Introduction to Linguistics

LING 201 — Fall 2021

MWF 9:35–10:25, Stewart Bio S1/4

Instructors
Morgan Sonderegger (1st half) Jessica Coon (2nd half)
email morgan.sonderegger@mcgill.ca jessica.coon@mcgill.ca
office 1085 Dr. Penfield, 227 1085 Dr. Penfield, 221
office hours Wednesdays, 3–4 (on Zoom) Wednesdays, 11:30–12:30
(through 18–Oct) (beginning 27–Oct)

Teaching assistants
Xuanda Chen — xuanda.chen@mail.mcgill.ca
Irene Smith — irene.smith@mail.mcgill.ca
Wei Zhang — wei.zhang16@mail.mcgill.ca
Office hours: Mondays, 1:30–2:30 in 1085 Dr. Penfield, 117 (beginning 13–Sep)

Content of the course

This course offers a general introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of human language. During the
semester we will cover the major subfields of theoretical linguistics: phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax,
and semantics. In addition to being active areas of research, these also provide background for other subfields
of linguistics taught in this course, which may vary from year to year and include topics such as sociolinguistics,
historical linguistics and language change, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, cross-linguistic variation and language
universals, and language acquisition.

Requirements and evaluation

6 problem sets 30% (5% each)
4 quizzes 8% (2% each)
1 midterm exam 31%
1 final exam 31%

Textbook
All readings will come from the textbook, available at McGill bookstore and on reserve at Redpath Library:
O’Grady & Archibald Contemporary Linguistic Analysis: An Introduction (Ninth Edition)
Reserve link: https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/courseReserves/course/id/17350960
If you would rather use the Eighth Edition of O’Grady and Archibald (e.g. buy online), this is fine, but you
are responsible for any differences from the 9th edition; for example, the section numbers in ‘Timeline’ below
will be slightly different. We will post PDFs of chapters which differ substantially between the 8th and 9th
editions.
Problem sets
Over the course of the semester, you will have 6 problem sets to turn in. These problem sets are due on
MyCourses and/or Crowdmark by 11:59pm on the due date. Further directions on format and submission will
be provided with each problem set.
You have one free late-pass which you may use to turn in one of your assignments 24 hours late. We do
not need to know the reason. In order to use your late pass, you must let your TA know that you are using it
by sending them an email or a myCourses instant message when you submit your assignment, and receive a
reply acknowledging receipt. Once this pass has been used, late work cannot be accepted for a grade without a
documented medical excuse and notification within 24 hours after the original due date.
You may work on problem sets in groups (max 3 students; all must be registered in the same conference
section), but each student must submit their own problem set, with any free-response questions written in
their own words. Your problem set must list the names of other group members, in the space provided for
this. You are not required to work in a group.

Quizzes and Exams

• Four short quizzes will be available on MyCourses, to be completed outside of class on the specified date.
They will be open for a 24-hour period and once started, must be completed within two hours.

• The midterm exam will take place October 20, 2021 from 6pm–8pm in TBA. A make-up midterm will
be arranged only for students who have a conflict with the midterm as scheduled. To be eligible, students
must be registered in a conflicting course with a higher priority than LING 201. Students who qualify
must let the instructors know by email no later than October 4.

• Any problem with grading on a problem set, quiz, or exam must be reported within one week of when
the problem set, quiz, or exam was returned.

• No make-up exam or quiz, nor any late assignment, will be accepted unless you have a certified medical
excuse. In addition, the instructors must be notified by email within 24 hours of any missed assignment,
quiz, or exam. (In the case of an assignment, this means 24 hours from when the assignment was due.)

• The final exam is scheduled by the Exams Office during the semester. According to Senate regulations,
instructors are not permitted to make special arrangements for final exams. Do not schedule travel plans
before the exam schedule is finalized.

COVID-19
We will be following McGill University regulations surrounding COVID, and will do our best to accommodate
issues that arise within our capacity and within the university’s guidelines. To stay up to date on the situation, as
well as information for what to do in various circumstances, please first check: https://www.mcgill.ca/coronavirus/

Conferences and resources

Conferences
Starting in Week 3, Friday lectures will be held as conferences run by a TA. Conferences will be held at different
times on Fridays. To determine which conference you will attend, you must sign up on Minerva (more details
to be announced). You are responsible for the material covered in conferences just as you are responsible for
the material covered in lectures. If for some reason you cannot attend a conference or lecture, you should make
sure that you get the relevant notes from a classmate.

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Office hours and appointments
TA office hours are held every week, starting in Week 3. Professor office hours start in Week 2. The TAs will
take turns covering the office hours so you will have a chance to meet with different TAs. If you are unable to
meet with TAs or professors during their office hours, you can ask for individual appointments or seek tutoring.

Tutors
If you need additional help with course material, we encourage you to contact SLUM (slum.linguistics@mail.mcgill.ca),
the undergraduate linguistics association. Tutors can help with the content of the course but do not help directly
with assignments. Make sure that your tutor knows what is being covered in the course this term since the
content can change from term to term.

Email
This is a large class. Your TA should always be your first point of contact for general questions about the course
or course material, and all email should be sent from your McGill email address, and to the email address listed
for your TA above (. . . @mail.mcgill.ca). Please include ‘LING 201’ in the subject line. While we will endeavor
to respond to your email within two business days, please ask yourself the following before sending an email:

• Is the information I need on the syllabus or in other course material?

• Does a classmate have this information?

• Can my question wait until lecture/conference/office hours?

Class policies and university regulations

Use of electronics
Electronic devices (laptops, tablets) can be useful learning tools, but they can also be extremely distracting, both
to instructors and to your fellow students. If you opt to use a device for taking notes during class, we will begin
by giving you the benefit of the doubt, and assume that you are using the device for class-related activities
only. If we suspect that you are not using the device for class purposes, or if you are causing a distraction to
those around you, we will ask you to stop. If we have to ask more than once, we will ask you to leave the
classroom. Cellphones should not be used, including for recording, without permission of the instructors.

Academic integrity
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the meaning and consequences
of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary
Procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/integrity for more information).

Right to submit in French

In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit
in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.

Inclusivity
As the instructors of this course we endeavor to provide an inclusive learning environment. However, if you
experience barriers to learning in this course, do not hesitate to discuss them with us and the Office for Students
with Disabilities, 514-398-6009.

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Copyright
c Instructor-generated course materials (e.g., slides, handouts, conference materials, assignments, quizzes,
exam questions, answer keys, etc.) are protected by law and may not be copied or distributed in any form or in
any medium without explicit permission of the instructor. Note that infringements of copyright can be subject
to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.

Territory acknowledgement
McGill University is on land which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst Indigenous
peoples, including the Haudenosaunee and Anishinabeg nations. We acknowledge and thank the diverse
Indigenous people whose footsteps have marked this territory on which peoples of the world now gather.

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Timeline
Date Topics (tentative) Reading (may change) Assignments
1 M 1–Sep Introduction CLA 1
W 3–Sep Phonetics 1 CLA 2.1–2.3
2 M 6–Sep — no class, Labour Day —
W 8–Sep Phonetics 2 CLA 2.4–2.5
F 10–Sep Phonetics 3 CLA 2.6–2.8
3 M 13–Sep Phonology 1 CLA 3.1 (HW 1 available)
W 15–Sep Phonology 2 CLA 3.2 Quiz 1
F 17–Sep Conference 1
4 M 20–Sep Phonology 3 CLA 3.3.1, 3.4
W 22–Sep Morphology 1 CLA 4.1 HW 1 due
F 24–Sep Conference 2
5 M 27–Sep Morphology 2 CLA 4.2–4.3 (HW 2 available)
W 29–Sep Morphology 3 CLA 4.4–4.5 Quiz 2
F 1–Oct Conference 3
6 M 4-Oct Historical 1 CLA 8.1–8.2
W 6–Oct Historical 2 CLA 8.6–8.8 HW 2 due, (HW 3 available)
F 8–Oct Conference 4
7 M 11–Oct — no class, Thanksgiving —
Th 14–Oct Phonological typology CLA 7.2–7.2.1
F 15-Oct — no conference — Tues. schedule — HW 3 due
8 M 18–Oct Sociolinguistics 1 CLA 15.1–15.3
W 20–Oct Review — Midterm; 6–8pm
F 22–Oct — no conference —
9 M 25–Oct Sociolinguistics 2 CLA 15.4–15.5 (PS 4 available)
W 27–Oct Syntax 1 (categories) CLA 5–5.1.1
F 29–Oct Conference 6
10 M 1–Nov Syntax 2 (constiuency) CLA 5.1.2–5.1.4
W 2–Nov Syntax 3 (selection) CLA 5.2, 5.5.1 PS 4 due
F 3-Nov Conference 7
10 M 8–Nov Syntax 4 (movement) CLA 5.3 (PS 5 available)
W 10–Nov Variation 1 (parameters) CLA 5.4 Quiz 3
F 12-Nov Conference 8
11 M 15–Nov Variation 2 (more variation) CLA 7.1; 7.2.3–7.2.4
W 17–Nov Semantics 1 (relations) CLA 6–6.1; 6.4.3–6.4.4 PS 5 due
F 19–Nov Conference 9
12 M 22–Nov Semantics 2 (binding) CLA 6.5.2 (PS 6 available)
W 24–Nov Indigenous Languages 1 CLA 9.1 Quiz 4
F 26–Nov Conference 10
13 M 29–Nov Indigenous Langauges 2 CLA 9.2
W 1–Dec catch-up/TBA PS 6 due
F 3–Dec Conference 10
M 6–Dec Review