Instructor

Lisa Pearl, Department of Linguistics
Office: 1413L Marie Mount Hall
Email: llsp AT umd DOT edu
Email is the best way to get in touch.
 

Class Time

Monday-Friday: 2:00pm - 3:20pm in MMH 1108B

Course Description

Language and the Mind is a 6-week tour of the science of language and its position within the human mind. Language is one of our most distinctive characteristics as humans. It is also one of our most misunderstood characteristics, and it is often the cause of heated conflict (sometimes involving nasty looks, even). Our goal in this class will be to step back from the fray and take a look at the objective facts about human language.

Except in case of severe brain damage, speaking a language is something that seems both effortless and intuitive for all adults. Similarly, any child can learn to speak any human language if the child is exposed to that language from an early age, with almost no direct teaching. (Reading and writing are an entirely different matter, however.) And yet, a close look at any human language shows that it is an extremely sophisticated system. This suggests that there is something special about the human mind that makes it able to learn and use language. Linguistics is a science which aims to discover how human languages work (any language, not just English), and what it is about human minds that makes them able to learn and use language.

In addition, we will also examine how language affects the perception of an individual, and what influence language itself has over thought.

The questions that we will be concerned with in this course include:

Readings

Readings will come from Jackendoff's Patterns in the Mind: Language and Human Nature, Basic Books; Reprint Editiion, ISBN: 0465054625 (paperback). Can be found at the University Book Center, Amazon.com, or Half.com.
In addition, we will be reading several excerpts and articles, which can be found here.


Grading

Grades will be based on the following:

  • Homeworks = 40%
  • Quizzes = 40%
  • Final = 15%
  • Class Participation = 5%

Schedule

Tentative Schedule
Date       Topic Reading Assignments

Week 1

July 11 What is Language?
Lecture 1: (ppt), (black & white pdf)
  • Jackendoff, chapter 2
HW 1 assigned
July 12 What is Language?
Animal Communication & Human Instincts:
Lecture 2: (ppt), (black & white pdf)
  • Jackendoff, chapter 1
  • Jackendoff, chapter 3
HW 1 due
July 13 Animal Communication & Human Instincts
Quiz 1: What is Language?
  • Gleitman & Newport (1995)
HW2 assigned
July 14 Animal Communication & Human Instincts
  • Phillips (2003), pp.1-3
July 15 Animal Communication & Human Instincts
Sentences
Lecture 3: (ppt), (black & white pdf)
  • Baker (2001), pp.1-18, 52-57
HW3 assigned

Week 2

July 18 Sentences
Quiz 2: Animal Communication & Human Instincts
  • Baker (2001), pp. 35-50
HW 2 due
HW4 assigned
July 19 Sentences HW 3 due

July 20 Sentences
July 21 Sentences
HW 4 due
HW5 assigned
July 22 Sentence Interpretation, Language Learning, & Universals
Lecture 4: (ppt), (black & white pdf)
Quiz 3: Sentences

Week 3

July 25 Sentence Interpretation, Language Learning, & Universals
  • Crain (1998), ch. 25-27
HW 5 due
HW6 assigned
July 26 Sentence Interpretation, Language Learning, & Universals
July 27 Sentence Interpretation, Language Learning, & Universals
HW 6 due
July 28 Sounds
Lecture 5: (ppt), (black & white pdf)
Quiz 4: Sentence Interpretation, Language Learning, & Universals
July 29 Sounds HW7 assigned

Week 4

Aug 1 Sounds
Aug 2 Sounds HW 7 due
HW8 assigned
Aug 3 Sounds
Aug 4 Sounds
Aug 5 Sounds HW 8 Lab Data should be completed

Week 5

Aug 8 Sounds
The Influence of Language on Thought
Lecture 6:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
  • Pullum (1989)
  • Pinker (1994)
Aug 9 Language and Color
Lecture 7:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
Quiz 5: Sounds
HW 8 Lab Analysis due
Aug 10 Language and Color
Aug 11 Language and Space
Lecture 8:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
Aug 12 Language and Space

Week 6

Aug 15 Language and Navigation
Lecture 9:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
Quiz 6: The Influence of Language on Thought, Language and Color, Language and Space
Aug 16 Language and Navigation
Language and Number
Lecture 10:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
Aug 17 Language and Number
Theory of Mind
Lecture 11:
(ppt), (black & white pdf)
Bring questions for review
Aug 18 Final Review Study for final
Aug 19 Final

Academic Integrity

You may discuss homework problems with others, but you must write up the answers to the homework yourself in your own words.

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated.

The University requires the following pledge in some circumstances:

I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.

Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability that needs to be accommodated, please see me so that we can make appropriate arrangements.

Missing Class (aka "A Bad Idea (TM)")

If you will be absent from class and you know ahead of time, please mention it to me. Because this course meets every day, it gets pretty fast-paced and you can fall behind if you don't plan ahead.



This class was designed using materials from previous Language & the Mind courses taught by Colin Phillips and Andrea Zukowski. I am very grateful indeed for their kind help.