Week 3

Quicklinks:

Webex Room: weekly live seminars Mo. 16:00–18:00
Schedule: weekly readings, videos and homework
Course Bibliography

Next Video
Next Homework

Updates

On this blog, you can find a big schedule now with everything important linked or cross-referenced. Either follow the link above or scroll down. Weekly content is going to be updated on there timely. The link list will be expanded and show up on every new blog post from now on. Also available: a course bibliography where you can find references, the further readings and some other recommendations. You should find most if not all of the publications on there via Primo. Readings that cannot be found online, I will provide via Blackboard.

Homework

Some were asking if we could discuss the weekly (non-graded) homework. For the weeks we don’t have time during the live sessions, remember that we have a lovely tutor who, I bet, is happy to discuss those with you :). I will also provide solutions where applicable (.pdf file gets updated every week, just re-download), and you may always stay after the class to ask questions or write emails.

Graded tests

In order to pass the weekly transfer tests (the graded ones) over on the lecture’s Blackboard page, you need to make sure you read the book chapter carefully, watched the videos attentively and participated in the seminar and lecture actively. The recap homework is for you to practice and test your knowledge of the subject matter. This week’s homework has been up since last week already and the one for next week is gonna follow soon.

Follow-up and bonus materials

Here is the follow-up reading. Rogers 2005: ch. 10

I have also compiled a little playlist with animations from Glossika Phonics that demonstrate most of the English consonants. Yet another visualization, but this channel is a lot of fun to browse through.

For comparison: MRI scans from people speaking. Also interesting because you see connected speech and even singing rather than isolated sounds.

Here is a nice video by the awesome channel NativLang answering a question that came up about whether we know how Latin was pronounced. If you’d like a full dive into topics similar to this, you will have to wait for a module like History of English or flex your own study muscle :).

And finally, here is a link to the poem we looked at: The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité.

Schedule

 

Date Topic and Videolinks Preparatory Reading and Videos Follow-up Reading
18.10.2020 Organization/administration Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 1–10
25.10.2021 Letters, speech sounds and the IPA Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 39–50

Plag et al. 2009: 1–16

 

01.11.2021 Description and transcription Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 50–58

Plag et al. 2009: 29–54
08.11.2021 Phonemes & allophones + syllables Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 58–64

 

 

15.11.2021 Syllable Structure and Phonotacticts Bieswanger & Becker 2017 64–73

Plag et al. 2009: 54–65
22.11.2021 Morphemes Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 75–95

29.11.2021 Word formation  

 

06.12.2021 Use and distribution of morphemes  t.b.a Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 75–95
13.12.2021 Words and Phrases Stefanowitsch & Middeke 2019

Plag et al. 2009: 70–88
03.01.2022 Grammatical relations Middeke 2019

10.01.2022 More syntax t.b.a.
17.01.2022 Semasiologie t.b.a
24.01.2022 Multiple meanings and meaning relations Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 127–141

31.01.2022 Sentences and Meaning Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 141–150

07.02.2022 Speech acts & Gricean Maxims Bieswanger & Becker 2017: 151–170

14.02.2022 What’s next: a preview t.b.a.

Course Bibliography

Week 2: Tasks

  1. Read Bieswanger & Becker (2017: 39-50)
    • Set up VPN
    • Bookmark or download the textbook (see .gif below, or here)
  2. Watch
  3. Recap homework

If you still have issues with enrollment, make sure to participate in this questionnaire and stay in touch with us.

Also pay close attention to our news channel on this Blog:

Welcome to Introduction to Linguistics!

Welcome to the wonderful world of language. You’ll find all important information about this course on this blog, either in text form or as link. All important news and instructions will be posted here and also sent via email, so you cannot miss anything.

Weekly live sessions

My seminars will take place at their allotted times in my WebEx room at
https://fu-berlin.webex.com/meet/alexander.rauhut.

General information on Webex and how to use it can be found here: https://fu-berlin.webex.com/webappng/sites/fu-berlin/dashboard?siteurl=fu-berlin. Please send me an e-mail should you experience any technical problems.

Weekly workflow

Aside from the live sessions, there are three major components to this course:

  • Weekly readings:
    You are expected to read a (short) textbook chapter to prepare for each week. I will also post optional follow-up readings from time to time.
  • Weekly videos:
    half of the weekly seminar time is going to be replaced with video talks. Make sure you watch them in advance every week.
  • Weekly homework:
    We will offer you a weekly homework task to test your knowledge and show you what you understood well and what you need to work on. Take it seriously, you’ll need the thinking practice for the “Prüfungsleistung”.

In Summary, what you have to do every week:
read text –> watch video(s) –> attend live session –> do homework

I will upload all necessary material to Blackboard so make sure you have access to this course over there. If I’m late with anything, feel free to send me an email in case there was some technical issue.

Links to the videos for each week will follow. Here’s a short (<2min) video that shows you how to find the main textbook. (I’ve set the video to “public” since some of you were apparently unable to watch it. You’ll need to allow your browser to accept cookies from https://fu-berlin.eu.vbrickrev.com.)

See you online!
Alexander