Faculty Course Description
EDU629: Linguistics
Dr. Ellen Johnson
Associate Professor
Office: Evans 215
Office phone: 238-5876
e-mail: ejohnson@berry.edu
This course will examine the structure of human language and discuss ways that language is learned.
Students will learn to use the International Phonetic Alphabet to analyze the phonology of English and other languages. The course also covers how we form words and sentences, and some basic English grammar. Students will apply their understanding of these concepts to an analysis of actual speech data from someone who is learning English.
This course will introduce students to research on how children learn their mother tongue, and how people learn a second language. We will consider general issues of language acquisition, including stages of acquisition, the effect of interference from the native language, the importance of structured input, the role of explicit instruction in grammar and vocabulary, and social factors that impact language learning.
Assignments will include analyzing data produced by language learners, writing and reading about language learning experiences, and contrasting structures from other languages with those of English. This course will provide the background knowledge necessary to assess the needs of ESOL students in pronouncing, comprehending, reading, and writing English.