I recommend Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction by O'Grady et al. Either the 3rd or 4th Edition will suffice or The Language Files, 7th or 8th edition of the Ohio State Department of Linguistics. I highly recommend going to a price-comparison site like www.addall.com to find the cheapest available book.

The references for the most recent editions of Contemporary Linguistics and The Language Files is given below:

• Homework: Several homework assignments will be given. They will be posted on my web site for you to download and print out. I will make reminders periodically in class, but it is your responsibility to check the site periodically and keep up with the assignments.

  Homework assignments are due at the following class meeting unless otherwise noted. Many of the assignments, though not all, will be discussed in class on the due date. It is very important then that you come to class having already worked through the assignment to the best of your abilities and are prepared to present and discuss the answers when called upon. Homeworks discussed in such manner will be collected and marked for completion and will be used as a way to keep track of attendance and participation. It is therefore very important that you come to class every meeting.

  If for some reason you anticipate missing a class, homeworks can be placed in my mailbox in ET A637 before the end of class that day. Such homeworks will be graded on a percentage basis, whether the assignment was so graded or discussed in class. Due to the number of assignments, I will be unable to accept late assignments unless accompanied by a valid, documented excuse. Of course, I will be happy to go over the content of any missed assignments during my office hours.

  However, the lowest homework grade will be dropped.

  You are encouraged to work with each other when doing the homeworks, but please, write up each assignment separately.

• Midterm: There will be a midterm exam during the course of the quarter. If there is time it may be split into two parts. If you will miss the midterm due to a documented emergency, the grade percentage of the final exam will be increased to compensate for the missed midterm. For example, if you legitimately miss the midterm, the final will be worth 45% of your total grade.



• Paper: The paper is due on the last regular class day. The idea of the paper is that you take the ideas and analyses we have been learning in class and apply them to novel data which you collect, usually applying them to other languages. It is not a library research paper, but instead primary research (though of course it may be duplicating research already conducted by others).

  You must collect a set of data about some language and analyze them. So, if you are native speaker of some language other than English, or if you know someone who is, you can collect some data about that language (i.e. its sounds) and write a descriptive paper about some aspect of the language (its phonetics, phonology, morphology or syntax). The details of these topics can be found in your course packet and example papers are available on my web page.

  If you wish to work on some aspect of English, you may. As with the non-English papers, you must collect your own set of data and provide an analysis of it. Do not simply report on others' analyses. If you will be doing some English topic, you need to get prior approval from me. Some possible English topics can be found on the website. In the past, some students have done papers on what Pig Latin can tell us about English syllable structures and the syntax of sports broadcasting.

  Unless you are merely consulting your own intuitions about your native language, turn in the unanalyzed data set with your paper. This will help others who may be able to sift through the data and uncover other patterns. Even if you are merely consulting your own intuitions about another language (not necessarily as easy as it sounds) still you will need to provide lots of examples for the paper.

  Feel free to work with other people on collecting data for the paper. This will increase the breadth and amount of data you have to support your claims and analysis. If you wish to describe some aspect of another language, you should consult a native speaker of the language if you are not one. This holds for non-native speakers working on English. However, each person must do an individual write-up.

  The details of the paper and the grading criteria are located in your course packet and posted on the website along with example papers. You must pick one of paper topics listed and do it as described unless you get prior approval from me. You are encouraged to meet me with me to discuss the paper. If you bring in a rough draft to my office hours or during an appointment, I will be happy to go over the draft with you and make comments.



• Presentation, Attendance and Participation: During the final exam time, the class will make presentations about their papers letting others know what they discovered. The presentations may be made in groups for those who worked collaboratively on gathering data or on the same topics. Even so, the presentations will likely be very short, about 5 minutes. If for some reason you cannot make the final exam period let me know and arrangements can be made to make the presentation early. If you notify me beforehand and have a legitimate reason for missing the exam period or if you have a documented emergency and miss the presentation, your presentation grade will not be calculated in and your final grade will be based on your other work. If you otherwise fail to come to the presentations, you will receive a zero for that part of your grade.

  Attendance and participation will mainly be noted through the discussion and collection of homework assignments. Therefore, late and missing assignments will negatively impact your attendance and participation grade. You therefore should plan to attend all classes and have homework completed and ready to turn in at the beginning of the class. These factors will also be important for borderline cases.

• Final Exam: Obviously, the final exam will be a take-home exam, since the final exam period will be occupied by presentations. The Final Exam will be due at the beginning of the final exam period. The final will be cumulative.