Students

LING1111 – Language: Its Structure and Use

2021 – Session 2, Special circumstances

Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update

The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.

This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.

Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Iain Giblin
Margaret Wood
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines how languages are structured and how people use language. Aspects of linguistic theory covered include study of sounds and sound systems (phonetics and phonology), the structure of words (morphology), and sentence patterns (syntax). Linguistic theory is presented with a focus on English, but students analyse data from a range of the world's languages. Other areas of linguistic study that are introduced include semantics, pragmatics, psycholinguistics, and child language acquisition. Language use in everyday conversation is examined, along with issues such as language change, standardisation of language, concepts of linguistic 'correctness', and how different groups use language to express social and cultural identity. The unit provides a thorough grounding for students wishing to further their knowledge of linguistics in higher-level units.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • ULO2: Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • ULO3: Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • ULO4: Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.
  • ULO5: Identify relationships between language and social life.
  • ULO6: Recognise the role of experimental design in linguistics by participating in a departmental research project.

General Assessment Information

To gain a Pass grade in LING1111 students must:

  • Sit the final exam, and
  • Gain an overall mark of 50%

Assessment Submission

Assessments are to be submitted electronically via the LING1111 iLearn page unless otherwise advised.

Instructions for submitting assessments via Turnitin are available here:

http://www.mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/assignments.htm

When submitting your assessments please ensure that you do the following:

  • Please add a header to each page with your name, your student number, and the assessment name. For example: Iain Smith   40237187   Syntax Part A
  • Please number all pages
  • Please use double line spacing
  • If you have special consideration ensure that you include it in your assessment submission so that your assessment will avoid a late penalty
  • If the submission link rejects your assessment because there is no detectable text, include some detectable text (like a title page) and resubmit. Don't email your assessment to your tutor or the unit convenor.

Requesting an extension to assignment due date

On occasion, you may be in a situation when you aren't able to submit an assessment task on time. Extensions are only given in special circumstances, by completing a Special Consideration request. For more information on Special Consideration, see https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration  

Late submission of assignments

If you haven't been approved for an extension and you submit your assessment task late, penalties are applied. You should consult your unit convenor if you are in this position. Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty. If you submit the assessment task 10 days or more beyond the due date, without an approved extension, you will be awarded a maximum of 50% of the overall assessment marks. Weekends and public holidays are included.

Late submissions for an assessment task will not be accepted once that assessment task has been returned to students.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Phonemic Transcription Task 10% No Week 4
Phonological Analysis Task 10% No Week 6
Morphological Analysis Task 15% No Week 8
Syntactic Analysis Task 20% No Part A - Week 10; Part B - Week 12
Research Participation 5% No Week 13
Final Exam 40% No Exam Period

Phonemic Transcription Task

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 6 hours
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 10%

This task will involve the phonemic transcription of a short series of sound files. 100 words (approx)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.

Phonological Analysis Task

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 8 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 10%

This task will involve the analysis of a small set of data and produce appropriate phonological rules. 500 words (approx)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.

Morphological Analysis Task

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 10 hours
Due: Week 8
Weighting: 15%

This task will involve the analysis of a small set of data and produce appropriate morphological representations of their structure. 500 words (approx)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.

Syntactic Analysis Task

Assessment Type 1: Problem set
Indicative Time on Task 2: 13 hours
Due: Part A - Week 10; Part B - Week 12
Weighting: 20%

This task will require rudimentary syntactic analysis using the concepts and analytical techniques provided in the lectures and tutorials. 500 words (approx)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.

Research Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 5%

Students will have the chance to be participants in research being carried out by Linguistics staff and higher degree candidates, receiving 5% raw marks for that participation. There will be various research projects to choose from; these will be advertised on iLearn during the semester. For students who do not wish to participate in this research, there will be a short alternative task set at the end of semester. The assessment must be completed by the end of Week 13. Tasks will vary. Alternative task 300 words (approx)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Identify relationships between language and social life.
  • Recognise the role of experimental design in linguistics by participating in a departmental research project.

Final Exam

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Exam Period
Weighting: 40%

This task is a formal examination held during the University exam period. It will consist of a range of short answer questions, all based on content from the set textbook, lectures and tutorials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • Analyse structural units of language relevant to the various levels of linguistic organisation. These analyses will include tasks in phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics.
  • Use linguistic theory to engage with primary language data.
  • Identify relationships between language and social life.
  • Recognise the role of experimental design in linguistics by participating in a departmental research project.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Please note that tutorials begin in Week 2.

The learning and teaching strategies used in this Unit include lectures taught by a number of different staff members from linguistics.

  • There is a set textbook: An introduction to Language, Australia and New Zealand 9th Edition, 2018, by Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams, Amberber, Cox, and Thornton. Please note that the 9th edition of the unit text book has had significant updates, and previous editions will not be reliable substitutes.  
  • It is essential that students have access to a copy of the textbook through the semester. 
  • Lecture support material, assessment task instructions, and other relevant materials are uploaded to the LING1111 iLearn site. Lecture slides may be made available, although there is no guarantee that they will be available before lectures.
  • Students are expected to attend or listen to all of the lectures in the order they are delivered, as near as possible to when they are delivered. In addition, they are advised to use the recordings to review or revise lectures, especially as the exams draw near.  
  • Note that in this unit much of the lecture material and related learning experience is cumulative, meaning that within the various topic areas one lecture will usually provide necessary knowledge for the next one, as well as for the following week’s tutorial.  
  • In addition, the tutorial material is designed for students to practice progressively what has been covered in lectures in the previous week or weeks, so students who do not keep up to date with the lecture material will find themselves at a serious disadvantage in tutorials during the semester.  
  • Each week students are expected to study the lecture notes, and come to their tutorial class having read the relevant section in the textbook and having attempted the tutorial preparation as set out each week in the tutorial worksheets posted online. Tutors will check each week that students have at least made a serious attempt at the tutorial preparation as set out in the worksheets.

Unit Schedule

Please see schedule posted on the iLearn site.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.


Unit information based on version 2021.01R of the Handbook