FIELD METHODS
Please read for class discussion Sept. 10 & 15:
- Sapir, Edward. 1933. La réalité psychologique des phonèmes. Journal de Psychologie Normale et Pathologique 30. 247-265. [pdf]
- Bach, Emmon. 1996. The politics of universal language. Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America. [pdf]
Syllabus
- Instructor: Dr. Darin Flynn
- Description: “Principles and techniques of collecting, editing and analysing elicited linguistic data and associated problems. Practical experience with language consultant(s).” (U of C calendar)
- Course prerequisites: LING 203, 301, and 303
- Class time, location: Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30–10:45, SS 836. Ideally, Thursdays will focus on recording, and Tuesdays will focus on discussions of the data. Extra elicitation sessions centering on the data for your final paper may be scheduled later in the term.
- Office hours, location: Wednesdays 1:00–2:00, SS 806 (or by appointment)
- Telephone: 220-6110, or department: 220-5469
- E-mail: dflynn@ucalgary.ca (send your questions, if you like)
- Fax: 282-3880 (if you are away from town when a report is due)
- Grading system:
20% class participation
20% data elicitation session, including preparation (e.g., questions, graphics, story-line, etc.) [Feedback and grade by email after your session(s)]
10% sound editing: recording and chopping of your data with Praat or Audacity [Feedback and grade by email after your submission]
30% final research paper (undergrads: 20 pages; grads: 25 pages)
10% lay-person-accessible educational resource based on your research
10% acquisition of the language - Assignment of grades: Course grades will be assigned on a distribution that is NOT more restrictive than the one below:
A+ 95-100% B+ 80-84% C+ 67-71% D+ 54-58%
A 91-94% B 76-79% C 63-66% D 50-53%
A– 85-90% B– 72-75% C– 59-62% F 0-49%
If warranted by class performance and exam difficulty, grade cutoffs can be lowered (but not raised) from these levels for any given exam. Course grades will be assigned based on the weighted average of the cutoffs used for the individual exams. Note: Grades will be based on per cent scores to one decimal place, with “rounding up” only in the calculation of the final grade.
- N.B.: The undergraduate advisor for the 2009–2010 academic year is Dr. Suzanne Curtin; she can be reached at 220-7670 or 220-3927 or ling.undergrad@ucalgary.ca. The graduate advisor for the 2009–2010 academic year is Dr. Amanda Pounder, apounder@ucalgary.ca, tel. 200-6136.
- Background: The University of Calgary is surrounded by an astonishing diversity of Aboriginal languages: Blackfoot, an Algonquian language spoken by about 3,000; Stoney, a Dakotan/Siouan language spoken by about 1,000; Tsuut’ina, an Athapaskan language spoken by several dozen; and Nez Perce, a Sahaptian language spoken by a handful in Brocket. Other Aboriginal languages found in Alberta include: Cree, an Algonquian language spoken by about 80,000 nationwide; Ktunaxa, a language isolate spoken by about 100 on the Southern AB-BC border; and several other Athapaskan languages: Chipewyan/Dené, spoken by about 10,000; Slave(y)/Dene-thah, spoken by about 3,000; and Beaver/Dunne-za, spoken by about 200.
In this course we will study one of these languages, from scratch to an overview of its characteristics, by working directly with a fluent speaker.
The value of this study stems primarily from the light that it can shed on your understanding of the nature of human linguistic competence. It is expected that our study will uncover certain structural and semantic phenomena that are not found in more widely studied languages such as English, French, Chinese, and so on. Another compelling reason for the study of an Aboriginal language is that it can yield clues (sometimes the only ones available) to help resolve problems in archaeology and anthropology (especially ethnohistory) relating to the origin and migration of the indigenous peoples of he
Americas. Finally, it is also important to recognise that Canada’s Aboriginal languages are in a grave state of decline, such that an urgency underlies their study, whether theoretical or historical. In this course you will therefore acquire not only skills needed for the practice of linguistic field work and language documentation, but also skills needed to assist Aboriginal communities who wish to preserve their ancestral languages (e.g., by becoming involved in the development of sociolinguistic surveys, of curriculum material, and of resource materials such as dictionaries, grammars, and texts.)
Important dates:
Nov. 11-15: no classes; “reading days”
Nov. 17: Feedback on your class participation and acquisition of language (by email)
Dec. 18: final research paper & educational resource due
Important information:
- It is expected that students will attend class.
- Students are expected at all times to do their own work (see section “Scholastic offenses” in the 2009–2010 Calendar)
- Assignments must be handed in on time. Missed or late assignments will receive a grade of zero.
- All exams must be written on scheduled dates, no later, not earlier. An exam can be missed only if valid documentation is provided within one week of the missed test. Valid reasons for missing a test include birth, death, marriage, or serious illness or injury applying to you or a member of your immediate family.
- Exams and assignments written in pencil cannot be regraded.
- Assembly Points have been identified across campus. These areas have been selected as they are large enough to hold a significant number of people and will provide an evacuated population access to washroom facilities and protection from the elements. Assembly points are also designed to establish a location for information updates: from the emergency responders to the evacuees; and from the evacuated population to the emergency responders. The primary assembly point for the Social Sciences building is the Professional Faculties Food Court, and the alternate assembly point is the Education Block Food Court.
Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
Plagiarism involves submitting or presenting work in a course as if it were the student’s own work done expressly for that particular course, when, in fact, it is not. Most commonly plagiarism exists when:
a) the work submitted or presented was done, in whole or in part, by an individual other than the one submitting or presenting the work (this includes having another impersonate the student or otherwise substituting the work of another for one’s own in an examination or test),
b) parts of the work are taken form another source without reference to the original author,
c) the whole work (e.g. an essay) is copied from another source, and/or
d) a student submits or presents work in one course which has also been submitted in another course (although it may be completely original with that student) without the knowledge of or prior agreement of the instructor involved.
While it is recognized that scholarly work often involves reference to the ideas, data and conclusions of other scholars, intellectual honesty requires that such references by explicitly and clearly noted. Some course assignments call for students to work in groups. Unless noted otherwise in writing, students must write up their own answers for submission of the assignment. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.
Plagiarism is an extremely serious academic offence. Possible penalties for plagiarism include: failing the assignment, failing the course, disciplinary probation, suspension, or expulsion.
Any student who voluntarily and consciously aids another student in the commission of plagiarism is also guilty of academic misconduct.
Student’s Union Contact Information: SU VP Academic Phone: 220-3911 and email: suvpaca@ucagary.ca and SU Faculty Rep. Phone: 220-3913 and email: socialscirep@su.ucalgary.ca
Some of the services offered at the Students’ Union are:
- Peer Tutor Program
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The SU is also available to all students to address any other academic or non academic questions.