LING 111.

03
INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE AND LINGUISTICS
Fall 2011

Class: MWTh 445

Rooms: NH 001, NH 203 , NH 404
Instructor: Didar Akar
Office: NH HUM 101-102 koordinatrl
TB 475
Office hours: MW 3 3
e-mail: akar@boun.edu.tr

TA: mer Faruk Demirok

Office: TB455
e-mail: omer.demirok@boun.edu.tr

SYLLABUS
Objective: This course aims at introducing the basic principles and concepts in the field of study known as
linguistics. Linguistics is the study of human language, its scientific and systematic foundations. In this
course, one of the areas we will be exploring will be what it means to know a language, both in terms of its
structure and use. We will also look at phases of language acquisition and investigate the principles
underlying the production of language. Another area we will consider will be genetic relation of languages
and language in historical perspective.

Textbook:
Fromkin, A. V., R. Rodman & N. Hyams. (2003). An Introduction to Language. Harcourt Brace
College Publishers. (ninth edition)
Handouts distributed in class

Web page: http://www.linguistics.boun.edu.tr/

Check the web page for the assignemnets, their solutions, class notes, etc.

Course requirements:
Assignments: There will be four data analysis assignments to be completed by the dates given
on the syllabus.
Attendance is required. Attendance, participation and assignments will account for 10% of
your course grade.
Exams: There will be two midterms in the course of the semester each counting 25% of the
course grade.
Final: A cumulative final exam will determine the remaining 40% of your grade.
There will be no E-exam.
The passing grade for the course is 55.

Schedule
Weeks
Topics
Readings
Assignments
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 1
Sept 26
Preliminaries
28
Brain and Language
Introduction
29
Brain and Language
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 2
Oct 3
What is language
chapter 6 (skip pp 302-315)
5
Morphology
chapter 1 (skip pp 63-64)
6
Morphology
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 3
Oct 10
Morphology
12
Morphology
Assignment 1 given
13
Morphology
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 4
Oct 17
Phonetics
Chapter 4
Assignment 1 due
19
Phonetics
(skip pp 217-219)
20
Phonetics
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 5
Oct 24
Phonetics
26
Phonology
chapter 5
Assignment 2 given
27
Phonology
__________________________________________________________________________________
Week 6
Oct 31
Phonology
Nov 2
Phonology
Assignment 2 due
3
review
MIDTERM I (AT 18.00)
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 7
Nov 7
KURBAN BAYRAMI
9
KURBAN BAYRAMI
10
TBA
____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 8
Nov 14
Syntax
chapter 2
16
Syntax
(skip 127-128)
17
Syntax
____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 9
Nov 21
Syntax
23
Syntax
Assignment 3 given
24
Semantics
Chapter 3
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 10
Nov 28
Semantics
Assignment 3 due
30
Pragmatics
Dec
1
Pragmatics
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Week 11
Dec 5
Language Change
Chapter 10
7
Language Change
8
Language Change
Assignment 4 given
___________________________ ________________________________________________________
Week 12
Dec 12
Language in Society
Chapter 9 (skip pp442-451, 463-469)
13
Language in Society
Assignment 4 due

14
Language in Society
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 13
Dec 19
review
MIDTERM II (at 18.00
21
Language Acquisition
Chapter 7 (skip pp. 355-366)
22
Language Acquisition
___________________________________________________________________________________
Week 14
Dec 26
Language Acquisition
28
review
29
review