4/26/2025 8:04:36 PM	ENGL 25 Course Outline as of Fall 2025	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  ENGL 25	Title:  INTRO TO LINGUISTICS
Full Title:  Introduction to Linguistics
Last Reviewed:4/14/2025

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

This course invites students to study linguistics, a field that seeks to understand how languages work and how humans use their languages. Student will examine the structures of language, including sounds and signs, words, and grammar patterns, using examples from English and a variety of other languages. Student will also study language and the brain; popular misconceptions about language; how language varies over time, in different regions, and across speakers/signers; the relationship between language and culture; and how children develop language. Student will investigate these topics from the perspectives of language science as well as the diverse communities of speakers and signers whose languages we study. Student will also connect these topics to current social issues and ongoing debates about language.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

This course invites students to study linguistics, a field that seeks to understand how languages work and how humans use their languages. Student will examine the structures of language, including sounds and signs, words, and grammar patterns, using examples from English and a variety of other languages. Student will also study language and the brain; popular misconceptions about language; how language varies over time, in different regions, and across speakers/signers; the relationship between language and culture; and how children develop language. Student will investigate these topics from the perspectives of language science as well as the diverse communities of speakers and signers whose languages we study. Student will also connect these topics to current social issues and ongoing debates about language.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;UC.
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
Area:	E	Humanities
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	C2	Humanities		Fall 1996
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	3B	Humanities		Fall 1996
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Major Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Analyze and discuss language using the basic concepts and terminology of the field of linguistics

2. Describe the structures and functions of language from a scientific perspective.

3. Critically evaluate how language relates to power, prejudices, and social justice.

4. Apply core concepts in linguistics to a number of fields of study, including their own academic and career pathways.

 

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Describe the nature of human language from a scientific perspective including its properties, structures, social functions, and the acquisition of language.

2. Identify patterns in sets of language data, draw generalizations from the data, and make hypotheses to explain linguistic patterns.  

3. Demonstrate an understanding of universals and variations across languages.

4. Evaluate, through discussion and writing, popular beliefs, attitudes, and claims made about language.

5. Describe the connections between language ideologies, linguistic prejudices, social  hierarchies, and dominant power structures.

6. Identify applications of linguistics to academic disciplines, (such as World Languages, Literature, Ethnic Studies, Gender Studies, Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology) and career paths (including Translation and Interpretation, speech and language therapy, child development, social work, education, publishing, healthcare, computer science and programming).

Topics and Scope

I. Studying Human Language from a Scientific Perspective

    A. Human language vs. other species' communication systems

    B. Prescriptive and descriptive approaches to language

    C. Language and the brain

    D. Language competence vs. performance

    E. Universal Grammar

II. The Sound System of Language

    A. Articulatory Phonetics

         1. Anatomy of the vocal system

         2. Voicing and phonation types

         3. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

    B. Phonology

         1. Phonemes and allophones

         2. Syllable structure            

          3. Phonological analysis of English and data from other languages

    C. Phonetics of Signed Languages

          1. Parameters, such as location, movement, palm orientation, handshape, and non-manual markers

          2. Universals and variations in signed language parameter inventories

III. Morphology

    A. Morphemes

         1. Bound, free, and root morphemes

         2. Affixation

         3. Derivational and inflectional morphemes

    B. Allomorphs

     C. Morphological analysis of English and other languages

    D. Derivational processes of new words, such as clipping, blending, compounding, and functional shift

    E. Morphology of signed languages

IV. Syntax

    A. Word order in spoken and signed languages

    B. Lexical categories

    C. Constituency structure of phrases and sentences in English and other languages

    D. Lexical and structural ambiguity

V. Language Development

    A. First language acquisition

         1. Stages of language development, such as babbling, holophrastic, and telegraphic stages

         2. Phonological, morphological, and syntactic patterns of children's developing language

         3. Universals and variations in children's language development

         4. Critical period hypothesis for hearing and Deaf children's language development

         5. Language ideologies around children's language development, such as "word gap" theory and oralism

     B. Second language acquisition

         1. Children's development of more than one language

               a. Different types of bilingualism, such as balanced and receptive  

               b. Acquisition patterns of bilingual vs. monolingual children

              c. Debunking common myths about bilingualism in children

              d. Strategies and methods for supporting children's bilingualism

         2. Adults learning an additional language later in life

              a. Factors influencing adult second language acquisition

              b. Strategies and methods for adults learning an additional language

              c. Heritage languages

VI. Language, Communities, and Contexts in Society

    A. Language variation

          1. Lexical, phonological, and grammatical variation in American English

         2. Dialects of American English, including African American English and Latinx/e varieties of English

         3. Patterns of language use in relation to factors such as region, age, class, gender, identity, and community membership

    B. Language and culture

         1. Pidgins and creoles

         2. Deaf culture and signed languages

         3. Indigenous languages  

               a. History and impacts of settler colonialism

              b. Sleeping languages, language reclamation, and language revitalization

    C. Language and power

         1. Language ideologies and social hierarchies

         2. The myth of standard language

          3. Language prejudice and discrimination

         4. Language and social justice, such as language activism, inclusive language, and decolonization in linguistics

         5. Applications of linguistics to address language-based discrimination in areas such as journalism, housing, education, criminal justice system, and healthcare  

VII. Community-based Linguistic Research

    A. Qualitative observations of language-in-use

    B. Quantitative observations of language-in-use

    C. Other linguistic data collection methods, such as surveys, interviews, or elicitation tasks

Assignments:

1. Textbook and supplemental reading assignments

2. Writing assignments, including written portions of Community Research Projects and other writing assignments, such as:

    a. Journal-based writing linking course concepts to students' everyday experiences with language (e.g. encounters with linguistics or language in the news)

    b. Research-based essays

    c. Reading responses

    d. Research article summaries or reviews

3. Problem-solving assignments, including written portions of Community Research Projects and other writing assignments, such as:

    a. Homework assignments with language problems; (e.g. transcriptions, morphology puzzles, syntax trees, identification of patterns in a data set and formulation of hypotheses)

4. Skill demonstrations, including written portions of Community Research Projects and other writing assignments, such as:

    a. Observation Reports (e.g. SRJC Children's Center or video-based observations of children's language, nonverbal communication, or second language acquisition)

5. Quiz(zes) (0 - 8) and Exam(s) (0 - 2)

6. Additional assignments as determined by instructor may include:

      a. Research presentations

      b. Group research projects

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 40 - 60%
Writing assignments, including written components of the Community Research Projects
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 10 - 20%
Problem-solving assignments, including portions of the Community Research Projects
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 15 - 20%
Skill demonstration assignments, including portions of the Community Research Projects
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 0 - 25%
Quiz(zes) and/or exam(s)
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 5 - 15%
Participation, research presentation, or group research project (if assigned)

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

An Introduction to Language. 11th ed. Fromkin, Victoria and Rodman, Robert and Hyams, Nina. Cengage Learning. 2019. (classic)

Language Files: Materials for an Introduction to Language and Linguistics. 13th ed. Department of Linguistics. Ohio State University Press. 2022

The Study of Language. 8th ed. Yule, George. Cambridge University Press. 2022

A Concise Introduction to Linguistics. 64th ed. Rowe, Bruce and Levine, Diane. Routledge. 2022

Open Educational Resource:

Essentials of Linguistics. Anderson, Catherine, et. al. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialsoflinguistics2/, eCampus Ontario. 2022. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

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