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M.Ed. for Teachers in American Schools Overseas
Framingham State College and International Education
Program, Inc.
61.901 Language Structures: Phonetics and Morphology
by Jilani Warsi, Ph.D.
Tel. (781) 592-9857
E-mail: jilaniw@yahoo.com
Costa Rica, June 30 –
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the universal linguistic properties
of sound systems and the basic features of the sound system of English.
The rules of word formation and aspects of morphological typology
are also examined. English is compared and contrasted with other
languages. The course is designed for students with a strong interest
in second language related issues, for students seeking preparation
for certification in the Teaching of English as a Second Language,
and for those teachers who wish to meet state or district requirements
for advanced study. Among the topics to be explored from readings
and through discussion and exercise are: an overview of the nature
of language and linguistics; the speech sounds of English; and the
structure and meaning of English words. This course will be interactive
as students use discussion of readings and do exercise to familiarize
themselves with phonetics, morphology, and second language pedagogy.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. describe the characteristics of human language;
2. understand the classification of English consonants and vowels;
3. describe, transcribe, and produce sounds from a wide variety
of languages;
4. transcribe English words and sentences in broad transcription;
5. write rules for phonemes of English;
6. determine the syllable structure of English words;
7. define different types of morphemes and morphs;
8. identify the most common processes of word formation in English;
and
9. apply the inflectional and distributional tests for the categories
noun, adjective, verb, auxiliary, and adverb in English.
Course Requirements:
Attendance and participation 20%
Self-Testing Exercise 20%
Midterm 30%
Final 30%
Required Textbooks:
Brinton, Laurel J. 2000. The Structure of Modern English. Philadelphia:
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Supplementary Readings:
To be distributed in class
Format:
Each meeting will consist of a lecture and discussion related to
the reading, followed by a period of practical exercises in phonetic
transcription, word formation, production or problem solving. Active
participation by all class members is crucial. We may move to a
computer equipped classroom where we will be able to demonstrate
many of the phenomena we will be discussing, especially dealing
with phonetics and phonology, using a multi-language database. There
will be a midterm consisting of problem solving questions related
to language, linguistics, phonetics and phonology. There will be
a final focusing on morphology.
It will be crucial for you to be familiar with the topics to be
covered in the lesson. If you have difficulty understanding them,
please feel free to talk with me so we can figure out the best way
to get you up to speed on it. For instance, if there are enough
of you who are not familiar with the material which will be incorporated
in your lesson, I would be willing to hold a series of short tutorials
on relevant topics.
Pre-course Assignment:
Read Chapter 1: The Nature of Language and Linguistics, and write
a brief paper in which you answer the following questions:
1. What are the characteristics of human language?
2. How does human language differ from other systems of communication?
3. What are the differences between different senses of grammar?
4. What are some of the common fallacies about language and grammar?
5. What is linguistics, and what are its components? Give examples
of each of the components to support your definition.
Your paper is to be a record of your learning experience as you
read Chapter 1 and work to interpret, absorb, and synthesize new
information and ideas. In other words, you should explore in writing
your reaction to the ideas and concepts presented in the chapter.
Your paper should be long enough to allow you to set up and develop
a response to the question, but short enough to be read. Three to
four pages would be an appropriate target length. Your paper must
be typed or prepared on a word-processor using double-spacing.
Course Syllabus (subject to revision):
Monday, June 30:
Ø Jilani’s introductory lecture
Ø Course syllabus
Ø Profile questionnaire
Ø Group Activity: Discussion of pre-course paper
Ø Readings: Chapter 1: The Nature of Language and Linguistics
Ø Self Testing Exercise: General Linguistics – formal
categories
Ø Video: The Human Language Series
Part I: Discovering the Human Language: Colorless Green Ideas…
Tuesday, July 1:
Ø Readings: Chapter 2: English Consonants and Vowels, pp.17-34
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: English consonants
Ø Introduction to Phonetics: Exercise
Wednesday, July 2:
Ø Readings: Chapter 2: English Consonants and Vowels, pp.34-45
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: English vowels
Ø Multi-language Database: Exercise
Thursday, July 3:
Ø Readings: Chapter 3: English Phonology, Phonotactics, and
Suprasegmentals, pp.47-69
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: Phonemes, stress, and intonation
Ø Midterm preparation
Friday, July 4:
Ø Midterm: Phonetics and Phonology
Monday, July 7:
Ø Video: The Human Language Series
Part II: Acquiring the Human Language: Playing the Language Game
Ø Readings: Chapter 4: The Internal Structure of Words and
Processes of Word Formation in English, pp.73-84
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: Morphemes and allomorphs
Tuesday, July 8:
Ø Readings: Chapter 4: The Internal Structure of Words and
Processes of Word Formation in English, pp.85-102
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: Word formation
Wednesday, July 9:
Ø Readings: Chapter 5: Grammatical Categories and Word Classes,
pp.103-117
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: Grammatical categories
Thursday, July 10:
Ø Readings: Chapter 5: Grammatical Categories and Word Classes,
pp.118-124
Ø Self-Testing Exercise: Word classes
Ø Final preparation
Friday, July 11:
Ø Final: Morphology
WISDOM SHOULD BE DISSEMINATED!
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