Dominique

Sportiche - Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language UCLA, Fall 2014

INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF LANGUAGE

Linguistics 1 Fall Quarter 2014
Tuesday & Thursday, 9:30-10:45, Moore 100
Last Updated: September 27th, 2014


Instructor: Dominique Sportiche
Office: Campbell Hall 3103M
Email: see website
Office Hours: Tuesdays Thursdays 11:30 -12:30

Teaching Assistants Office hours
Nikolaos Angelopoulos email: see website Wednesdays 2-4
Lindy Comstock email: see website Tuesdays 11:30-1:30
Philippe Cote-Boucher email: see website Tuesdays 1-3
Meaghan Fowlie email: see website Wednesdays 10-12
Daphne Lee email: see website Tuesdays and Wednesdays 3-4
Toru Minamimoto email: see website Tuesdays 4-5 Wednesdays 9-10
Kaspars Ozolins email: see website Wednesdays 12-1; Thursdays 11-1

TA Office: 2209 Campbell, only during the TAs' office hours (see below)

Online Schedule:
http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/detselect.aspx?termsel=14F&subareasel=LING&idxcrs=
0001++++

Website for all course information (e.g. downloadable Lecture Notes and important updates):

https://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/14F-LING1-1


Purpose of the course: The (implicit) knowledge of a native language arguably is the most complex
ability that any human being ever acquires. This course discusses some of the central questions that arise
concerning the nature of this ability and some of the methods to investigate them used in contemporary
linguistic theory.
Required text: Steven Pinker, The Language Instinct, Harper Perennial [Perennial Classics edition,
paperback]

Lecture, discussion sections, and reading: The course will be organized around the main text, The
Language Instinct. While this book is written for a popular audience and has been a bestseller, its author,
Steven Pinker, is a respected linguist, and it presents a serious picture of the nature of language. The full
class meetings on Tuesday and Thursday will be a combination of videos and lectures, and will be
Dominique Sportiche - Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language UCLA, Fall 2014 2

complemented by lecture notes and Pinker's book. You will be responsible for information from all four
sourcesPinker's Language Instinct, films, lectures, lecture notesin weekly homeworks, and in the
final examination.
Lecture Notes: Some lecture notes will be posted in .pdf format on the website (see the box above for
the URL). These notes will be based on the lectures and be made available towards the end of the
week after the lectures. You are responsible for studying them thoroughly. The Lecture Notes may
be occasionally corrected: updated version will be posted on the website. While the notes recapitulate the
content of the lectures, they are not intended to be used autonomously, and may be hard to follow if you
do not attend class. Part of the class discussion will not be included in the notes. Thus you cannot
count on the latter to serve as a substitute for class attendance.

Electronic communication: The course website will be used to post assignments and other documents
relevant to the course. Clarifications to homework problems and other time-sensitive information will
also be posted there.

E-mails: You should normally e-mail questions to your TA, unless your question is specifically
addressed to Professor Sportiche. You cannot expect that your TA will give you elaborate
explanations by e-mail. Each TA is responsible for more than 60 students, and the time that they can
devote to Ling 1 is strictly limited. Please make optimal use of sections and office hours to ask questions,
using e-mails as a last resort or for questions that can be answered quickly.

Grading: Your course grade will be based on the cumulative point total from
Six written assignments (due in sections) = 45%
4-5 page paper = 10%
Final exam (on Wed, Dec. 17 8:00-11:00am) = 45%
Written assignments (45% of the grade): You will receive a total of 7 written assignments. These will
be distributed in discussion sections, one each week in weeks 1-7. Each written assignment is due at the
beginning of your discussion section the week after it is distributed. No late assignments will be
accepted without proper medical justification. The lowest assignment grade will be dropped, leaving
6 assignments for your course grade.
Term Paper (10% of the grade): You will write a paper of 4-5 pages (typed, double spaced, 12 point
type), due in sections of the tenth week. The purpose of the paper will be to get you to reflect on your own
language instinct. Further instruction about the paper will be given later in the quarter.

Final exam (45% of the grade): The final will be cumulative for the entire course. It will be in class,
open book and open notes. YOU MAY NOT USE ELECTRONIC DEVICES (laptops, iPads, smartphones, etc.).
It will consist of multiple choice questions and will be machine scored. [Note: students only get credit for
correct answers.]
THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP FINAL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Anyone who misses the final but
has otherwise completed the course work will be given an Incomplete.


Dominique Sportiche - Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language UCLA, Fall 2014 3

Academic integrity: Students are expected to strictly follow standards of academic integrity. As
specified in the UCLA Student Conduct Code, violations or attempted violations of academic dishonesty
include, but are not limited to, cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, multiple submissions or facilitating
academic dishonesty. Cheating on homeworks or during the final exam will be reported to the Dean
of Student Affairs. See http://www.deanofstudents.ucla.edu/students.htm for further information.

Discussion sections: Please refer to the online schedule for the latest room assignments:
http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/schedule/detselect.aspx?termsel=14F&subareasel=LING&idxcrs=
0001++++


Number Day Time Location TA
1A R 11:00A 11:50A MS 7608 Philippe
1B R 11:00A 11:50A HAINES 122 Nikos
1C R 12:00P 12:50P HAINES A20 Nikos
1D R 12:00P 12:50P MS 7608 Philippe
1E R 1:00P 1:50P HAINES A20 Nikos
1F R 1:00P 1:50P MS 7608 Philippe
1G R 2:00P 2:50P BUNCHE 3123 Meaghan
1H R 2:00P 2:50P KAUFMAN 153 Toru
1I R 3:00P 3:50P MS 5148 Meaghan
1J R 4:00P 4:50P BUNCHE 3123 Kaspars
1K F 9:00A 9:50A HAINES A76 Toru
1L F 10:00A 10:50A HAINES 110 Toru
1M F 11:00A 11:50A MS 7608 Daphne
1N F 11:00A 11:50A PUB AFF 2317 Lindy
1O F 12:00P 12:50P MS 7608 Daphne
1P F 12:00P 12:50P KAUFMAN 153 Lindy
1Q F 1:00P 1:50P PUB AFF 2319 Kaspars
1R F 1:00P 1:50P HAINES A6 Meaghan
1S F 2:00P 2:50P HUMANTS A48 Lindy
1T F 3:00P 3:50P HAINES A20 Kaspars
1U F 4:00P 4:50P HAINES A20 Daphne

 Dominique Sportiche - Linguistics 1: Introduction to the Study of Language UCLA, Fall 2014 4

COURSE OUTLINE
(Subject to revision)

Date Topic Readings

Week 0 Language Instinct
Thu 10/2/14 Introduction Chapters 1 & 2
Week 1 Lecture Notes 1 &
Tu 10/7/14 Language and Rules: Description vs. Prescription Language Instinct
Thu 10/9/14 Language as an Instinct Chapters 1 & 2
Week 2 HOMEWORK #1 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 2 &
Tue 10/14/14 Film: The Mind: Language Language Instinct
Thu 10/16/14 Language and Thought Chapters 2 & 3
(optional: Ch. 12)
Week 3 HOMEWORK #2 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 3 &
Tue 10/21/14 Language Diversity Language Instinct
Thu 10/23/14 Historical Linguistics. Film: In Search of the First Language Chapter 8
Week 4 HOMEWORK #3 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 4 &
Tue 10/28/14 Sentence Structure I: Constituency Language Instinct
Thu 10/30/14 Sentence Structure II: Phrase Structure Grammars Chapter 4
Week 5 HOMEWORK #4 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 5 &
Tue 11/4/14 Review & Film: Colorless Green Ideas Language Instinct
(Human Language Series #1) Chapter 4
Thu 11/6/14 Sentence Structure III: Condition C & Acquisition
Week 6 HOMEWORK #5 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 6 &
Tue 11/11/14 Veterans Day Language Instinct
Thu 11/13/14 Meaning I: Count/Mass Chapter 9
Week 7 HOMEWORK #6 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 7
Tue 11/18/14 Meaning II: Entailments & Acquisition
Thu 11/20/14 Meaning III: Implicatures & Acquisition
Week 8 HOMEWORK #7 DUE (beginning of section) Lecture Notes 8 &
Tue 11/25/14 Review & Film: Acquiring the Human Language Language Instinct Chapter
(Human Language Series#2) 5
Thu 11/27/14 Thanksgiving
Week 9 Lecture Notes 9 &
Tue 12/02/14 Form I: Morphology Language Instinct Chapter
Thu 12/04/14 Form II: From Sounds to Features 6
Week 10 PAPER DUE (beginning of section)
Tue 12/09/14 Form III: Phonological Rules
Thu 12/11/14 Conclusion

Final Exam Wednesday, December 17th 2014, 8am-11am
[open notes, open book, no electronic devices]

Note: The material will become more abstract and somewhat more difficult around Week 4.