David Quinto-Pozos

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax). We will focus primarily on data from Spanish-English bilinguals, although we will consider other common language pairs that are acquired by children throughout the world. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

This research course is designed to expose the student to trends and theories within the field of signed language linguistics.  Students will learn about various approaches for collecting and analyzing developmental and adult data.  Discussions will cover key details of documentary, behavioral, and instrumental studies, and students will be exposed to various methods of data analysis.  Various statistical approaches will be addressed, as appropriate.  Students will also learn about aspects of preparing for and delivering presentations and publishing research findings.

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax). We will focus primarily on data from Spanish-English bilinguals, although we will consider other common language pairs that are acquired by children throughout the world. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask

TextsFromkin, Rodman, & Hyams. An Introduction to Language. 9th edition

Rationale: By various accounts, more than half of the world’s population is bilingual, and many people are fluent in more than two languages.  Frequently, those multilingual individuals are exposed to two languages from birth or from a very early age.  In spite of this, a vast majority of our investigation of language acquisition has been conducted on monolingual children.  In this course, we examine descriptions of language acquisition when a child is exposed to more than one language.  Our understanding of how humans acquire and manage language has much to gain from the examination of bilingual/multilingual children. 

Course Aims and Objectives: In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax) taking into account different language pairs (e.g., Spanish-English, Dutch-English, American Sign Language-English, etc.).  Among the theoretical questions that we will consider are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one?  Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be “universal/predictable/reliable” language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

One of the most important findings of the last 25 years of linguistic research is that the sign languages of the Deaf are natural languages with their own grammars. Moreover, the grammars of these sign languages are independent of whatever spoken language is used in the same community. The existence of sign languages provides an important testing ground for many claims about the nature of human languages: by comparing the structure of signed and spoken languages, we can gain insights into how languages are shaped by the particular transmission modality in which they are used. To what extent are spoken languages structured the way they are because they are spoken and heard? To what extent are signed languages the way they are because they are signed and seen? And, lastly, to what extent are all languages-signed or spoken-structured similarly because they all draw on the same linguistic and cognitive capacities? Among the issues that we will discuss are: 1) How have sign languages been viewed over the last 200 years? 2) How have sign languages developed? 3) Non-signers are often impressed by the pictorial quality (i.e., the iconicity) of many signs in American Sign Language (ASL). Does iconicity have an important impact on the grammatical structure of sign languages? 4) How are the grammars of ASL and other sign languages structured? 5) How are sign languages acquired by deaf children who are being raised in signing households? 6) How do systems such as Manually Coded English differ from American Sign Language? 7)What are signing communities like? We will, for example, compare the signing community that once existed on Martha's Vineyard to other signing communities such as the larger American Deaf community and the Nicaraguan Deaf community.Grading PolicyRequirements include active participation in class and interaction with the instructor (this includes completing required readings prior to the class sessions in which they will be discussed), three exams (including the final exam), and an oral presentation to the course based on a research article from the literature.TextsLane, Hoffmeister, Bahan. 1996.  Journey into the Deaf-World.Johnston & Schembri. 2007 Australian Sign Language.  An introduction to sign language linguistics.

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax). We will focus primarily on data from Spanish-English bilinguals, although we will consider other common language pairs that are acquired by children throughout the world. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

This course will introduce you to linguistics, the scientific study of language. How are human languages structured? Do humans have an innate capacity for language? How do children learn language? How is adult language learning different? How did the languages of the world evolve? What are the differences between verbal and non-verbal communication? Is there a "universal grammar"? How diverse and different are the languages of the world? How much does "language endangerment" and language extinction around the world affect global cultural diversity? Should every country have one "official" language? Are standard languages preferable to regional dialects? In short, this class is about everything you always wanted to know about language, and maybe a few things you never even thought to ask.

One of the most important findings of the last 25 years of research on human languages is that the sign languages of the Deaf are natural languages with their own grammars. Moreover, the grammars of these sign languages are independent of whatever spoken language is used in the same community. The existence of sign languages provides an important testing ground for many claims about the nature of human languages: by comparing the structure of signed and spoken languages, we can gain insights into how languages are shaped by the particular transmission modality in which they are used. To what extent are spoken languages structured the way they are because they are spoken and heard? To what extent are signed languages the way they are because they are signed and seen? And, lastly, to what extent are all languages–signed or spoken–structured similarly because they all draw on the same linguistic and cognitive capacities? Among the issues that we will discuss are: 1) How have sign languages been viewed over the last 200 years? 2) How have sign languages developed? Interestingly, sign languages may show some similarities to creole languages. 3) Non-signers are often impressed by the pictorial quality (i.e., the iconicity) of many signs in American Sign Language (ASL). Does iconicity have an important impact on the grammatical structure of sign languages? 4) How are the grammars of ASL and other sign languages structured? Do the structures of signed and spoken languages differ in interesting ways? 5) How are sign languages acquired by deaf children who are being raised in signing households? 6) How do sign languages vary when used in different situations within the signing community? 7) What are the auxiliary sign languages (e.g., Plains Indian Sign Language, various Australian aboriginal sign languages) like that are used in many hearing communities around the world?

Text: Sandler & Lillo-Martin (2006) Sign Language and Linguistic Universals

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax). We will focus primarily on data from Spanish-English bilinguals, although we will consider other common language pairs that are acquired by children throughout the world. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

Grading PolicyCritique of peer’s project research questions & hypotheses: 10%   Homework assignments: 20% (IRB, interview notes, etc.)Research project (including submission and revision of research questions & hypotheses [15%], outline [15%], first draft of paper [15%], and completed paper [15%]): 60%Participation: 10%

Required texts:Bilingual First Language Acquisition (2009). Author: Annick De Houwer; Multilingual Matters.The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language (2007), King & MackeyOptional books:Childhood Bilingualism: Research on infancy through school age (2006).  McCardle & Hoff (Editors)Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, & Cognition (2001)  Bialystok

One of the most important findings of the last 25 years of linguistic research is that the sign languages of the Deaf are natural languages with their own grammars. Moreover, the grammars of these sign languages are independent of whatever spoken language is used in the same community. The existence of sign languages provides an important testing ground for many claims about the nature of human languages: by comparing the structure of signed and spoken languages, we can gain insights into how languages are shaped by the particular transmission modality in which they are used. To what extent are spoken languages structured the way they are because they are spoken and heard? To what extent are signed languages the way they are because they are signed and seen? And, lastly, to what extent are all languages-signed or spoken-structured similarly because they all draw on the same linguistic and cognitive capacities? Among the issues that we will discuss are: 1) How have sign languages been viewed over the last 200 years? 2) How have sign languages developed? 3) Non-signers are often impressed by the pictorial quality (i.e., the iconicity) of many signs in American Sign Language (ASL). Does iconicity have an important impact on the grammatical structure of sign languages? 4) How are the grammars of ASL and other sign languages structured? 5) How are sign languages acquired by deaf children who are being raised in signing households? 6) How do systems such as Manually Coded English differ from American Sign Language? 7)What are signing communities like? We will, for example, compare the signing community that once existed on Martha's Vineyard to other signing communities such as the larger American Deaf community and the Nicaraguan Deaf community.

Grading Policy

Requirements include active participation in class and interaction with the instructor (this
includes completing required readings prior to the class sessions in which they will be
discussed), three exams (including the final exam), and an oral presentation to the course based on a research article from the literature.

Texts

Lane, Hoffmeister, Bahan. 1996.  Journey into the Deaf-World.

Johnston & Schembri. 2007 Australian Sign Language.  An introduction to sign language linguistics.

LIN 393 Bilingual Language Acquisition
Quinto-Pozos

Course Description

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, word learning, morphology, syntax, and various discourse strategies). The acquisition of various language pairs will be considered, though there will be a notable focus on data from Spanish-English bilinguals. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., cognitive and/or metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?

Requirements include class attendance, participation, doing the required readings, leading a class discussion based on one of the data based articles we will read, and a research project.  The course grade will be determined by the following formula:

        Attendance & Participation        10%
        Leading article discussion        30%
        Research project            60%

The research project includes assignments related to the following:
•    The crafting of research questions and hypotheses
•    The creation of an outline for the research paper
•    The creation of a handout for the presentation
•    An in-class presentation
•    And a research paper detailing data presentation, analysis, and a discussion/conclusion

Note: This course does have a writing flag.

Course Description

In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax). We will focus primarily on data from Spanish-English bilinguals, although we will consider other common language pairs that are acquired by children throughout the world. Among the theoretical questions that we will discuss are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one? Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be "universal/predictable/reliable" language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?
Grading Policy

•    Critique of peer’s project research questions & hypotheses: 15%    
•    Web assignments and homework assignments: 25%
•    Research project (including submission and revision of research questions & hypotheses [10%] and outline [10%], first draft of paper [15%], and completed paper [15%]): 50%
•    Participation: 10%

Required texts:
Bilingual First Language Acquisition (2009). Author: Annick De Houwer; Multilingual Matters.
The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language (2007), King & Mackey


Optional books:
Childhood Bilingualism: Research on infancy through school age (2006).  McCardle & Hoff (Editors)
Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, & Cognition (2001)  Bialystok

For detailed Course Schedule, download attachment.

For detailed Course Schedule, download attachment.

Rationale: By some accounts, more than half of the world’s population is bilingual, and many people are fluent in more than two languages.  Frequently, those multilingual individuals are exposed to two languages from birth or from a very early age.  In spite of this, a vast majority of our investigation of language acquisition has been conducted on monolingual children.  In this course, therefore, we examine descriptions of language acquisition when a child is exposed to more than one language.  Our understanding of how humans acquire and manage language has much to gain from the examination of bilingual/multilingual children.

Course Aims and Objectives: In this course we will explore various aspects of bilingual language acquisition (including phonology, morphology, and syntax) taking into account different language pairs (e.g., Spanish-English, Dutch-English, American Sign Language-English, etc.).  Among the theoretical questions that we will consider are: Can early development in bilingual acquisition be characterized by two linguistic systems or one?  Does bilingual language acquisition provide a child with enhanced linguistic skills (e.g., metalinguistic skills) in comparison the acquisition of a single language? How can we explain what seems to be “universal/predictable/reliable” language acquisition for an L1 (i.e., monolingual) but variable language development for someone exposed to more than one language?  

Prerequisites: None

Required texts:
Bilingual First Language Acquisition (2009). Author: Annick De Houwer; Multilingual Matters.
The Bilingual Edge: Why, When, and How to Teach Your Child a Second Language (2007), King & Mackey

Optional books:
Childhood Bilingualism: Research on infancy through school age (2006).  McCardle & Hoff (Editors)
Bilingualism in Development: Language, Literacy, & Cognition (2001)  Bialystok

Assignments:
•    Critique of peer’s abstract: 15%    
•    Web assignments and homework assignments: 25%
•    Research project (including submission and revision of abstract [10%] and outline [10%], first draft of paper [15%], and completed paper [15%]): 50%
•    Participation: 10%

Critique of peer’s abstract (15%):
You will evaluate the abstract of one of your peers in the class.  The purpose of an abstract is to communicate, in a concise and clear manner, the contents of a longer work (e.g., a research paper or presentation).  The abstract is the first part of the research project assignments for this course.  Evaluating a peer’s abstract will help you in your own work as you see how others frame a topic, and it will also allow you to work through the steps required for achieving clarity and succinctness within your own work.  A detailed description of this assignment will be given when you are assigned an abstract to evaluate.

Web assignments and homework assignments (25%):
There will be several assignments that will require you to do work outside of class that may or may not be related to your research project.  Details of each assignment will be given when it is handed out—including what is expected of you and when the assignment is due.  All of these assignments will total 20% of the course grade.

Research Project:
You will conduct a research project in this course, and that project will constitute half of your grade.  Included in this assignment are: a draft and a revised abstract, an outline of the research paper, and a draft and revised final paper. The research paper will either be on a topic of your choice (concerning an aspect of bilingual language acquisition) or a detailed case study and analysis of the language acquisition of someone who you will interview throughout the course (someone who was exposed to two languages at a very early age).  Further details about each portion of this assignment will be provided as the due dates approach.  

Participation:
Active participation is among the requirements of this course.  Your participation grade will be based on your attendance and your visible efforts to actively involve yourself in the learning process while in the presence of the instructor. Although, it is understandable that you may have to miss up to three class sessions.  If that occurs, you must obtain notes and information from a peer about what you missed.  And, it is your responsibility to keep up with information that is missed.  Do not email the instructor asking what you missed and whether it was important or not.

“Active participation” can be accomplished by various methods such as: responding to questions in class (this is highly encouraged) or asking your own, interacting with the instructor during office hours, or by participating in other creative ways (although not simply by sending email messages). You are expected to actively participate regularly throughout the semester.  Attendance alone will not earn you full participation points.

Religious Holy Days
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Grading scale:
All grades will be assigned on a percentage basis using the following scale:
97-100% = A+    94-96% = A        90-93% = A-
87-89% = B+        84-86% = B        80-83% = B-
77-79% = C+        74-76% = C        70-73% = C-
67-69% = D+        64-66% = D        60-63% = D-
below 60% = F

Late assignments
All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the due date (see schedule for due dates), and your grade will by lowered by 10% for each day that it is late (beginning immediately after class on the due date and including weekend days).  Late papers will not be accepted after one week of when their due date has transpired.

Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students
All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification policy.  It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or her e-mail address.  Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your e-mail address are available at   http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html.

Documented Disability Statement
Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone).  Faculty are not required to provide accommodations without an official accommodation letter from SSD.
•    Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible (e.g., instructional videos need captioning, course packets are not readable for proper alternative text conversion, etc.).
•    Please notify me as early in the semester as possible if disability-related accommodations for field trips are required.  Advanced notice will permit the arrangement of accommodations on the given day (e.g., transportation, site accessibility, etc.).
•    Contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone) or reference SSD’s website for more disability-related information: http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php

Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)
If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

UT’s Policy on Scholastic Dishonesty:? Students who violate University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students, and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced. For further information please visit the Student Judicial Services Web site: http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs.

Writing Center:  I strongly encourage you to use the Undergraduate Writing Center, FAC 211, 471-6222: http://uwc.utexas.edu/home). The Undergraduate Writing Center offers free, individualized, expert help with writing for any UT undergraduate, by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Any undergraduate enrolled in a course at UT can visit the UWC for assistance with any writing project. They work with students from every department on campus, for both academic and non-academic writing. Whether you are writing a lab report, a resume, a term paper, a statement for an application, or your own poetry, UWC consultants will be happy to work with you. Their services are not just for writing with "problems." Getting feedback from an informed audience is a normal part of a successful writing project. Consultants help students develop strategies to improve their writing. The assistance they provide is intended to foster independence. Each student determines how to use the consultant's advice. The consultants are trained to help you work on your writing in ways that preserve the integrity of your work.

For detailed Course Schedule, download attachment.