1 - 10 of 194 results for: LINGUIST

The cognitive organization of linguistic structure and the social nature of language use. Why language learning is difficult. Why computers have trouble understanding human languages. How languages differ from one another. How and why speakers of the same language speak differently. How language is used strategically.

In this course, we will dispel many a mystery of English grammar, often presented as a dull and dreary subject in schools: we will see that the words ¿glamorous¿ and ¿grammar¿ come from the same root meaning ¿mysterious or occult¿ and we will ask: Why is there ¿stupidity¿ but not ¿smartity¿? Why can we ¿blacken¿ fish or ¿whiten¿ teeth, but not ¿pinken¿ or ¿greenen¿ anything? Who makes up new words anyway? How do we put words together into meaningful sentences? And how do we understand the nuances of English without much direct instruction? While the focus of this course is on English grammar, we will also see that other languages possess grammars that are based on the same principles and constraints.

Preference to freshmen. Phonetic variation across accents of English; experimental design; practical experience examining accents of seminar participants; acoustic analysis of speech using Praat.

Everyday, we face variation in language. As readers, we see words printed in different fonts, sizes, and typefaces, typically static on a page. As listeners, we hear a speech signal riddled with variation. We are exposed to words, but a single word is produced differently each time it is uttered. These words stream by listeners at a rate of about 5 syllables per second, further complicating the listeners' task. How listeners map a speech signal into meaning despite massive variation is an issue central to linguistic theory. The field of experimental phonetics investigates how listeners take words that often vary drastically and understand them as quickly and adeptly as they do. This class introduces students to acoustic and auditory phonetics. As a class, we will carry out a project in experimental phonetics aimed at understanding how different realizations of words are able to be understood by listeners. Throughout the course, students will read background literature, become familiar with the Stanford Linguistics Lab, and learn to use software integral to the design, data collection, and data analysis of experiments. Each week, we will have two meetings¿one in a seminar setting and one in the lab.

A dispassionate look at the 1996 Oakland School Board¿s proposal to take the everyday vernacular of African American students (Ebonics) into account in teaching them mainstream or standard English and the substantial linguistic and pedagogical research associated with it.

Prescriptions about language, both spoken and written; opinions about which choices are best or standard, from sometimes conflicting authorities. Case studies in modern English, using dictionaries, usage manuals, popular writing on language, and research on actual usage. (Zwicky)

(Rickford)

The thousands of sub-Saharan languages descend from some of the earliest languages and continue to play an important role in daily life, self-identity, and national politics. Focus is on linguistic features of African languages and the roles they play in their societies including those in which the official language is a former colonial language.

Preference to sophomores. Basic ideas in syntax as applied to English and where they come from. Questioning grammatical authority; where grammar manuals get the rules of grammar. The real system of English grammar and usage, including prepositions, pronouns, modifiers, syntactic functions such as subjects, and forms such as the accusative case. When can material be omitted in a sentence? What gives rise to ambiguities?