Students

LING1111 – Language: Its Structure and Use

2023 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Iain Giblin
Joshua Penney
Alice Wu
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:

  • ULO2: Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • ULO1: analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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

Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie University Assessment Policy.

All final grades are determined by a grading committee, in accordance with the Macquarie University Assessment Policy, and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenors.

Students will be awarded a final grade and a mark which must correspond to the grade descriptors specified in the Assessment Procedure (clause 128).

To pass this unit, you must demonstrate sufficient evidence of achievement of the learning outcomes, meet any ungraded requirements, and achieve a final mark of 50 or better.

Further details for each assessment task will be available on iLearn.

Late Submissions

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (OF THE TOTAL POSSIBLE MARK) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a grade of ‘0’ will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

 For example:

Number of days (hours) late

Total Possible Marks

Deduction

Raw mark

Final mark

1 day (1-24 hours)

100

5

75

70

2 days (24-48 hours)

100

10

75

65

3 days (48-72 hours)

100

15

75

60

7 days (144-168 hours) 

100

35

75

40

>7 days (>168 hours)

100

-

75

0

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

Late submission of time sensitive tasks, such as timetabled tests/exams, scheduled performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs, will be addressed by the Unit Convenors in a Special Consideration application.

Use of Generative AI

Please refer to instructions from your Unit Convenors on the use and acknowledgement of use of Generative AI in your submitted assignments.

Special Consideration

If you are unable to complete an assessment task on or by the specified date due circumstances that are unexpected, unavoidable, significantly disruptive and beyond your control, you may apply for special consideration in accordance with the special consideration policy. Applications for special consideration must be supported by appropriate evidence and submitted via ask.mq.edu.au.

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:
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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:
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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:
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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:
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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:
  • Demonstrate understanding of core areas of linguistics: syntax, phonetics/phonology, morphology, semantics, sociolinguistics.
  • analyse linguistic data by using several significant linguistic theories.
  • 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

As a student enrolled in this unit, you will engage in a range of online and face-to-face learning activities, including readings, online activities, lectures and tutorials et cetera. Details can be found on the iLearn site for this unit.

In this Unit include lectures are given by a number of different staff members from the Department of Linguistics.

  • There is a set textbook: An introduction to Language, by Fromkin, Rodman, Hyams, Amberber, Cox, and Thornton. Australia and New Zealand 10th Edition, South Melbourne, Vic: Cengage, 2021. Please note that the 10th edition of the unit text book has had significant updates, and previous editions will not be reliable substitutes.  
  • Lecture support material, assessment task instructions, and other relevant materials are uploaded to the LING1111 iLearn site. Lecture slides will 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.
  • The tutorial material is designed for students to practise the analytical techniques that have been covered in lectures and readings. Consequently, 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 set reading, lecture content, and tutorial worksheet and come to their tutorial class well prepared.

Technology Used

Active participation in the learning activities throughout the unit will require students to have access to a computer or similar device.

Unit Schedule

Please see the unit schedule posted to 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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Inclusion and Diversity

Social inclusion at Macquarie University is about giving everyone who has the potential to benefit from higher education the opportunity to study at university, participate in campus life and flourish in their chosen field. The University has made significant moves to promote an equitable, diverse and exciting campus community for the benefit of staff and students. It is your responsibility to contribute towards the development of an inclusive culture and practice in the areas of learning and teaching, research, and service orientation and delivery. As a member of the Macquarie University community, you must not discriminate against or harass others based on their sex, gender, race, marital status, carers' responsibilities, disability, sexual orientation, age, political conviction or religious belief. All staff and students are expected to display appropriate behaviour that is conducive to a healthy learning environment for everyone.

Professionalism

In the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, professionalism is a key capability embedded in all our courses. 

As part of developing professionalism, students are expected to attend all small group interactive sessions including clinical, practical, laboratory, work-integrated learning (e.g., PACE placements), and team-based learning activities. Some learning activities are recorded (e.g., face-to-face lectures), however you are encouraged to avoid relying upon such material as they do not recreate the whole learning experience and technical issues can and do occur. As an adult learner, we respect your decision to choose how you engage with your learning, but we would remind you that the learning opportunities we create for you have been done so to enable your success, and that by not engaging you may impact your ability to successfully complete this unit. We equally expect that you show respect for the academic staff who have worked hard to develop meaningful activities and prioritise your learning by communicating with them in advance if you are unable to attend a small group interactive session.

Another dimension of professionalism is having respect for your peers. It is the right of every student to learn in an environment that is free of disruption and distraction. Please arrive to all learning activities on time, and if you are unavoidably detained, please join activity as quietly as possible to minimise disruption. Phones and other electronic devices that produce noise and other distractions must be turned off prior to entering class. Where your own device (e.g., laptop) is being used for class-related activities, you are asked to close down all other applications to avoid distraction to you and others. Please treat your fellow students with the utmost respect. If you are uncomfortable participating in any specific activity, please let the relevant academic know.


Unit information based on version 2023.01R of the Handbook