Homework #1

Each of you has been given some language names.

Stefanie: Albanian Amharic Arabic
George: Basque Bengali Cantonese
Laura Cherokee Danish Faroese
Mandy: French Greek Guarani
Dan: Haida Hausa Hawaiian
Katie Hindi Hopi Icelandic
Jenny: Indonesian Italian Japanese
Kelly: Kannada Kiswahili Korean
Krista Laurel Lakota Latvian Malayalam
Amber Mandarin-Chinese Miami Mingo
Shawn Navajo Polish Potawatomi
Christina: Quechua Rumanian Russian
Sherry: Sardinian Sinhalese Somali
susan: spanish Tagalog Telugu
Yuchun: Thai Tlingit Turkish
Linda: Vietnamese, Welsh, Zulu

These were done more or less at random, so don't be jealous of the easier ones your neighbor got!

Please look up the following information pertaining to those languages. Even if you believe you know the answer, please verify by checking with a reliable source. For some of these languages, you will have to interpret a kind of writing with which you may not be familiar. It's like working out a puzzle. Give it a try. Do *not* simply try to copy the squiggles to recreate the writing system. The point here is to learn how the words in question are pronounced (as best you can) and work with that. It doesn't matter how they are written; the important thing is how they are pronounced. So, again, do *not* paste nonRoman characters into your answer. You should be able to say the word outloud. for each language, give the following information:

1. language name
2. Look up the translations for the following english words. To ensure you get the right meaning, look the word up 'both way's. for example, look up the word 'fire' on the English-foreign language side of the dictionary. Then, take that foreign word and look *it* up to varify that you have found the correct term. You are looking for a noun that means 'flame': not a verb that means 'to dismiss someone from a job' or the verb that means 'shoot'.
   • 'fish': (noun)
   • 'fire': (noun)
   • 'finger': (noun)
   • 'computer'
3. where is your language spoken?
4. How many people speak your language?

Email part one to me, pasted into the body of your email message.

You should consult www.ethnologue.com for helpful information about numbers of speakers and language distribution.

Homework #3: What do Linguists Do?

Here is a little ad for a new company I'm thinking of starting on the side. Consulting your text, let me know about any problems with my advertising copy: anything here a linguist doesn't do?  Any misstatements about language I should know about before moving ahead with this?  What do you think?  Want to underwrite my little enterprise here?  Or are you at least ready to pay up and get ready for your own fling? ... ...

(Note that my corporate sponsers will prefer it if you send your reactions privately to me.  If you find a problem repeated more than once, no need to get all huffy and repeat it.  You probably won't find much, so you can just put things you find into a list.... Oh, and if you do, somehow, find something wrong here, could you just let me know the correct way of putting it or give me the right number or whatever.  I do so hate looking things up. 
Best,
Jasper Hindsight
Robert P. Mueler foundation
Association for Forward Thought Inc.    

LingLove: Flinguistics: Have a Fling!
Bringing new meaning to the Term Romance Language

LingLove's Flinguistics  is your answer!

Opposites attract and what is more attractive than that special Someone whose sweet nothings are spoken in a totally new language?

LingLove Linguistics will teach you to speak and understand a new language, from phonetics to grammar and allow you to meet and understand that exotic Someone.

And It's EASY!

Studies show that language savants (and you may be one of these!) can learn an entire language in three short weeks.  If you're one of these lucky people, you are wasting your gifts if you don't start today!

But Where to Begin?

We teach most of the languages of the world: over 200 to choose from! 

And even better: we offer you a guide to choose which foreign language is right for you!

Where will you go to have your fling?!

• Are you economy Minded? Choose from our Discounted Language List!: 50 of our languages are on our: simple List: they are languages with fewer grammatical complexities: much easier to learn.  And time is money! At LingLove, we are forthright and honest so we will tell you that the limited structure of these languages does make it difficult to express complex concepts while using them.  This might be just what you are seeking though: get away from the madness and intricacy of modern life and immerse yourself (and your lover) in the stillness of thought that comes with a simple, primitive language.
• Are you a logical thinker?: some languages' structures are more precise and logical than others.  These may appeal to you if you like numbers, are good at math, or enjoy logic problems. Are you a swinging footloose fancy-free thinker who might be suited to the vaguaries of Hawaiian?  Or are you a steady-handed, reliable soul for whom Latin is the natural choice? Our patented Intellectual and Linguistic aptitude Test will tell you which language is right for you!
• Leave it to your genes: DNA Matching: your body knows!  what is your ancestral language?  Studies show that you can learn the language of your ancestors with more ease and comfort than the language spoken by a colonizing or invading force. Our DNA tests will pinpoint your ancestry and our linguists will determine which language was spoken in the area where they lived.  We can even determine which dialect of Native american your great grandmother spoke!  Choose today!

How Many People Can You Meet?

Options?

YES!!

LingLove brings 100,000 potential lovers within your grasp for each language you learn!

We're at Your Service!

• Professionally assess the beauty and logicality of any of the languages you are contemplating
• Help you choose the best language in terms of its complexity and scientific value
• Judge the grammaticality of any utterance you plan to use with your fling and correct your usage.
• Act as a  soundig board to subjectively assess the effect of any contemplated utterance

Those Love Notes

Begin Today!

Part 2: Analysis

Homework #2: Segment Puzzles
Due Friday, September 19th

Practice

These are some riddles my eight year old likes and their answers spelled out in consonant features just like on the next homework. I've given you the vowels in phonetic transcription. Aren't we funny?

Remember that:

• we need not indicate spaces between words in transcription.
• A syllabic sound is one that literally takes a whole syllable: The difference between the pronunciations of 'lightning' and 'lightening' is the first has a regular /n/ and the second a syllabic /n/. The difference between 'free' and 'furry' is the first has a regular /r/ and the second a syllabic /r/.
• Puns and silliness are par for this course. So, pronounce the sounds you hear alounover and over until they make some sense... any kind of sense.

Question 1. What did the zookeeper use to unlock cages?

Answer:
[voiceless glottal fricative]
I
[voiced alveolar fricative]
[bilabial nasal]
schwa
[alveolar nasal]
[voiceless velar stop]
i

Question 2. Which is the rudest animal?

Answer:
schwa
[voiced velar stop]
u
[voiceless alveolar fricative]

Question 3. Why did the black cat cross the road?

answer:
[voiced bilabial stop]
i
[voiceless velar stop]
schwa
[voiced alveolar fricative]
[voiceless glottal fricative]
i
[voiced labio-velar glide]
schwa
>[voiced alveolar fricative]
[voiceless alveolar fricative]
[voiceless alveolar stop]
ej
[voiceless bilabial stop]
[syllabic voiced alveolar lateral]
[voiced alveolar stop]
[voiceless alveolar stop]
u
[voiced interdental fricative
schwa
[voiceless alveopalatal affricate]
I
[voiceless velar stop]
I
[alveolar nasal]

Actual Segment Puzzle assignment

One

[voiced alveolar stop]
[voiced interdental fricative
ə (schwa)
[voiced bilabial stop]
i

[voiced alveopalatal affricate]
i
[voiceless labiodental fricative]
æ (ash)
[voiced alveolar lateral]

[voiceless velar stop]
I
[alveolar nasal]
[voiceless velar stop]
[voiced nonlateral liquid]

ɔ (open o)
[voiceless alveolar fricative]
[voiced interdental fricative]
ə (schwa)
[voiced nonlateral liquid]

ow
[voiced alveolar stop]

Two

Transcription

[w@ns @pOn @ tajm DEr w@z @ lItl= boj hu h{d now sEns @v hjumr=] 
[hi w@z nat @ partIkjularli @nh{pi tSajld]
[hi h{d frEndz {nd Dej r{n {nd plejd tugEDr=]
[hi plejd wIT tr@ks]
[hi d@g In D@ s{nd {t D@ bitS]
[hi ivIn plejd haws wIT hIz sIstr= On @kejZIn]
[hi smajld {nd ivIn skwild wIT dZOj s@mtajmz b@t wEn D@ @Dr= tSIldrEn told dZowks hi dId nat l{f]
[wEn D@ bOj ritSt hIz sIksT jir hIZ perEnts tUk hIm tu si @ wajz owld wUm@n hu lIvd biniT @ bjutIf@l sprEdIN mejpl= tri In a pisf@l v{li]
[Si tUk w@n lUk {t D@ bOj {nd big{n spikiN kwIkli]

Two Morphology Problems

Turkish

Examine the following data from Turkish and answer the questions that follow.
1. [deniz] an ocean
2. [elim] my hand
3. [denize] to an ocean
4. [eller] hands
5. [denizin] of an ocean
6. [diller] teeth
7. [eve] to a house
8. [dilimizin] of our tooth
9. [evden] from a house
10. [dillerimizin] of our teeth
11. [evcikden] from a little house
12. [elcike] to a little hand
13. [denizcikde] in a little ocean
14. [denizlerimizde] in our oceans
15. [elde] in a hand
16. [evciklerimizde] in our little houses

a. Give the Turkish morpheme that corresponds to each of the following translations:
hand
house
ocean
tooth
little
from
in
of
to
my
our
(plural marker)

b. What is the order of morphemes in a Turkish word (in terms of noun, plural marker, etc.)?

c. How would one say 'of our little hands' in Turkish?

Isleta

a. List the morphemes corresponding to the following English translations. (there are nine morphemes to find):
I; you; he;
come; go
(present progressive); (past progressive); (past); (future)

B. What is the order of morphemes in Isleta?

c. How would you say each of the following in Isleta?
1. He went.
2. I will go.
3. You were coming.

Zapotec and Zoque

Isthmus Zapotec

a. Isolate the morphemes that correspond to the following English translations:
possession (genitive)
3rd person singular
2nd person plural

b. List the allomorphs for the following
tortilla rope chicken

c. What phonological process conditions for the allomorphs listed in B? That is, what causes the change from one to the other. Note that the answer is not as simple as 'when you add a prefix'. The question is, why does adding this particular prefix cause this particular kind of change? (Remembering your phonetics will help you here.)

Zoque

Examine the following data from Zoque, a language spoken in Mexico, and answer the subsequent questions.

1. [kenu] he looked
2. [sihku] he laughed
3. [wihtu] he walked
4. [ka?u] he died
5. [cihcu] it tore
6. [sohsu] it cooked
7. [kenpa] he looks
8. [sikpa] he laughs
9. [witpa] he walks
10. [ka?pa] he dies
11. [cicpa] it tears
12. [sospa] it cooks

a. What is the Zoque morpheme indicating the past tense?

b. What is the Zoque morpheme meaning 'he' or 'it'?

c. List the allomorphs of each of the verb stem morphemes, along with their meanings. What conditions the appearance of each allomorph?

find a word (or sentence) with

At least one of these is impossible. If you determine that the number you are working on is impossible, just say so and briefly explain.

1. a sentence of 6 words: 3 content and 3 function (please label each word as 'f' or 'c').
2. a sentence of 6 words: 4 content and 2 function
3. a content word that has one syllable and 2 morphemes
4. a content word with 2 syllables, and 3 morphemes
5. a content word with one morpheme and three syllables
6. a word with one content morpheme, one inflectional morpheme and one derivational morpheme
7. A word with one free morpheme and one inflectional prefix.
8. a word with two content morphemes only
9. a sentence with 8 words: all of the words having only 1 morpheme each.
10. a sentence of any lenght with all of the words having two morphemes.
11. sentence of 4 words: first word, 1 morpheme; second word 2 morphemes, third word three morphemes and 4th word 4 morphemes.
12. a word with two morphemes: one content morpheme and one inflectional morpheme that ends with a velar nasal.
13. a word with two morphemes: one content morpheme and one derivational morpheme that ends with an alveolar nasal.
14. a sentence of at least 4 words: all of which are function words.
15. a word consisting of only one bound morpheme.
16. Can you have an English word with more than one inflectional morpheme? Explain.
17. What are some inflectional morphemes that other languages have but English currently does not?
18&19. Think carefully: what are the morphemes in your complete formal name? Explain. You don't have to explain ones you determine to be content morphemes, but do explain any derivational morphemes you have.
20. Make a sentence with the following words in it:

• Word 1. function word beginning with a bilabial sound
• word 2. content word beginning with a labial-dental sound.
• word 3. content word with a derivational prefix beginning with an alveolar sound.
• word 4. content word beginning with a velar sound and ending in an inflectional suffix.
• and end the sentence anyway you like if you need more words to make sense.

Language endangerment

Informed by these experiences and by your readings, I would like you to write reflectively on the topic, addressing these questions:

• According to linguists, what is the probable extent of the language death crisis as it is expected to play out over the next century?
• Compare and contrast the attitudes toward this crisis held by Peter Ladefoged, Nancy Lorian and David Harrison from The Linguists film. Do they disagree about the facts of the case or only about their interpretation?
• How would you expect the subjects of the two interviews, Noah Schmidt and Jordan Lachler to respond to Ladefoged's stance? Are they in entire agreement with Nancy Lorian?
• Drawing on our class' experimentation with Shakespearian English, can you come up with barriers to language preservation not discussed by any of these sources? What barriers did you and your classmates experience? what was the worst part? Is this 'worst part' shared by people involved in language preservation?
• Finally, give a personal reflection. Had you been aware of the problem of language death before this? Do you find you share a reaction with one of our sources? If so, which one. Explain. If not, what stance do you currently take on the topic?

NB: Someone will inevitably ask me for a length requirement. I don't have one, but I expect that you cannot answer these questions thoughtfully in less than a healthy paragraph each.

Homework #14 Phonology Problems

Sindhi

1. [p@nu] leaf
2. [v@dZu] opportunity
3. [Seki] suspicious
4. [g@do] dull
5. [d@ru] door
6. [ph@nu] snake hood
7. [t@ru] bottom
8. [kh@to] sour
9. [b@dZu] run
10. [b@nu] forest
11. [b@tSu] be safe
12. [dZ@dZu] judge
Data from Language Files copyright OSU press.

Italian

Consider the following data from Italian. Answer the questions that follow.
[N] is a velar nasal.

1. [tinta] dye
2. [tEnda] tent
3. [dansa] dance
4. [nero] black
5. [dZEnte] people
6. [sapone] soap
7. [tiNgo] I dye
8. [tENgo] I keep
9. [fuNgo] mushroom
10. [byaNka] white
11. [aNke] also
12. [faNgo] mud

Are there any minimal pairs? If so, what are they and what can you conclude to be true of Italian from those minimal pairs?

Are [n] and [N] different phonemes or allophones of the same phoneme?
Data from Language Files copyright OSU press.

Oroha

1. ['o'o] drum
2. ['a'ate] dry
3. [eta] one
4. [kui] dog
5. [ma'ahuu] totally empty
6. [sato] sun
7. [etau] over
8. [seeni] good
9. ['a'e] leg
10. [aatoi] to meet
11. [ato] rusty
12. [ku'i] tail
13. [hato] seashell
14. [to'o] to own
15. [poo] pig

a. Examine the status of [h] and [s]in the Oroha data above. Are they allophones of the same phoneme or do they represent different phonemes? Show your evidence.

b. Examine the status of [t] and [']. Are they allophones of the same phoneme or do they represent different phonemes? Show your evidence. What is the relationship between[t] and ['] in english? explain and show your evidence.

Fijian

1. [vindi] - to spring up
2. [kenda] - we
3. [tiko] - to stay
4. [tutu] - grandfather
5. [viti] - fiji
6. [dovu] - sugarcane
7. [dina] - true
8. [dalo] - taro plant
9. [vundi] - plantane banana
10. [manda] - first
11. [tina] - mother
12. [mata] - eye
13. [dondo] - to stretch out one's hand
14. [mokiti] - round
15. [vevendu] - a plant

Psycholinguistics: Speech errors

• Utterance: what was actually said. (You should write them down as they occur; do not rely on your memory.
• Target: what did the speaker intend to say.
• Context: circumstances under which the error was made: who was speaking, what was going on etc.
• Level at which the error occurred. here are your choices:
  • propositional (environmentally mediated errors),
  • syntactic (usually a blend of two ways of saying the same thing), or a situation where words are misordered.
  • lexical (note if it was phonologically mediated, semantically mediated or both), (NOTE: if you say 'meditated' instead of Mediated' you lose a point... because that drives me crazy!)
  • morphological or
  • phonological (this is an error involving a segment or syllable. Note if it is a perseveration, anticipation or exchange of material (or something else).

word Order Typology: Hawaiian and Latin

Hawaiian

Examine these data from Hawaiian and answer the questions.

1. kai uli \ deep blue sea

2. Kai Ula \ Red Sea

3. maka uli \ Black eye

4. noho nui \ big chair

5. kai nui \ big sea

6. Pihoihoi au \ I'm excited

7. 'olelo 'oe \ you talk

8. heluhelu au \ i read.

9. himeni au \ I sing

10. 'olelo o ia \ he talks

11. makemake au i ka puke \ I want the book.

12. makemake 'oe i ka pua \ you want the flower

13. 'ai 'oe i ke kalo \ you eat taro.

14. makemake au i ke kalo \ I want the taro.

15. noho au ma Waimea. \ I live in Waimea

16. noho 'oe ma ke kula. \ You live at the school.

1. What is the order of noun and adjective in Hawaiian?
2. What is the order of subject, object and verb?
3. To show location, does Hawaiian use prepositions or postpositions?
4. Given your answers to the preceding questions, would you call Hawaiian a head-initial or a head-final language? Explain.

Latin

domina cartam confirmat.
The lady confirms the charter.

Ego terram do.
I give the land

Domine cartas dant.
the ladies give charters.

regina cartam confirmat.
The queen confirms the charter.

Ego regina sum.
I am the queen.

nova carta
the new charter

iuxta ecclesiam
beside the church

1. What is the order of noun and adjective in Hawaiian?
2. What is the order of subject, object and verb?
3. To show location, does Hawaiian use prepositions or postpositions?
4. Given your answers to the preceding questions, would you call Latin a head-initial or a head-final language? Explain.

Amnesty Phonology Problems: Tonga and Spanish

Tonga

[tauhi] to take care
[sisi] garland
[motu] island
[mosimosi] to drizzle
[motomoto] unripe
[fesi] to break
[sino] body
[totonu] correct
[pasi] to clap
[fata] shelf
[movete] to come apart
[misi] to dream

2. What is the status of [t] and [s] in English? give evidence to support your claim.

Spanish

1. Examine [d] and [D] in the data from Spanish transcribed phonetically below. (We use [D] for 'eth', the voiced interdental fricative). Determine whether they are allophones of one phoneme or of separate phonemes. If they are allophones of one phoneme, describe the environments in which one occurs and the other does not. If [d] and [D] are allophones of separate phonemes, give minimal pairs that prove this.

2. Is this the same as their status in English? Explain and demonstrate.

3. Examine [t] and [d] in the data below. What is their status?

4. What is the status of [t] and [d] in English?

1. [drama] drama
2. [komiDa] food
3. [dolor] pain
4. [anda] scram
5. [dime] tell me
6. [sueldo] compensation
7. [kaDa] each
8. [durar] to last
9. [falta] lack
10. [toldo] curtain
11. [oDio] hatred
12. [falda] skirt
13. [laDo] side
14. [dame] give me

Sociolinguistics and discourse analysis

Using your knowledge of power, solidarity, Grice, locution, Illocution, perlocution, phatics, opening and closing linguistic rituals, presupposition, and knowledge of how students and faculty are expected to interact in present-day Northamerican college contexts, explain in technical terms and in detail what went wrong during this interaction that resulted in both of them feeling frustrated and angry. What were their assumptions about one another?

Setting and Participants

First participant: A young woman, probably in her late teens taking courses at the university at the freshman level. She was dressed in shorts and a T-shirt. At the time of the encounter, she was hanging out in front of the Education Building with friends probably waiting to go inside for a class.

Second participant: A college professor in her early 40s who has been teaching at the university for several years. she was dressed in a long skirt and blouse and was passing quickly by the Education Building probably on the way to her next meeting or class to teach. The professor is blind and was walking purposefully, using her white cane. Like the student, she was in very familiar territory.

Interaction

Student: Hey, are you lost?

Professor (without pausing): No.

Student: I can help you!

Professor: thank you, I'm fine.

Student: There are stairs coming up.

Professor: Yes, I know that.

Student: Stop! There are the steps.

Professor (Not stopping as she went down the steps, makes no response. She continues to walk veering slightly to cut across the grass. the two are now some distance apart.)

Student: (calling loudly) Hey, go to the right! You're off the sidewalk!

Professor: (Under her breath): Right. Thanks.