applied linguistics research

8/18/2019 Applied Linguistics Research

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ENGL 714.50 Applied Linguistics for English for Speakers of Other Languages EducatorsPittsburg State University, Summer 2009, GH 301Philip W. Rudd, Ph.D.

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Applied Linguistics for ESOL EducatorsCourse Syllabus Summer 2009 3 credit hours

Instructor:

Philip W. Rudd, Ph.D.English Department 451 Grubbs HallPittsburg State University

1701 South BroadwayPittsburg, KS 66762

Hours:

Class: MTWRF 01:00-03:50 (08-26 June)Office: MTWRF 10:00-11:00

MTWR 04:00-05:00

Other times by Appointment EMAIL: [email protected]

TEL: 620-235-4701

Course Description and Objectives:

Applied Linguistics for English-for-Speakers-of-Other-Languages (ESOL) Educators focuses on howknowledge of the way languages work will directly benefit the teaching of English Language Learners. The first

half of this course is theory; the second half is application. This course covers the linguistic components oflanguage (the theory section of the book Chapters 2-6, Pragmatics-Phonology), providing an opportunity foreducators to explore the relevance of linguistics to second/foreign language teaching and learning (the applied

section of the book, Chapters 7-12). The course provides an overview of linguistic, sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic analyses as they pertain to the language proficiency and academic achievement of ELLstudents. Topics to be addressed include phonology, morphology, syntax, pragmatics, semantics,sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, language variation, first-language acquisition, second-languageacquisition, written language, language processing, nonverbal communication, and the neurology of language.

Summer Session Timetable:

This intensive, summer course runs just three weeks, from (June 08-June 26). Work received after class on the

day it is due each week will be considered “late”, and will result in a reduced grade. All late work will lose

10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we

may be able to make arrangements for an extension.

Required Text:

Parker, Frank and Riley, Kathyrn. (2005). Linguistics for Non-Linguists. 4th Ed. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allynand Bacon.

Additional articles and websites may be recommended via email as needed, in response to your questions and

concerns as they arise.

Assignments:

1. Reading, Discussion Board Postings and Participation (30%)

Read the entire text as per the schedule below. For each chapter, please pose questions, share opinions, and

reflect on what is being discussed (participation). It is strongly recommended that you complete the in-chapter


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exercises in each chapter. You may want to complete the Supplementary Exercises at the end of each chapter as

you read, as a guided reading activity.You are required to read all postings. As we will cover thirteen chapters, you are required to make a minimumof thirteen postings. Beyond that, quality outweighs quantity. You must write a 150-200 word commentary on

the topic and a 50 word response to two of your classmates’ comments. Avoid postings with one or two-wordresponses to your classmates (such as, “Yes, I agree”), as they are time consuming for your classmates, and will

not count toward your posting requirement. All postings are due by class time following day. See the rubricat the end of this syllabus for posting guidelines. Your thirteen chapter topics are:

Week One (June 08-12).M (June 08): Read Chapter 1: Introduction. This chapter has no exercises but will give you an overview ofthe topics, structure, and theoretical orientation of the course.T (June 09): Read Chapter 2. Pragmatics delineates concepts of how speakers say things without really

saying them, and how context affects interpretation.W (June 10): Read Chapter 3. Semantics introduces the concepts of sense, reference, and truth. Chapters 2and 3 complement each other as pragmatics is concerned with context-dependent meaning, while semantics isconcerned with context-independent meaning.R (June 11): Read Chapter 4: Syntax. . We will review our knowledge of traditional grammar terminology.

Can you identify the eight parts of speech? Can you diagram sentences? We’ll see. F (June 12): Read Chapter 4: Syntax. Whereas pragmatics and semantics deal with meaning, syntax deals

with structure: that is, the items that can appear in a sentence and how they can be ordered and combined.

Week Two (June 15-19).M (June 15): Read Chapter 5. Morphology introduces concepts related to the structure and formation ofwords, including the distinctions among various types of morphemes and the processes used to create newwords. A great deal of technical terminology will be new to you.T (June 16): Read Chapter 6. First, we’ll discuss the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and familiarize

ourselves with a phonemic alphabet , a feature system for analyzing segments, and some phonological rules from

English. Many technical terms will be new.W (June 17): Read Chapter 6. Phonology is the study of how the sounds in a language interact. We’ll look atsome examples of phonological rules from English. Many technical terms will be new. Please try to do thetranscriptions so that we can discuss them in class.R (June 18): Read Chapter 7. Language Variation introduces the concepts related to regional, social, gender,and stylistic variation. With this chapter we shift our orientation. Whereas Chapters 2-6 each dealt with adifferent branch of linguistic theory, Chapters 7-12 each apply concepts from linguistic theory to the language of

a particular population or group of speakers.

F (June 19): Read Chapter 7. Language Variation continued. We’ll view the American Tongues video asit provides a good overview of language variation, especially regional variation, in the United States.

We will enjoy discussing some of the examples in the video and adding our own examples of language

variation that each of us has observed.

Week Three (June 22-26).M (June 22): Read Chapter 8. First-Language Acquisition deals with the major concepts related to theacquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics, and to issues in language acquisition. We willshare many of our own personal observations—based upon forms we have heard from our siblings, our niecesand nephews, or our own children.T (June 23): Read Chapter 9. Second-Language Acquisition (SLA) introduces general issues in SLA;

patterns in the acquisition of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics; and nonlinguistic influences onSLA. This unit is relatively difficult because it deals with two linguistic variables: the language the speaker hasalready acquired (L1) and the language the speaker is learning (L2). Nevertheless, it is probably the most


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important chapter if you are taking this class because of your work with students who are English Language

Learners.W (June 24): Read Chapter 10. Written Language introduces concepts related to writing systems, the Englishspelling system, and errors in written English. Read Chapter 11. Language Processing introduces several

concepts related to the processing of spoken and written language, including concepts from psycholinguistics,discourse analysis, and rhetoric. These two chapters are taught in conjunction for a more extended unit on

written language. The former draws more on concepts from phonology and morphology, while the latter drawsmore on concepts from syntax, semantics, and pragmatics.R (June 25): Read Chapter 12. The Neurology of Language introduces concepts related to normal and

abnormal language processing by the brain. Perhaps the most intimidating feature of this chapter is the amountof technical terminology, so be prepared. Read Chapter 13. The concluding chapter emphasizes the two basic

contributions that linguistics can make to neighboring fields. One contribution has been emphasized throughoutthe book: linguistics offers an explanation for language phenomena that practitioners in related fields encounter

every day. The other contribution is more subtle: linguistics offers a model for explanation that practitioners canadapt to their own fields. Review for final exam.F (June 26): The Comprehensive Final Exam represents 20% of your final grade.

2. Homework Exercises (20%)

Homework assignments will be assigned for you to complete and then submit in class. These assignments are animportant opportunity for you to practice concepts and test ideas that are covered in the textbook and our class

discussions, and they will provide skills that will be crucial for the exams.Some homework assignments will be posted on Angel. Please note that no late homework

assignments will be accepted except in the case of serious crisis. In such cases, you must notify your instructor before the due date. Other coursework or exams will generally not count as serious crisis. A missed homeworkassignment will result in a zero. If you feel that there are extenuating circumstances regarding a particularassignment, you may discuss the issue with your instructor.

Homework will be graded as follows:5 points: You followed all instructions, provided well considered answers and/or

got 90% or more of the assignment right.4 points: You didn't follow some instructions and/or were on the wrong track with

several of your answers/discussion points.

3 points: You didn't follow most instructions and/or were on the wrong track in atleast a third of your work.

2 points: You didn't follow most instructions and/or were on the wrong track in atleast half of your work.

1 point: You did the assignment, but didn’t complete it or did it all wrong.

0 points: No assignment was turned in.

Homework Assignments (20%) are due by class time of the due date.

3. Research Project (30%)

You may select from more than one project (see hand-out) for your research-based project. However, there isone caveat. The examination you must pass for certification in ESOL is somewhat based on contrastive analysis.Therefore, Project #1 may better serve your educational needs. Any of the projects, however, can be invaluable

for anyone teaching English as a second other language.

Research Projects are due by midnight of (July 01) and represent 30% of your final grade.


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Final Exam (20%)A final examination of multiple choice and short answer items will be given during the final week of the course,

and will cover the material we have explored in the assigned chapters. The Final Exam is due by the end of

class on June 26 and represents 20% of your final grade.

Evaluation Criteria:

Participation 30%Homework Exercises 20%

Research Project 30%

Final Exam 20%

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

90-100 A 80-89 B 70-79 C 60-69 D 0-59 F

Research Project:

English 714 Applied Linguistics for ESOL

The Research Project

You may select either of the following projects for your research-based project. However, I offer thiscaveat. The examination you must pass for certification in ESOL is somewhat based on contrastiveanalysis. Therefore, Project #1 may better serve your educational needs. Any of the projects,however, can be invaluable for anyone teaching English as a second other language.

Project #1 – A Contrastive Analysis

Select a target language. This could be your native languageif (and only if) your “mother tongue” isnot English. If you are a native English speaker, select as your target language one (like Spanish,Korean, Arabic, etc.) that you believe will be most useful to your future needs.

Definition of Contrastive Analysis—Contrastive analysis (CA) is an inductive investigative approachbased on the distinctive elements of a language.

While there are two kinds of contrastive analysis:intralingual and cross-linguistic , if you choose thisproject you are to do a cross-linguistic analysis, that is between your target language and English (theemphasis here is on American and not British English). This cross-linguistic analysis should focus on

at least two significant elements of the target and American English languages. I would stronglysuggest that the most useful approach would be to work with phonology and/or syntax and/orsemantics.

Background. In the heyday of foreign language teaching in the 1960’s, foreign language teachers sawcontrastive analysis as a solution to language learning (L2 acquisition) difficulties of their students.

After all, they thought, a comparison between the mother tongue and the foreign language shouldprovide revealing information on problem areas. They were disappointed, however, as this “hard”approach only partially explained the intricacies of language learning. However, recently contrastive


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analysis has undergone a revival and has become an important area of research for languagedescription for language teaching and teaching English as a second language.

The strong version of contrastive analysis presupposes that it is possible to contrast the system ofone language (the grammar, phonology, and lexicon) with the system of the second or targetlanguage in order to predict the difficulties which a speaker of a second language will have in learningthe first language. Wardhaugh (1974) calls this a “pseudo-procedure.”

The weak version of CA is defined as “the linguist uses the best linguistic knowledge available . . . inorder to account for the observed difficulties in second-language learning.” Weak Contrastive Analysismakes fewer demands on contrastive theory than the strong version. The starting point forweakcontrastive analysis is provided by real evidence from the target language’s phonetics, phonology,syntax, etc.

Your Task is to select a target language and examine its phonology (sound system) and syntax(sentence structure) and to contrast those linguistics elements within the target language with thosesame elements in “standard” American English.

You can get a good deal of reliable information online on the Internet / World Wide Web usinginformation provided by major universities around the world as well as using any of the referencebooks on 2-hour reserve in Axe Library (see your course syllabus for those titles). If you do aGoogle.com or an Ask.com search and key in “English +Chinese +phonology” or “English +Chinese+syntax” or English +Spanish +____ (whatever your target language is) you will find some very usefulinformation to use as resources. For example, if your target language is Korean, there is wonderfulinformation on “Interlanguage Phonology of Korean Learners of English” available from

http://www.odin.prohosting.com/hkkim/cgi-bin/kaeps/it_phon.htm

This is a scholarly site published by Dr. Hyouk-Keun Kim.

Project #2—Language and Culture -- Alternate Research Project

It is often suggested, and evidence seems to support the notion, that language is an extension ofculture. In other words, one’s own mother tongue, as well as one’s own thought process, is influencedby the broader culture. The question becomes

• Is one’s language an extension of the culture in which that language is natively spoken?Or

• Is one’s culture an extension of the language of that culture?Or

• Does one’s native language influence the speaker’s perception of things?

Project #3—Cultural Traditions

Often teachers and native English-speaking students and others in the community misjudge or fail tounderstand someone from another culture and vice-versa because customs and traditions differwidely among peoples and nations. Body language is but one example. In some cultures it isconsidered perfectly normal for two men to walk down the street holding hands or to kiss each other(usually on the cheek). In some cases, American teachers, to show approval or encouragement, willtouch a student on the head, perhaps tousle the hair and say “good job!” However, in some cultures,


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touching someone on the head is a grave insult. The ubiquitous American symbol for “OK” meanssomething entirely different in other cultures. In this project, select a target culture and compare andcontrast common gestures, body language, and similar issues that might affect effectivecommunication between Americans and those in your target culture.

Requirements for the Paper

• 5-6 pages minimum (not including the bibliography)

• Documented sources (quotations, paraphrases, statistical data, illustrations (graphs, charts,tables, web shots, etc.)

• Recommended minimum number of sources actually used – 3

• Internal documentation (MLA or APA) parenthetical method

• List of Works Cited (MLA style), References (APA style) (bibliography)

• Standard, non-fancy font (Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Bookman)

• Pages numbered (beginning on page 2) at the top right margin

Papers will be evaluated on the quality of the writing, the quality of the research, and the appeal of itspresentation. Quality research means that the writer has done more than the minimum. The writer hascited more than the minimum number of sources, relied primarily on professional sources (may alsouse textbooks, reliable and authoritative web sites), and relies on current research.

Attendance: Each of the units we study in this class will build on the previous ones. As a result, if you missclass, you may have some difficulty following the new discussion. If you must miss class, get notes from aclassmate. If you do not understand a concept you missed, make arrangements to see me during my office hours

so that we can go over the material. It is your responsibility to make up any work that you miss.

Flagrant Non-Attendance: Everyone has two (2) pre-excused absences for those difficult times in life thatinterfere with class attendance. Use those absences wisely for a student who misses more than 2 classes may bedropped from the roster.

Late Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you

won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements foran extension.

Plagiarism: Academic honesty is expected of all students. If you are unclear about the university’s policy on plagiarism and academic honesty, view the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities” located on the PSUhomepage. Article 30 specifically discusses academic misconduct, including plagiarism.

Cell Phones, Pagers, and Portable Music Players: These devices must be turned off for the duration of the

class period. If your phone rings in class, you will be asked to leave. If you believe you should be excluded fromthe cell phone restriction, see me individually.

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