24.900 Introduction to Linguistics

Fall 2023 Instructor: Adam Albright (he/him) Writing advisors: Janis Melvold (recitations 1, 2, 5) Kimberly Vaeth (recitations 3, 4, 6) TAs: Yurika Aonuki, Heidi Durresi, Zachary Feldcamp, Christopher Legerme, Bergül Soykan, Anastasia Tsilia Lecture:  MW11-12.30  (1-190)

Enrollment and waitlist information

This is a CI-H class, so you must register using the CI-H enrollment system (enrollmenttools.mit.edu).  I will start letting students in from the waitlist as soon as it becomes available (first day of classes).  Experience suggests that in most semesters, the number of spots that open up in the first couple weeks is approximately enough to accommodate all students who still wish to get in.  There are no guarantees, and some patience is required, but if you are eager to add this class, make sure you are on the waitlist, and I'll try my best to find spots for everyone who wishes to get in!

If you're on the waitlist and still hoping for a spot, please feel free to attend class so that you're all caught up if you do eventually get a spot! (In fact, this is encouraged...)

Illness/Covid isolation accommodation info

If you are isolating and can't make it to lecture, please send an email explaining your situation to: 24.900-recordings@mit.edu and we will get a real-time streaming link to you as soon as we're able

Description

This course will provide some answers to basic questions about the nature of human language. Throughout the semester, we will be examining a number of ways in which human language is a complex but law-governed mental system.

During the first two-thirds of the semester, we will examine various aspects of linguistic structure: the structure of words (morphology), the organization of sounds (phonetics, phonology), word order (syntax), and the meaning of sentences (semantics). You will use what you learn to investigate the structure of a language that is unfamiliar to you. We will then look at how linguistic structure influences and is affected by language transmission: how is language acquired? how do languages change over time? how do new dialects and languages arise?

Recitations

*** SWITCHING RECITATIONS: if you are unable to attend the recitation that you were originally assigned to, or if you'd like to switch recitation times, it will be possible to manage your recitation with Canvas. This tool will be enabled on the first day of classes, so please stay tuned for more information in the first lecture.

Adam's office hours: Tues 3-4pm, and by appt. (32D-830)

Textbook

There is one required book for this class:

• Baker, Mark (2001) The Atoms of Language: The Mind's Hidden Rules of Grammar Links to an external site.. Basic Books.

Additional readings will be available for class participants on the Canvas site.