Diana Archangeli, Ph. D.
Professor, Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona
Faculty, Cognitive Science Program, University of Arizona
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Administrative Details – Description – Expectations

Goals – Grades – Homework Assignments – Individual Project

Office hours & location – Schedule – Texts

Professor: Diana Archangeli, Linguistics, 621-2184

Email: dba@u.arizona.edu

Time: Tu-Th 2:00-3:15

Location: BioW 212

Assistant: Sonya Bird

E-mail: sbird@u.arizona.edu

DBA Office hours: Monday 12:30-2; Thursday 12:30-1:30 in Douglass 206

SB Office hours: tba

Description

Ling 410 is primarily for undergraduate majors in linguistics or related fields who have already taken Ling 315 (or equivalent); Ling 510 is focused for graduate students in linguistics and related fields (Anthropology, SLAT, linguistics in a language department, etc.). The material and exercises provide the skills necessary to examine phonological data, do a sophisticated analysis of those data including an understanding of the significance of the findings, and present the analysis both verbally and in writing.

The course begins by familiarizing students with the symbols used to transcribe language sounds and a discussion of phonotactics, principles organizing both sounds and sequences of sounds in language. We characterize phonotactics in terms of features and syllables, then move on to examine alternations between sounds in different contexts, syllabic, featural, and morphological.

In exploring alternations, we examine both how to understand and organize the data themselves and also how to analyze the data, primarily in terms of Optimality Theory.

The course introduces the students to a wide range of data, both through class readings and exercises and through problem sets; the data are selected to illustrate phenomena that are robustly attested in the world's languages.

• know how to construct a hypothesis and to test it empirically
• know how to argue clearly (orally & in writing)
• know how to extract regularities from language data
• know how to do & present an analysis
• know the difference between formal & substantive claims

• know how to "read" a set of phonological data
• know how to examine a set of phonological data for regular alternations
• be able to explain why phonologists are convinced that phonology exists
• be able to explain why phonologists are convinced that features exist
• be able to explain why phonologists are convinced that syllables exist
• be able to motivate and use phonological representations involving features and syllables
• be able to motivate and use Optimality Theory

• Archangeli, Diana. and D. Terence Langendoen, eds. 1997. Optimality Theory: An Overview, Cambridge, MA: Blackwells.
• Goldsmith, John. 1994. The Handbook of Phonology. Cambridge, MA: Blackwells.
• Kenstowicz, Michael. 1994. Phonology in Generative Grammar. Cambridge, MA: Blackwells.

• readings will be done for class as noted in syllabus
• homework turned in at beginning of class on date due
• class participation (attentive listening, questions to make sure you understand (repetition, clarification, etc.), questions to further discussion, comments/responses to questions from classmates/professor
• oral presentation based on individual project

• student time
• I can’t change anything I don’t know about – so tell me if something does not work for you!

Schedule (highlights on dates connect you to homework schedule below)

 Individual Project 1 due September 24

1. Think about the criteria you would use to select a language for phonological research, using published sources only. List the criteria and give a sentence or two explaining why each is important.
2. Select grammars for three different languages. (Use the campus library for this.) Examine each grammar to determine the value of each for phonological research, given your criteria. Revise the criteria as needed once you start understanding what the variation between different published grammars. Make note of the revisions.
3. Using the list you've made, assess how each grammar rates with respect to the criteria you've identified. Include one or two sentences for each grammar on each criterion. Conclude with a statement of the grammar that you think would be best for doing phonological research with this semester, making your reasoning clear.
4. On September 24, bring the grammars and your write-up to my office before class (by 1:45).

Based on the information available in your source(s), present the consonant and vowel inventories for your language. Present these inventories in three ways:

Comment (at least 1 paragraph) on the nature of these inventories. Is there anything you find intriguing or unusual? Are they perfectly symmetric? etc.

Examine the data in your sources for an alternation involving the phonological features of your language. Try to find a pattern that is general in the language, rather than limited to very specific morphological environments.

Repeat Individual Project 3, but focus on a different alternation. (Depending on the scope of the remaining issues from IP 3, this project may resolve some of those issues, or it may take on an entirely new alternation.)

Using projects 1-4, write up a case study of your language. View the write-up as a paper, not a sketch nor notes. In other words, use complete sentences, strive for readability, good transitions, etc.

Using the comments received from Archangeli & Bird, revise your write-up.

Each undergraduate student will be given a data set in mid October.

Examine your data set for an alternation involving phonological features. Try to find a pattern that is general in the language, rather than limited to very specific morphological environments.

Repeat Final Project 1, but focus on a different alternation. (Depending on the scope of the issues remaining in FP 1, this project may resolve some of those issues, or it may take on an entirely new alternation.)

Using Final Projects 1 and 2, write up a case study of your language. View the write-up as a paper, not a sketch nor notes. In other words, use complete sentences, strive for readability, good transitions, etc.