As speakers, we express ourselves to listeners for both communicative and expressive purposes. The experience is typically synchronous , with interaction between speaker and hearer as messages are exchanged and meaning negotiated. The way we express ourselves to readers has far-reaching implications for the human experience. A relatively recent invention in human history, reading is asynchronous , as the writer and reader do not have to operate in the same time frame. Writing has had a huge impact on the human condition, providing the medium for science as well as literature.
Humans have an innate capacity for language.
But there are many interesting questions about just what has to be learned to activate our language abilities. Language acquisition remains a puzzle, raising questions of when and how it is accomplished. We will use the Internet and create interactive multimedia presentations as part of the class assignments. You will participate in on-line discussion forums with your classmates, then analyze the experience. Click to go to Professor Noblitt's biography page on the website for the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures.