break, and nobody can
retake exams.
Etiquette, Technology, Civility
Classroom citizenship. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, whatever your beliefs, identities,
and background, you are WELCOME here. The classroom is a learning community. Any
behavior that disrupts this community will not be tolerated. This includes speaking to other
students while the instructor is talking, sleeping, texting, being rude or belligerent to the
instructor or other students, etc. Please be respectful of your fellow students and your
instructor. If you have a problem with anything in the course, you may speak to me about it
privately after class or in my office hours.
Cell Phones. All cell phones and other technology should be silenced and put away for the
duration of class unless you have been given explicit permission otherwise. Texting and
answering phone calls (especially answering phone calls) will NOT be tolerated. You will be
asked to leave and marked absent for the day.
Laptops. I welcome the use of laptops for notetaking and participating in classroom activities.
Generally, you should plan on bringing your laptop to class with you. I will do my best to inform
you if you won’t need it.
Email Policy. Please e-mail me ONLY at btmalone@uidaho.edu. Please also e-mail me ONLY from
your student e-mail account. This is professional correspondence. Your message should have a
subject line and the content of your message should contain a greeting, complete sentences, and
your name at the bottom. All messages must be appropriate. It is my discretion to choose not to
respond to your e-mails, especially if they do not adhere to these standards. I welcome your
emails if you have questions about the course, your work, meeting times, etc. Please allow me
ample time to respond.
UI Civility Clause. In any environment in which people gather to learn, it is essential that all
members feel as free and safe as possible in their participation. To this end, it is expected that
everyone in this course will be treated with mutual respect and civility, with an understanding
that all of us (students, instructors, professors, guests, and teaching assistants) will be
respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect,
you are encouraged to meet with your instructor during office hours to discuss your concern.
Additional resources for expression of concern or requesting support include the Dean of Students
office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-6716), or the UI Office
of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285).

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Plagiarism
At the University of Idaho, we assume you will do your own work and that you will work with
your instructor on improving writing that is your own. Plagiarism—using someone else’s ideas
or words as yours own without proper attribution--is a serious matter. Please be aware of the
university’s plagiarism policies. Always cite material you borrow from other sources and
produce your own work for the class. Never resubmit an assignment you used from another
class, and never turn in work for which you are not the author. I reserve the right to fail
plagiarized assignments, and even to award an “F” in the course and take further disciplinary
action if necessary.
CDAR Reasonable Accommodations Statement
• Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary
or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through the Center for
Disability Access and Resources located in the Bruce M. Pitman Center, Suite 127 in
order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s)
needed for the course.
• Phone: 208-885‐6307
• Email: cdar@uidaho.edu
• Website: www.uidaho.edu/current-students/cdar