Fall 1999 Courses

LING 580C:

PROBLEMS IN LINGUISTICS: LANGUAGE-EXTERNAL FACTORS IN LINGUISTIC CHANGE

Change Across the Lifespan

Instructor: Alicia Beckford Wassink Rm: THO217

Office: Padelford A217 Time: T 3:30-5:50pm

Office Hours: Tu 1:00-2:00 and by appointment

Office Phone: 616-9589

Dept. Phone: 543-2046 (Dept. of Linguistics Office)

Email: wassink@u.washington.edu

Webpage: http://faculty.washington.edu/~wassink

GoPost Site: https://catalysttools.washington.edu/gopost/board/wassink/10577/

Course Description:

This seminar explores the extent to which speakers show phonological “lability” beyond the critical period. Gillian Sankoff and colleagues have undertaken to study the articulation between diachronic language change and language change in the individual across the lifespan. While sociolinguists have long understood real time studies to provide optimal data for identifying and tracking language change, the significant constraints such studies represent in terms of research time and expense have made their conduct prohibitive. The result of this is that most sociolinguistic studies have taken an “apparent time” approach (Labov, 1963[1]). Sankoff et al. identify the central questions of their research program as follows: 1) Do we see change beyond the critical period? 2) If so, how significant are the implications of this change for the Critical Period Hypothesis? 3) Sociolinguists have learned that panel and trend studies (two types of investigations in real time) tell us a great deal regarding the way that change spreads through the community. But, Sankoff et al argue these two methods are not equally useful for uncovering patterns in change across the lifespan. Which method is the more useful, and why? 4) Do studies in real time validate the apparent time hypothesis? Is the apparent time hypothesis worthy of the reliance sociolinguists have placed on it?

This course is an excellent complement to LING535 (Adv. Socio.) being taught this quarter, in which less attention is given to the published results of specific trend and panel studies. After considering classic literature on the Critical Period Hypothesis, we read a selection of studies from the growing canon of trend- and panel-based research.

Prerequisites:

LING 4/532 (Sociolinguistics I), or instructor's permission.

Recommended prerequisites: LING 4/534 (Socio II), LING 453 (Experimental Phonetics).

Learning goals:

By the end of the quarter, students will be able to:

1. Report key findings regarding language change available from the growing canon of sociolingusitic panel and trend studies.

2. Critically assess the value and findings of the Apparent Time Hypothesis

3. Describe points of connection between research into the critical period for language acquisition and change across the lifespan.

Required work:

1. 35%-- In-class discussion leading. Each student will select one day of readings from the syllabus below. They will serve as discussion leader on this day. They will prepare guiding questions for discussion, and take responsibility for ensuring main points of the material are covered (e.g., it is encouraged that students determine key content in prior (e)conference with the instructor).

2. 10%-- question submission. Prior to each meeting with NO assigned discussion leader, all students must prepare 1 question for that day’s discussion. These questions may be posted to the GoPost site, or emailed to the instructor, but they must be submitted prior to the day’s meeting.

- Some pointers: What determines a good question?

· Guidelines for writing your questions:

- Make clear to whom the question is directed (The field of sociolinguistics? Other students? The instructor?) Don’t pose questions that cannot be answered or at least thoughtfully discussed by those present (don’t ask a MONSTER question the field has not yet addressed. Chances are, your colleagues will only be able to take it on in a superficial manner.)

- Be clear for yourself regarding the purpose of the question; anticipate how others will hear your wording and whether likely answers will achieve your purpose. Some purposes:

Summarization of key content. Critically assess an idea. Check others’ synthesis of a new idea from the reading with prior knowledge. Answer a question you need clarified about content.

- Yes/no questions do NOT usually generate discussion. Generate a follow-up prompt to any yes/no question you pose.

3. 55%-- Final paper. Students will choose a topic of interest to them that derives directly from the course readings, and explore this topic in a paper 10-15 single-spaced pages in length.

· Mandatory preparation: students will meet with the instructor prior to the completion of abstracts for the paper in Week 8 to refine their topic ideas. We will use the course’s GoPost site to exchange outlines and offer peer feedback (not graded).

· Due: at the beginning of the final examination period for this course: 4:30pm, Thursday, Jun. 11, 2009

Required Readings:

1.) All course readings are on electronic reserve.

COURSE POLICIES

Disability accommodation: It is my goal to insure that our learning environment is accessible to everyone. If you have a learning or other disability that requires accommodation, please contact me or Disabled Student Services in order to make suitable arrangements (448 Schmitz, 543-8924 (V), 543-8925 (TTY), uwdss@u.washington.edu.

Academic integrity: Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic ethics, honesty and integrity. Academic misconduct includes (but is not limited to) plagiarism, harassment, cheating, or representing another person’s work as your own and will not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to read and understand the University’s expectations in this regard (which you can find online at http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html). Any student found to be in violation of proper academic conduct will be dealt with in the strictest manner in accordance with University policy.

Email: I will attempt to respond to email inquiries within 24 hours (excepting weekends and holidays).

Student responsibilities:

1. If you must miss a lecture or a section it is your responsibility to obtain the information you missed.

2. The tests and assignment dates are not negotiable excepting for a university-sanctioned absence. Please see the University Handbook on excused absences.

Laptop computers:

1. Laptop computers may be used in class only for note-taking.

2. A student who is doing non-class related activities on his or her computer is not only hurting his or her own education, but possibly the educational experience of many others in the class: research has shown that a game or a picture on a laptop distracts not only the student using the computer but also those students nearby (Yamamoto 2007, Fried 2008). Therefore the use of laptops for non-class activity (e.g. email, games, web-surfing) is prohibited. Students using their laptop for non-class activity will be asked to turn off their laptop.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

1. The most successful students in this course:

· Attend every class meeting

· Prepare readings and questions in advance of lectures

· Expand on their learning by participating in class discussions

· Prepare writing assignments thoughtfully and include connections made to prior knowledge, connections to other texts, other content areas, etc.

· Use peer feedback opportunities to enhance their learning

SYLLABUS

note: required readings are listed using the following abbreviation conventions: Single-authored works are listed by author’s abbreviated or full last name e.g., [Ced.] or [Eckert]. Coauthored works are referenced by initials, e.g., [S&B] for Sankoff & Blondeau.

Topics and readings:

Week 1 Tu March 31

Ø Introduction

Ø What do sociolinguists understand about age?

Ø Sankoff and Blondeau: framing questions for theory and research into language change

assignment: [S&B], review [Eckert], post discussion Qs for next mtg.

Week 2 Tu April 7

Ø Sociolinguistics and the Age Variable [Eckert]

Ø Age-graded change

Ø Community change and individual change in Montreal [S&B]

assignment: read[Newp.]

Week 3 Tu April 14 (discussion leader: Jamie)

Ø Assumptions of the Apparent time hypothesis

Ø The critical period hypothesis, part I [Newport]

assignment: read [Newp.],[Light.]. note: Prepare Lightfoot ch 4 for class. The e-res also provides ch. 3 for background, but this reading is optional.

Week 4 Tu April 21 (discussion leader: Joe)

Ø The critical period hypothesis, part II [Newport]

Ø Lightfoot’s cue-based individual “grammars” and community change [Light.]

assignment: read [Ced.]

Week 5 Tu April 28 (discussion leader: Wendy)

Ø Evidence from classic trend studies, part I

Ø Language change and variation in Panama [Ced.]

assignment: read [Trud.]

Week 6 Tu May 5 (discussion leader: Rachel)

Ø Evidence from classic trend studies, part II

Ø Language change in Norwich, England [Trud.]

assignment: read [B&J], generate possible paper topics on own; draft outline to GoPost, post discussion Qs for next mtg.

Week 7 Tu May 12

Ø Trend re-study of Martha’s Vineyard [B&J]

Ø Confirmation or correction?: evaluating findings of past research

assignment: read [C-A], prepare abstract for instructor meetings next week, post discussion Qs for next mtg.

Week 8 Tu May 19

Ø Evidence from panel research I

Ø Quotatives in southern US AAVE [C-A]

assignment: read [N&S], instructor meeting to discuss term paper plan, post discussion Qs for next mtg.

Week 9 Tu May 26

Ø Evidence from panel research II

Ø Finnish vowel change

assignment: read [B2001], post discussion Qs for next mtg.

Week 10 Tu June 2

Ø Combining panel and trend perspectives [B2001]

Ø Community change from panel and trend perspectives

Required readings (in alphabetical order):

*indicates a reading on E-reserve

*[B&J] Blake, Renee, and Josey, Meredith (2003) “The /ay/ diphthong in a Martha’s Vineyard community: What can we say 40 years after Labov?” Language in Society 32: 451-85

*[B2001] Blondeau, Helene (2001) “Real-time changes in the paradign of personal pronouns in Montreal French”, J Sociolinguistics 5: 453-74.

*[Ced.] Cedergren, Henrietta (1988) “The spread of language change: verifying inferences of linguistic diffusion.” Language spread and language policy: issues, implications and case studies . Georgetown U Round Table on Languages and Linguistics 1987) ed. By Peter H. Lowenberg, 45-60. Washington, DC: Georgetown U Press

*[C-A] Cukor-Avila, Patricia (2002) “She say, she go, she be like: verbs of quotation over time in African American Vernacular English.” American Speech 77: 3-31.

*[Eckert] Eckert, P. (1997) Age as a sociolinguistic variable. The Handbook of Sociolinguistics (F. Coulmas, ed.) Oxford: Blackwell.151-167.

*[Light.] Lightfoot, David (1999) The development of language: acquisition, change and evolution. Oxford: Blackwell, pp 77-110. [class reads ch 4. Ch 3 is recommended addl rdg.]

*[Newp.] Newport, Elissa (1990). “Maturational constraints on language learning,” Cognitive Science 14:11-28.

*[N&S] Nahkola, Kari, and Saanilahti, Maria (2004) “Mapping language changes in real time: a panel study on Finnish.” Language Variation and Change 16:75-92.

*[S&B] Sankoff, Gillian & Blondeau, Helene (2007). “Language change across the lifespan: /r/ in Montreal French”, Language 83(3): 560-588

*[S2006] Sankoff, Gillian. (2006) Age: apparent time and real time”. Elsevier Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics, 2^nd ed., vol 9:110-116, ed. By Keith Brown. Oxford: Elsevier.

*[Trud.] Trudgill, Peter (1988) “Norwich revisited: recent linguistic changes in an English urban dialect”, English World-Wide 9(1):33-49.