ANT 10401 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology Dr. Dorothy Wills
71758 Cal Poly Pomona Fall Quarter, 2009
Course Syllabus
Class meetings: TTh 8:00-9:50, 5:143
Units: 4 (no lab)
Format: Lecture, discussion, reading, activity/exercise
Office: 5:149, MW 9:00-11:00, Tues. 1:00 – 2:00, or by appointment
Phone: 869-3582
Home page: http://www.csupomona.edu/~ddwills/
Email: ddwills@csupomona.edu
Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology
Origins and development of oral and written language; speech anatomy, language and the brain. Overview of the structure of language, relationships between language and culture, literature and other communicative forms. Variation in language; history and classification of the world’s languages. Critical use of language (reading and writing). 4 hours lecture/problem-solving. No pre-requisites.
Category C3. In harmony with the Guidelines to General Education, ANT 104 provides students with an appreciation of language and literature, underscoring both the relationships between culture and language, and the importance of communication in the interpretation of culture. Students will gain greater understanding of the significance of creative writings and communicative customs and traditions of particular cultures. They will become familiar with contributions of diverse cultures to our literacy and linguistic heritage.
This course is also required for Anthropology majors, since it introduces one of the four basic fields of anthropology (linguistic anthropology).
Required texts: (available in the Bronco Bookstore and elsewhere)
The Anthropology of Language, Harriet J. Ottenheimer. Wadsworth, 2006.
Workbook for The Anthropology of Language (must purchase both).
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of the quarter, students will be able to:
1. Analyze features of a new language with regard to its structural properties,
2. Critique written and oral information about languages and communication,
3. Understand the place(s) of human communication and languages in evolution and civilization,
4. Demonstrate understanding of the differences between dialects, the vernacular, formal English, and other styles and codes,
5. Design and carry out a research project on a language-related topic, using both existing sources of information and original findings (with the support of the instructor).
The most important course objective is for students to improve their ability to acquire language as adults. Another objective is for students to recognize that all languages are comparable in richness, complexity, historical interest, or any particular structural feature, though English may be more widely used as a second language. It is expected that students' appreciation of the role of language in culture and civilization will be enhanced. Additional objectives include improvement in spoken and written language. Students will participate in brainstorming further learning objectives.
Units of Study: Your book and class activities will cover at least part or aspects of all of these.
You will have the opportunity to bring up other topics for study, if you have a special interest.
A. Overview of the world’s languages.
B. Classification of languages.
C. The structure of language.
D. Phonetics and phonology.
E. Morphology and syntax.
F. Semantics and pragmatics.
G. Orthography and composition.
H. General characteristics of the major language groups.
I. Interesting case studies in comparative linguistics.
J. Origin and evolution of language.
K. Non-verbal communication.
L. Literacy and applied linguistics.
M. Field linguistics – learning language on your own.
CSU Employee Furloughs – Impact on Classes
This year across this campus and around the CSU system some class days will be cancelled because of furloughs. A furlough is mandatory un-paid time off; faculty and staff on each CSU campus are being “furloughed” two days per month.
These cancelled class days are marked on your syllabus below. It is important to recognize that these days off are not holidays. Instead, they are concrete examples of how massive state budget cuts have consequences for you as students and for me as a faculty member.
The CSU has suffered chronic underfunding for at least 10 years. This year the budget cuts are the worst in the history of our university system — $584 million or 20% of our budget.
The CSU administration is attempting to deal with these cuts with huge increases in your student fees (32%), eliminations of your classes, and lay-offs of faculty and other university employees.
In addition to paying higher fees, you will be affected by reduced services and classes. The library will have shorter hours. Many campus support services will be decreased or eliminated. It will be more difficult to get signatures to meet deadlines. Classes you need may have been cut from the class schedule or are full.
If you would like to take action, or simply learn more, I strongly recommend you contact the California Faculty Association or Students for a Quality Education yourvoice_calpoly@yahoo.com on campus.
Furlough dates: 9/28, 10/14, 10/20, 11/12, 11/16, 12/4. I will not be available on any of these days.
Outline of Classes
Sept. 24 Overview of linguistic anthropology. Comparison with linguistics. Common misconceptions about language and linguistics.
READ: Ottenheimer Ch. 1, Workbook Ch. 1
ASSIGNMENT: Homework exercises will be selected and assigned from the Workbook every week. Specific assignments will be announced in class and posted on BlackBoard or the course web site. They do not appear here.
You will have an in-class exercise today.
Sept. 29 The world's languages, and how they are classified. Theories of the origin, evolution and history of language. After Babel? (George Steiner on philosophy of language.)
ASSIGNMENT: Begin listener log (due periodically and at end of course). Specific instructions will be given in class.
Oct. 1 Discussion of Ottenheimer. Levels of structure of language, and introduction to the IPA. History of language and migration of peoples.
READ: Ottenheimer Ch. 2, Workbook Ch. 2
ASSIGNMENT: Choose an unfamiliar language for out-of-class research (ongoing). Specifics will be provided in class.
Oct. 6 Language, culture, and meaning. Semantics and pragmatics. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Discussion of readings (be sure to keep up with the assigned reading; it may be discussed right away).
ASSIGNMENT: Listener log (to be discussed in class).
Oct. 8 A bit on the biology of language. Communication paradigm, including speech, art, literary traditions, social symbolism.
READ: Both Ch. 3
Oct. 13 Phonetics and phonology. The International Phonetic Alphabet. !Kung phonics. In-class exercise.
ASSIGNMENT: Transcription exercise.
Oct. 15 IPA continued. Transcription due.
READ: Ch. 4
Oct. 20 Go over Ch. 4 workbook. Morphology and syntax. Wolof nominal classification, gender in Hausa, etc.
ASSIGNMENT: Pronoun paradigm (will go over in class).
READ: Ch. 5
Oct. 22 Morphology and syntax. Imperatives and other grammar exercises.
ASSIGNMENT: Listener log exercise.
Oct. 27 Language universals. Design features of language. Nonverbal communication: kinesics, proxemics, and paralanguage.
READ: Ch. 6
Oct. 29 Faculty furlough day. Working on listener log assignment.
Nov. 3 The development of writing. Different orthographic systems from cuneiform to syllabary. Discourse analysis. Hymes’ mnemonic and sociolinguistics. Language and music; language and logic. Kinesics and proxemics.
READ: Ch. 7
Nov. 5 Animal communication and origin of language. Controversial theories of evolution of language.
Pronoun assignment due.
ASSIGNMENT: Research on ‘your’ language (to be discussed).
READ: Ch. 8
Nov. 10 Meaning in language – not just vocabulary. Does language influence perception? Language planning and development issues.
Listener log exercise in class.
Nov. 12 Furlough. Listener log exercise to be assigned.
READ: Ch. 9
Nov. 17 Languages in contact: pidgins and creoles, lingua francas, bilingualism. Dialects.
Language research due.
Nov. 19 First (child) and second (adult) language acquisition. Linguistics can assist in language learning.
READ: Ch. 10
Nov. 24 The future of language(s). Language survival, change and relationship to technology.
Dec. 1 Applied linguistic anthropology. What do linguists do for a living? How do they make their knowledge contribute to the world?
Listener log due.
Dec. 3 Review and discussion.
No final exam.
NOTE: This outline and reading schedule are provisional. We may decide to make changes, in which case the new version will be posted on the web site. Any additional homework assignments will be made in class and put on BlackBoard.
Requirements and evaluation
Work in class and homework will be largely problem- and project-based. Attendance is, therefore, extremely important. Students will have either an exercise (homework or in-class) every week. We will decide whether this is a sufficient basis for your final grade together (without quizzes, for instance).
Students will be carrying out in- and out-of-class exercises, including a close study of at least one foreign language, maintaining a listener log (similar to a field journal), and in-class comparisons of writing. Grades will be based on progress in the following areas:
1. clarity of expression
2. comprehension of important ideas
3. application of structural principles to linguistic analysis
4. breadth of reading
5. cultural relativism
Approximate Basis for Calculation of Grade
Workbook assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
Listener log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
Language assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
Class participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25%
100%
The usual standards for written work and strictures against plagiarism are in effect. If you are not certain of what these are, please ask.