Overview

Language and Mind is a one-semester tour of the science of language and its position within the human mind. Language is one of our most distinctive characteristics as humans, it is also one of our most misunderstood characteristics, and it is often the cause of heated conflict. Our goal in this class will be to step back from the fray and take a look at the objective facts about human language.

Except in case of severe brain damage, speaking a language is something that seems both effortless and intuitive for all adults. Similarly, any child can learn to speak any human language if the child is exposed to that language from an early age, with almost no direct teaching. [Reading and writing are a different matter!] And yet, a close look at any human language shows that it is an extremely sophisticated system (compared to simple systems like calculus, for example). This suggests that there is something special about the human mind that makes it able to learn and use language. Linguistics is a science which aims to discover how human languages work (any language, not just English), and what it is about human minds that makes them able to learn and use language.

In this course we will pay special attention to the relationship between language and human thought. Does knowing a language constrain the way in which you perceive the world? Does knowing any language at all enrich the way in which you are able to understand the world? A lot has been written on this issue, and we will try to separate myth from fact in this area.

This is a relatively small HONORS course, and we aim to take full advantage of this. There will be ample opportunity for discussion, and we will be reading some challenging cutting-edge science.

This course is a CORE Humanities course, and a USP Cultural and Historical course. However, the fact that the couurse satisfies a breadth requirement does not mean that it is not a serious course. The course investigates language from a scientific perspective, and introduces some of the technical tools that can be used to understand how language is learned and understood. This may involve some novel challenges, possibly even some new computer skills, but if you are taking this course, it is assumed that you are prepared for this.

Readings

There is no single textbook for this course. Instead, reading material for the course will be drawn from a variety of different articles and chapters written by some of the best writers in linguistics and cognitive science.

Readings will be made available primarily via the internet. In-class lecture notes will also count as part of the readings for the course.

The University of Maryland has subscriptions to a number of electronic libraries, such as the CogNet Library, and we will make use of these resources where possible.

Selected Readings

• Mark Baker. (2001). The Atoms of Language. New York: Basic Books.
• Stephen Crain & Rosalind Thornton. (1998). Chapters from Investigations in Universal Grammar. Cambridge: MIT Press.
• Lila Gleitman & Elissa Newport. (1995). The invention of language by children: environmental and biological influences on the development of language. In L. Gleitman (ed.), An Invitation to Cognitive Science, 2nd edn., vol 1. Cambridge, MA, MIT Press. [access via Cognet database through UM Library. Instructions.]
• Ray Jackendoff. (1994). Patterns in the Mind. New York: Basic Books. (excerpts)
• Colin Phillips. (2003). Syntax. A slightly extended version of an article in the Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, Macmillan Reference, Ltd. Read pp.1-15.
• Steven Pinker. (1994). The Language Instinct. New York: Morrow. (excerpt)
• Geoff Pullum. (1993). The Great Eskimo Vocabulary Hoax.
• Christine Stager & Janet Werker. (1997). Infants listen for more phonetic detail in speech perception than word-learning tasks. Nature, 388, 381-382.
• Chris Swoyer. (2003). The linguistic relativity hypothesis. In: The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. on-line.
• Janet Werker. (1995). Exploring Developmental Changes in Cross-language Speech Perception. Chapter 4 (pp.87-106) of Language, edited by Gleitman & Liberman. Available from CogNet netLibrary.
• Benjamin Lee Whorf. (1939). The relation of habitual thought and behavior to language. In: Language, Thought, and Reality: Selected Writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. MIT Press.

Schedule

The schedule below is a tentative outline of the course. The schedule of topics is subject to change over the course of the semester. Additional details about reading assignments and homeworks as the semester progresses.

In addition to the readings listed on the syllabus, any class notes will be made available on-line.

Grades etc.

As the semester proceeds, grades will be posted here. This allows to to keep track of how you are doing, and to alert us to anything that you think may be inaccurate in our records. In the interests of confidentiality, your grades will be listed alongside a randomly assigned number, known only to you and to the instructors. You will receive this number when we return the first assignment.

If you would like to get a good grade in this course, here are some things you need to know and do...

Breakdown of credit:

Homework: 50%
Miderm: 10%
Final exam: 20%
Participation: 20% (includes in-class presentation)

The scores below will guarantee you at least the letter grades indicated. We are not grading on a curve, so you are not in competition with your classmates.

 

A+	90-100%	B	65-70%
A	80-90%	B-	60-65%
A-	75-80%	C+	55-60%
B+	70-75%	C	50-55%

Note that even in the A range there is plenty of room for you to show extra initiative and insight.

Assignments (50%)

There are a number of homework assignments for this course. They account for a substantial part of the course credit - in fact, more than the tests. Therefore, you should take these assignments as seriously as you take the exams. The homework assignments will be graded carefully. Clearly presented answers, and well-reasoned essays will be greatly rewarded; unclear presentation and murky reasoning will be penalized. Take a few minutes to read over your assignment and check the writing when you are done. This can make a big difference to the quality of your work.

Homework must be handed in on time. It is greatly preferred that you submit homework in hard copy, but it may be submitted via email attachment if you absolutely must (preferably as PDF files). Note that we cannot be held responsible for the foibles of the email systems, or of the ability of our systems to read your files. There will be no make-ups for exams. We have to be strict about this in order to be fair to all students in the class.

Assignments should be typed on a computer. This allows you to edit your work, and allows you to submit readily readable work.

Tests & Final Exam (30%)

There will be a midterm test and a final exam. The tests and the exam will all be cumulative. These are worth a total of 30% of your grade. The test and exam will be based on class lectures and notes, homework assignments, and readings. More specific guidelines will be made available closer to the test, but you should know that it will not be enough to simply memorize facts.

Participation (20%)

You will get far more out of this course, both in terms of learning and in terms of grades, if you participate actively in the course. By actively thinking and talking about the topics covered in the course your likelihood of remembering and understanding is greatly increased. The participation component of the course grade is an opportunity to receive credit for taking this initiative in your learning. It is not a stick to beat you with for not showing up at class, nor is it automatic credit.

Active participation involves:

• participating in class - no credit for just showing up

• reading and thinking about assigned readings before the class in which they are discussed

• being prepared to ask questions, contribute ideas, and listen to other students' ideas

• giving a well-prepared presentation of a research article

Absences

Only officially recognized absences will be accepted: according to university policy these include Religious Observances, death or serious illness in the student's family, or serious illness of the student. Excused absences must be recorded within one week, or they will affect your participation score. See the University Policy on Attendance and Assessment for more information.

Problems? Let us know!

OK, so that's enough regulations and admonitions. We now know where we stand. However, we genuinely want you to benefit from this course, and are committed to helping you with that. So if you are having problems in the course, or if you are having other problems which are interfering with your successful participation in the class, please contact us, and do so early - it is easiest to solve problems as and when they arise. You can contact either the instructor or the TA, by phone or email, by coming to office hours, or by arranging to meet the instructor or TA at some other time.

Homework

Homework will be posted here. Homework must be submitted on time. Homework should be clearly organized, typed, and preferably submitted via email (formats: .doc, .txt, .rtf; not .docx). Handwritten work is only acceptable in cases where you either need to make diagrams or use special characters.

You must write clearly and coherently. Re-read and edit what you have written. Does the writing strike you as clear and professional, with carefully justified arguments? If not, then revise what you have written. Take pride in your work.

• Homework 1 will be due on Thurs 2/1/07.

Collaboration: You can learn a lot from working through problems with others, and for this reason collaboration on homework assignments is encouraged in this course. However, collaboration can only work effectively if you do so responsibly, and follow acceptable practices of academic honesty. If you work in a group, you should do the following:

• Write up your assignment yourself, even if you have worked on it as part of a group. If you have edited or simply copied your friend's assignment, then you have not written up your assignment yourself.

• Don't hand in something that your group worked on that you don't fully understand - this is plagiarism, and it is dishonest.

• If you work as part of a group, you must write this at the top of your assignment, and give the names of the people you worked with. If you fail to do this, it will be treated as plagiarism.

• If you are in any doubt, consult the University Policy on Academic Integrity. We will treat any cases of academic dishonesty seriously. You have been warned.

Help!

Help is available, and we encourage you to take advantage of it.

• Colin Phillips
  1413F Marie Mount Hall, (301) 405-3082
  colin@umd.edu (preferred)
  Office hours - send email to arrange a time
• Lisa Pearl
  1413L Marie Mount Hall
  llsp@umd.edu
  Office hours: send email to arrange a time

If you are having difficulty with some part of the course, or if you are dissatisfied with your grades, then it is your responsibility to do something about it.

If there is a computer-based assignment, you should check early that you can do the basics of accessing and opening the files. If you identify a problem early, then there's a good chance that we can help. At the last minute, there will be little that we can do.

If you wait until the day before the midterm or final, it is probably too late. Come early!