First Face-To-Face Meeting

HANDOUTS

FIRST FACE-TO-FACE MEETING

19 JUNE 2011

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: PROF MADYA DR AIN NADZIMAH ABDULLAH

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

FACULTY OF MODERN LANGUAGES AND COMMUNICATION

UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

43400 SERDANG

SELANGOR

EMAIL:

OFFICE CONTACT: 03 8947 1202 / 03 8946 8740

COURSE

DESCRIPTION
BBI 3201 / INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL LINGUISTICS

The Course

The course Introduction to General Linguistics aims to provide basic knowledge of the kinds of questions linguists have asked and are asking about language. Providing a broad understanding of human language is of concern, i.e. what language is, what it is used for, and how it works.

The more immediate objectives of the course are to:

lead you to examine your own linguistic beliefs and attitudes
make you aware of both the diversity of language systems and their fundamental similarities
give you a reasonable ‘taste’ of most of the subfields of linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, historical and sociolinguistics
acquaint you with the basic concepts necessary to pursue further linguistic study.

I would like to stress that this course is intended to arouse curiosity about language. The material in lectures and the text has practical applications to the world we live in.

BBI 3201 provides an introduction to the scientific study of human languages, concentrating on the similarity and diversity of the languages of the world. The study of linguistics is divided into several areas. They are the study of

sounds and their patterns (phonetics and phonology)
words (morphology)
sentences (syntax)
how linguistic knowledge is applied in social situations in different cultures (sociolinguistics)
how languages change over time (historical or diachronic linguistics
how people learn languages (language acquisition).

Please take note that the ability to read, comprehend, and discuss issues from the lectures and text are essential. The readings for this course are difficult as the terminology is often technical. As a result, note that the course requires ‘active’ reading. By that, I mean that you must be willing to read everything assigned and, if necessary, ask questions about what you cannot and do not understand. Often, you are also expected to engage in inferential thinking. Many students have found my tests difficult because they never learned to read and question on anything more than the literal level. To get a good grade, you must therefore read and write well – in other words, you will have to think.

The TEXT for the course is

Fromkin, V., Rodman, R. & Hyams, N. 2011.An Introduction to Language. Boston: Wadsworth.

You are responsible for ALL the required readings from the text. Refer to the table below.

READINGS

TOPIC / TEXT
What is Language?
Introduction to Linguistics / Chapter 6
Phonetics and Phonology / Chapter 4
Morphology / Chapter 1
Syntax / Chapter 2
Semantics / Chapter 3
Language, society and culture / Chapter 9
Language history and change / Chapter 10
Development of writing / Chapter 11

You are reminded to

keep in regular contact with course instructor and not leave problems until they become very difficult to deal with
read very carefully, assessment and evaluation procedures, and deadlines stated in the course outline

NEGOTIATING A BETTER GRADE?

You might wish to come see me or write to me about changing your grade, for whatever reason. Before doing so, please note that the following are not reasons to ask for a better grade: Needing to get a better job; needing to keep your scholarship; problems you’re having with other courses; your expectation that this was going to be your “easy” course this semester; and generally any other reason that has nothing to do with your knowledge of this class.

ACADEMIC HONESTY

In order to meet the requirements of this course, it is expected that all of your written work, including the writing assignment and in-class exams, will represent your own honest, individual, and original efforts to engage with the material in this class. Please be careful with your written work. Dishonesty of any kind (e.g., “copying” or “borrowing”) will not be tolerated, and will result in a failing grade for the class. You are expected to cite your sources properly and include a list of references. You must be scrupulously honest in documenting the work that you have drawn from others. You may prepare your citations in any standard style used in scholarly writing (e.g., MLA, APA), but please be sure to use it consistently and correctly.

Here are some examples of academic integrity violations. DO NOT DO THESE!!!

Copying from or looking on to a neighbor's exam during the mid-semester or final

Copying a friend assignment
Smuggling notes into a closed-book exam.
Giving a false reason (e.g., death of a relative) for missing an exam or turning in the assignment late

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name: Ain Nadzimah Abdullah

E-mail: /

Office Phone: 03 8946 8740 / 03 8947 1202

Office Location: InfoComm Development Center (iDEC)

Universiti Putra Malaysia

43400 Serdang, Selangor

Course blog: ainnadzimah.tumblr.com

Please feel free to come by my office, call or email me if you'd like to discuss your progress and/or other concerns during the semester. …And remember: the only dumb question is the one you don’t ask…

ASSESSMENT

AND

EVALUATION

Assessment and Evaluation

You are responsible for the following.

ASSIGNMENT (value: 30% of course grade) (Due Week 9)

You will be given a written assignment to work on. The questions will be given to you DURING OUR FIRST FACE-TO-FACE MEETING (19 June 2011).

MID-SEMESTER TEST (value: 30% of course grade)

(Time and date will be set by Pusat Program Luar)

A multiple choice quiz comprising 40 questions will be given.

You will be tested on the following:

What is Language?

Introduction to Linguistics

Phonetics and Phonology

Morphology

Syntax

FINAL EXAMINATION (value: 40% of course grade)

(Time and date will be set by Pusat Program Luar)

A one and a quarter hour (1¼) final examination will be held during the period scheduled for examinations. The examination will consist of 40 - 60 multiple choice questions. Topics tested during the final examination will cover those we have covered during the second half of the semester.

Semantics

Language, society and culture

Language history and change

Development of writing

STUDENT

INFORMATION
BBI 3201

Introduction to General Linguistics

Please provide me with the information below. (e-mail the completed form to )

Part One

Name: ______

Student number: ______

Address: ______

______

Telephone number(s): Home ______

Mobile: ______

Workplace: ______

Email: ______

Part Two

Have you ever taken courses in linguistics? ______

What do you expect to learn from the course BBI 3201 / Introduction to General Linguistics?

______

Thank you for helping me to get to know you better. I hope we will have a fruitful semester ahead.

Ain Nadzimah

ASSIGNMENT
ASSIGNMENT

PLEASE USE THIS COVER PAGE WHEN SUBMITTING YOUR ASSIGNMENT.

The objective of this assignment is to see how you are able to use your knowledge, rather than how you have memorized certain facts.

Please use BLOCK letters when filling in the details below.

Name: ______

Student number: ______

Address:______

______

Telephone Contact: (Home) ______

(Office) ______

(Mobile) ______

E-mail (if any): ______

BBI 3201 / INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL LINGUISTICS

______

WHAT?A WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT OF ABOUT 4 – 5 PAGES

VALUE?30% OF YOUR COURSE GRADE

WHEN?DUE WEEK 9

SEND TO?

(Do mention in subject line of your email: BBI 3201 – WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT)

______

ANSWER ALL THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

a.What is the difference between a phonetic and a phonemic transcription of the same utterance?

b.Name four articulation points for stops in English.

c.Give a minimal pair showing that /l/ and /ɹ/ are different phonemes in English.

a.What is the difference between free and bound morphemes?

b.Divide the word untimelier into morphemes and show its internal structure.

c.By which of the word-formation processes described in chapter four was the word podcast created?

d.Give an example of two words that are homophones.

3.Define and describe the following terms: pidgins, creoles, linguafranca. In your answer make sure that you describe their distinguishing characteristics indicating where and in what circumstances they arise.

LECTURE

OUTLINE
What is linguistics?

Branches of linguistics

What linguistics is not

Linguistics is not to be identified with four main fields.

( David Crystal, 1985)

What linguistics is

Definitions of linguistics

Who is a linguist?

‘Of course I know what language is. I use it all the time.’

What is language?

‘Language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for

human communication’ (Wardhaugh, 1994)

The importance of understanding language

The universals of language

What do you know when you know a language?

Branches of linguistics

LECTURE

NOTES

WHAT IS LANGUAGE?

WHAT IS LINGUISTICS?

What is the trait which most decisively distinguishes human beings from all other creatures on the planet ?

 Love ?

 Warfare ?

 Art and Music ?

 Technology ?

Language is the greatest human possession. It is a very complex phenomenon.

It is the focal point of everything we do and it distinguishes man from other forms of life on earth.

We need language to function. Without language our needs and wishes will never get the chance to be expressed.

What is language ?

 Language is a means of communication.

 Language is a means of transferring thoughts from one mind to another.

 Language is the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or written

symbols in a human society for communication and selfexpression.

(David Crystal, 1992)

Language provides the means for us to

 take our place in society

 express our wants

 convey information

 learn about the people and world around us

In short, language enables us to live effectively, to develop our capabilities, and to satisfy our curiosity about our surroundings.

The Origins of Language

 What is the world’s oldest spokenlanguage?

 Have all languages developed from a single source?

 What was the language spoken in the Garden of Eden?

For centuries, people have speculated over the origins of humanlanguage. The questions above are fascinating and have provoked experiments and discussion whose history dates back 3000 years.

The Origins of Language

We have no direct knowledge of the origins and early development of language.

We can only speculate, arrive at our own conclusions, andremain dissatisfied.

One group of 19th. century scholars (the Linguistic Society of Paris) took drastic action in 1866. They published an edict banning the discussion of the originof language at their meetings.

Early ‘Experiments’

According to the Greek historian, Herodotus, the Egyptian King Psammethichus who reigned during the 7th. century BC wanted to find out which of all the peoples of the world was the most ancient.

His way of determining this was to discover the oldest language which, he thought, would be evidence of the oldest race.

He gave two new-born babies of ordinary men to a shepherd, to nurture among his flocks. He asked that no one should utter any speech to the infants. The infants were to be brought up in solitary isolation, and when it was time to feed them their milk, the shepherds were to bring the goats to them. Psammetichus wanted to discover what tongue the infants would utter first (when they were past meaningless whimperings).

Early ‘Experiments’

The Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II of Hohenstaufen (1194-1250) also carried out an experiment with children.

He used infants too. He asked foster mothers and nurses to suckle, bathe and wash the children, but NOT to speak to them.

He wanted to know whether they would first speak the Hebrew language, Greek, Latin or Arabic, or the language of the parents to whom they were born.

Early ‘Experiments’

James IV of Scotland (1473-1513) took a dumb (hearing and speech impaired) young woman and her two children and furnished them with all necessary things pertaining to their nourishment, clothing, fire, candles.

He wanted to know what language the children would speak.

Some say they spoke good Hebrew. However, this is merely hearsay.

Views on the Origin of Language

Language originated in a paradise where its pristine form was perfectly logical and grammatical. Language was traced to the Garden of Eden. The first man and first woman spoke the language bestowed on them by their creator.

 The ‘bow-wow theory’ suggested that speech arose through people imitating the sounds of the environment, especially animal calls. The evidence seems to be in the use of onomatopoeic words. However, few of these exist in language, and languages vary so much in the way they represent natural sounds, this theory has little support.

Views on the Origin of Language

The ‘pooh-pooh’ theory suggests that speech arose through people making instinctive sounds, caused by pain, anger, or other emotions.

The ‘ding-dong’ theory suggests that speech arose because people reacted to the stimuli in the world around them, and spontaneously produced sound which in some way reflected the environment. The word mama is supposed to reflect the movement of the lips as the mouth approaches the breast, and bye-bye or ta-ta show the lips and tongue waving good-bye.

Views on the Origin of Language

The yo-heave-ho theory suggests that speech arose because, as people worked together, their physical efforts produced communal, rhythmical grunts, which in due course developed into chants, and thus language.

The la-la theory suggests that speech arose from the romantic side of life, that is, from sounds associated with love, poetic feeling, perhaps even song. But, the gap between the emotional and the rational aspects of speech would still have to be accounted for.

Why Do Languages Differ From One Another ?

The Old Testament relates that before the Tower of Babel, all men and women spoke the same language, and could understand one another without difficulty.

Human haughtiness eventually provoked God into punishing people by confounding their language and introducing mutually unintelligible tongues.

Given this story, language differences among people can be seen as a penalty for sinful behavior.

Why Do Languages Differ From One Another?

Similarly, Muslims believe that God spoke to Prophet Mohammed in a form of Arabic that was by definition ‘pure’ and ‘perfect’. The Holy Quran is viewed as the exemplar of pure and grammatically perfect Arabic.

The many varieties of present-day Arabic spoke in Africa and the Gulf, and elsewhere, are seen as having risen through the subsequent weakness and culpability of their speakers.

Why Do Languages Differ From One Another?

Linguists take a different approach. They see the multiplicity of languages as the product of natural historical change.

Languages change as a result of people shaping and reshaping their languages to meet changing social and intellectual needs.

Languages also change as a reflection of contact with people speaking different languages.

Design Features of Language /

Fundamental Properties of Language

 Duality of Patterning

 Displacement

 Open-Endedness

 Stimulus-Freedom

 Arbitrariness

Duality of Patterning

Every utterance we make consists of speech sounds, one after another.

How many different speech sounds can you produce ?

In fact, every human language operates with only a small set of speech sounds. Take English for example, consider the word cat, how many speech sounds does it

contain ? (answer - 3, the k sound, the flat a, and the t sound)

For convenience, let us introduce special symbols for each of the speech sounds - / k /, / æ / and / t /. We use the slashes / / to indicate we are talking about distinctive speech sounds (phonemes).

Duality of Patterning

Now, if someone asks you what the English word

/ k æ t / means, you will have no trouble in answering. But suppose, someone asks you what the English phoneme / k / means? This time it is impossible for you to answer as the phoneme

/ k/ has no meaning in English ( nor / æ / or / t / ).

But now notice something else. These same meaningless phonemes can be rearranged to produce different words with different meanings. Thus the order /tæk/ produces the word tack, while /ækt/ produces the word act, /æt/ gives at, and /tækt/gives tacked or tact.

What is happening is that, by combining a very small set of meaningless speech sounds in various ways, we can produce a very large number of different meaningful items--words.

All human languages are constructed in this way, and this is called duality of patterning or duality.

Why is duality of patterningsignificant ?

Suppose, every individual sound we could produce had its own meaning, then the number of different meanings we could express would be no greater than the number of sounds we could produce.

Since we can’t produce more than a hundred speech sounds due to the restricted

capacity of our vocal apparatus, the result would be that a language could contain

only about a hundred words. This would be catastrophic. Imagine English consisting

no more than a hundred words.

Duality of Patterning

Duality is unique to human language.

Incidentally !!

How many phonemes are there in English? Answer : around 40.

Why such a vague answer?

Because not all English speakersuse exactly the same set ofspeech sounds.

Do you pronounce the words book or buck differently or identically ?

People who pronounce them differentlyhave one more vowel than those who

pronounce them identically)

Displacement

Displacement is the use of language to talk about things other than the here and now.

In contrast to animals, humans have a sense of the past and future. We are able to talk about last night’s badminton game, our childhood, or the behavior of dinosaurs which lived over a 100 million years ago. On the other hand, a gorilla, cannot tell his fellows about his parents, his adventures in the jungle, or his experiences of the past.

Displacement

Displacement is thus our ability toconvey a meaning that transcends the immediately perceptible sphere of space and time.