<section data-background="phonmedia/vowelsandcrawler.jpg"> <section style="background-color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5)"> <h1>Linguistics 111: Phonology</h1> <h3>Dr. Will Styler - Winter 2018</h3> </section> --- ### Today's Plan - Introductions - Syllabus and Canvas - What is phonology? - What are the learning goals? - How will we accomplish them? --- # Introductions --- ## Dr. Will Styler Instructor, Linguist, Gigantic Nerd <img class="r-stretch big" src="img/people_will.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ## Kati Hout TA, Linguist <img class="r-stretch" src="img/people_kati_hout.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ## Michael Obiri-Yeboah TA, Linguist <img class="r-stretch" src="img/people_michael_obiriyeboah.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ### Who are you? * What's your year? * Ling majors? * Monolingual/Bilingual/Multilingual? * What languages do we speak? --- ## Syllabus and Schedule <http://savethevowels.org/111> --- ## Syllabus Stuff which bears repeating <img class="r-stretch" src="img/bearsrepeating.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ### Office Hours Schedule - FIXME --- ### Syllabus Stuff which bears repeating * Check your email/Canvas * Come to office hours. * The syllabus will change *a lot*! * **We are here to help!** --- # Canvas --- ### We're moving to Canvas! - This will replace TritonEd within a few years - This is a pilot program - Let's take a look! --- # What is this course about? --- ## Phonology The study of how sounds pattern in Language and languages --- ### Within-Language Phonological Questions - What sounds differentiate words? (Phonemic Analysis) - ... and what do speakers hear as being “the same sound”? - How do speakers tend to group sounds together? (Natural Classes) - How do sounds change when combined together? (Phonological Alternations) - What combinations are “legal” in the language? (Phonotactics) - How are syllables formed and what kinds of syllables does the language prefer? (Syllable Structure) - How do we assign stress, pitch, and emphasis? (Metrical Phonology) --- ### Phonological Theory Questions - What patterns of sound patterns are more and less common around the world? - How should we model the sound patterns we see in language? - Are we using rules that transform 'underlying' sounds into one another? - Are we choosing a form among many which does the fewest things we don't like? - Are we just remembering the words we've heard said before, and doing the rest from analogy? - How do these various approaches handle *real data from real languages*? - Do they predict all the things that really happen? - Do they predict crazy things that *never* happen? - How do they account for exceptions and other weird data? --- ### Phonological Theory, Continued - How are words represented in our minds? As Phonemes? Phones? Words? - What information plays a role in our phonological decision making? - How do we actually make these decisions? - Can we model phonological decisions using computers or other algorithms? - Do these theories describe what's happening inside the human mind? - Or are they just a tool for describing language? --- ### Phonology is not the same thing as phonetics - Phoneticians are more concerned with the physical processes of speech - Articulation, Perception, and the cognitive processes underlying both - Phonologists are more concerned with the patterns of sound structure in different languages - Markedness, phonotactics, rules, and cross-linguistic patterns - We'll talk about the intersection later in the quarter --- ### Phonology is a fascinating theoretical field - Several long theoretical traditions, which we'll touch on - Vigorous debate about best practices - Not a clear "right answer" - Vigorous debate about the cognitive realities - Vigorous debate about the exact nature of the field - **We're going to touch on theoretical questions throughout the quarter** --- ### Phonology is absolutely *crucial* to getting linguistic work done - Phonetics offers you a series of ordered phones - Phones are well and good, but they're *hugely* variable --- <img class="r-stretch" src="img/backing_up.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ### You need to account for this variability - ... or else your life is going to be *awful* --- ### That's what we're going to do here --- ## This course is about solving phonological problems --- ### In 10 weeks, you will look at a phonological problem and... - Know that it's a phonological problem - Identify what's changing or unexpected - Understand how to start looking at and characterizing it - Use tools from this class to break it down - Describe the pattern, and form a coherent analysis - Describe the pattern, and form a *graceful* analysis --- ### ... and failing that... - You'll now that you've still got a problem - ... and that you'll need to go deeper still --- ### We'll give you theoretical tools that will help - <img class="r-stretch" src="humorimg/dangerous_to_go_alone.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ### ... and we'll talk about the strengths and weaknesses of these tools - As well as some alternative approaches - Because that's a LOT of fun --- ## There are two main goals - ### 1) Give you enough phonological knowledge to move past many phonological problems - ### 2) Show you why phonology is an interesting and worthwhile field to spend your life in --- # How are we going to accomplish these goals? --- <img class="r-stretch" src="humorimg/data_trumpet.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ## Two ways of applying data to your brain - In-class problem-sets - Homework assignments --- ### In-class problem sets - Designed to give you a chance to work with actual data - We'll be here to help - You'll also get to help your classmates - This a part of the learning process - Pick a group you want to work with - Feel free to float around. --- ### Homework problem sets - These let you work on problems on your own - These give us a chance to evaluate your work - You can discuss these with your classmates - But you need to write up your own work, and mention who you've collaborated with --- ### We'll also have in-class discussions, and readings - Those will help too - Check the syllabus and watch the lectures for new reading announcements --- ## The data *are* the learning - So, don't be surprised if we're spending a lot of time there. --- ### One thing I'd like to address... --- # "Group work!? Noooooo!!!!!" --- ### Why do group work? - Wider range of information - Groups stimulate creativity and alternate solutions - Discussing topics helps cement learning - It helps you be involved in decision-making - You're gonna do group work for the rest of your life --- ### What're the downsides? - Conformity pressure - Differing skill and preparation levels - It takes more time! --- ### Differences among group members is a feature not a bug - Students who are ahead of the game get to teach - Students who in the middle get to mix things up - Students who are struggling get to learn - *Always* propose alternatives --- ### How are we going to work this? - Groups are done by seating - ... but we'll mix it up from time to time - We'll always be wandering - Sometimes providing feedback to small groups, sometimes cutting in to talk to all - Groups will have a spokesperson - You're welcome to change that around a bit - You'll turn in your group information at the end of class --- ### We're trying new things here - LIGN 111 hasn't been taught quite like this - Mistakes will be made, optimizations will be made - The schedule will change (except due dates) - DO NOT PRINT THE SYLLABUS --- # This quarter... - We'll offer you tools to address phonological problems - We'll give you a chance to use them - We'll discuss why the tools look like they do - ... but most of all ... --- ### We'll show you that Phonology's a Phon place to spend your time! - <img class="r-stretch" src="humorimg/badpundog.jpg" alt="$txt"> --- ## For Next Time - Come to class ready to phonologize! - We'll start thinking about why we tackle these problems in the ways that we do --- <huge>Thank you!</huge>