Graduate students will have assignments modified on occasion to raise the level of challenge. The weighting of the different elements will vary, depending on class size. In any case a reading packet will be required and will be available from Quartet. This course is the first in a three- quarter sequence on syntax that introduces students to linguistic argumentation and builds the foundation for understanding contemporary work in syntactic theory. Although we will focus on English, examples will also be drawn from other languages.
Problem sets to develop skills in problem-solving and linguistic argumentation.
Weekly problem sets, a midterm exam, and a final exam. This course deals with the physical and cognitive description of language sound structure. It introduces both articulatory and acoustic descriptions of speech, and discusses the use of these descriptions in experiments on speech production and perception. Cognitive issues addressed include the phonetic foundation of phonological categories, and the nature and manifestations of prosodic organization. In the final essay for the course, students select and critique a paper from the current research literature.