Ottenheimer Workbook Assignments (to accompany reading)
1.1 Due .
2.4 Due .
Give some examples of vocabulary items in this area.3.2 AND 3.8 Due .
Look over 4.1 through 4.13 in the Practice section. We will go over them in class on .
Be prepared to discuss 5.1 and 5.2 in the Exercises section in class on . Write up 5.3 to turn in on .
Be prepared to discuss 6.2 and 6.3 in the Exercises of the Workbook in class on .
Read Ch. 7 in the Workbook and do Exercise 7.1 pg. 99 for . We will go over it in class on .
We will go over Ch. 8 exercises in class on .
Read Ch. 9 by and be prepared to discuss 9.2 and 9.3 on pg. 121 on .
Ch. 10 do Exercise 10.2 on p. 151 for .
Additional exercises may be done for extra credit during the last week of class. Some possibilities include: 4.11, 4.12 on pp. 59-63, 5.4 on p. 76, 9.1 on p. 122, and 10.1, 10.3 or 10.4 starting on p. 151.
Listener Log
1. Two-person conversation. Provide the background information on a) the participants' characteristics (age, sex, etc.), b) the situation (where, when, what's going on, etc.), and c) what is the occasion for the talk (they met for lunch, they're lovers watching TV together, etc.). Use either first names or A/B to identify them, and try to record what they say, as in a dialogue form:
A or Jason: Let's watch something else.
B or Suzanne: Why, I like this show.
Then try to describe whatever features of their speech you notice. He speaks softly, she says every sentence as a question, whatever draws your attention.
DUE IN CLASS .
2. Repeat the above with a different pair, circumstances, etc.
DUE .
3. Proxemic observation and description. Choose two contrastive settings for this exercise. Focus on a small group in each case, and note the distances and positions of participants, any touching behavior, the relationship between proxemics and discourse, and whatever you think the behavior means in terms of their roles, relationships, status, background, etc. This will be discussed in class.
DUE .
4. Speech event analysis. Apply Hymes' mnemonic based on components of the speech event (S-P-E-A-K-I-N-G) to an actual speech event which you observe and/or participate in. Try to do something a little more elaborate than Hi - Hi - See ya. Be sure to include information in each component, even if the genre is merely casual conversation.
DUE .
Full listener log due in class.
Unfamiliar Language
Have the name of the language you will be studying by in class. Names of possibilities are available at this site.
Sign-ups for languages.
1. What studies have been done of this language? List the dictionaries or vocabulary lists; grammar books or studies (including phonology, morphology, syntax works if there are any that specific); dialogues or usage guides; and any anthropological (or other social scientific) research on the use, acquisition, or beliefs about this language.
DUE . Of course if you want to turn it in early, that's fine too.
2. Fully describe the pronoun paradigm of your language. Include information about case, gender, number, person, status, and any other features there may be of pronouns. How do pronouns appear - as independent forms, as affixes or inflections? Are there personal pronouns (you, she, etc.), relative pronouns (who, which, etc.), possessives, and other grammatical categories of pronouns? Cite the sources of your information. Also provide a brief introduction to your language.
DUE .
3. Explore the literature on your language as a community of speakers. What dialects exist? Is there a social stratification of language use in this community? What speech events are there? Also, provide the basic background information on your language - what family is it classified in, where spoken, how many speakers, etc.
DUE .
EXTRA CREDIT
How does your language show time, in terms of verb tense? What are the tenses, how are they formed, and are there any other ways of indicating time relative to the present other than with verb grammar (e.g., words such as 'tomorrow', 'long ago', etc.)?
DUE .