EMPIRICAL METHODS IN ENGLISH LINGUISTICS (ELang 273)

JFSB B013 99:50 MWF

David Eddington

4227452

Office Hours: MWF 1110:50 (or any other time you can come by. I'm usually in my office from 7:304:00.)

4041 JFSB

eddington at byu edu

Outcomes After successfully completing this course, you will be able to do the following:

Acquire data from native speakers (including yourself) via wellorganized questionnaires, surveys, recordings, etc.
Determine which corpora are the most appropriate for a given research question, and effectively extract the relevant data from the corpora.
Organize linguistic data. Construct hypotheses about the linguistic data, and test them.
Evaluate the results of the tests statistically using Chisquare, correlation, ttest, and logistic regression.
Be able to carry out library and online research and use the LSA style for bibliographic references.

Assessments Your ability to achieve these outcomes will be determined on the basis of a number of assignments you will carry out that require you to apply particular data gathering and data analysis methods, along with a final project and test that will require similar skills.

Students who do well in this class:

attend regularly.
don't do the HW assignments at the last minute.
turn things in on time.
participate in classroom activities.
find a topic that truly interests them for the final project.
talk to the professor individually about their projects, assignments, and points that they are unclear about.

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

DATE	TOPIC	WORK DUE ON THIS DAY	Other Slides
Aug. 29	Introduction to class
31	Empiricism and Scientific Methodology Linguistics and the scientific method
Sept. 2	Statistics1	HW: empiricism
7	Statistics 1.5	Read this introduction to statistics
9	Statistics2	HW: correlation 1	273_stats.ppt
12	Structured Corpora
14	Corpora	HW: structured corpora
16	Unstructured Corpora		Chi square
19	χ 2
21	Bibliographies and Resources	HW: χ2
23
26	Recordings / Experiments / Case studies Experiment examples		observations.ppt experiments.ppt
28	Questionnaires and Interviews	HW: bibliographies and resources	interviews.ppt
30	Studies and Research Papers	HW: correlation 2
Oct. 3	Morphology: Corpora	Read: How to structure a research paper
5	Conversational Analysis	HW: experiments	socio_273_day3.ppt
7	Continued	HW: morphology in corpora
10	Prescriptive Syntax Descriptive Syntax	Idea for annotated bibliography and final project
12	Lexicon in Corpora	HW: prescriptive syntax
14	Lexicon in Corpora	HW: descriptive syntax
17	Lexicon in Corpora
19	Phonetics	Annotated bibliography	Phonetics.ppt Phonetics2.ppt
21	Phonetics	HW: lexicon in corpora
24	Style in Texts	HW: phonetics
26	World English	HW: paired ttest	World Englishes.ppt
28	Style and World English
31	Morphology: Psycholinguistics	HW: ttest	MorphologyExperimental.ppt
Nov. 2	Computer Analysis and Simulations Flapping in English
4	Sociolinguistics Tglottalization	First draft of final project	socio_273.ppt
7	Sociolinguistics		socio_273_day2.ppt
9	Sociolinguistics
11	Mental Lexicon	HW: Utah English	lexicon_experimental.ppt
14	Regional Variation	Critique of classmate's first draft
16	Regional Variation
18	Logistic Regression	HW: regional variation
21	Logistic Regression	HW: logistic regression
22	Consultations on Final Project
28	Consultations on Final Project
30	Consultations on Final Project
Dec. 2	Consultations on Final Project
5	Consultations on Final Project
7	Consultations on Final Project
12	Final Exam and project due in JFSB 4041	Final Exam due by 10:00 am Final Project due by 10:00 am

Programs Needed

There is no textbook for this class, but you will need to have a number of programs. The most basic are a word processor and a spreadsheet. If you don't have these, rather than lining a certain software company's pockets in exchange for expensive, virusridden, crashprone, software, I strongly suggest you download OpenOffice for free!!! It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux and reads and saves data in most popular formats. It contains an easy to use word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software. You will also need Praat and GoldVarb X which are also available for all platforms.

Grading

ASSIGNMENT	POINTS	PERCENT OF GRADE (in round numbers)
Homework (17)	24 each 408 total	41
Final Project	200	20
Test	200	20
Annotated Bibliography	90	9
First Draft of Final Project	50	5
Idea for Final Project	30	3
Critique of Classmate's Project	30	3

Grade Breakdown

A+	96.5 and above	C	73.5% 76.4%
A	93.5% 96.4%	C	69.5% 73.4%
A	89.5% 93.4%	D+	66.5% 69.4%
B+	86.5% 89.4%	D	63.5% 66.4%
B	83.5% 86.4%	D	59.5% 63.4%
B	79.5% 83.4%	E	0 59.4%
C+	76.5% 79.4%

How to lose points on assignments and tests

Turn them in late (meaning after the end of the class period). A one letter grade drop will apply.
Turn them in by email (unless otherwise directed), under my door, or in my box. A one letter grade drop will apply. Please turn them in in person.
Don't type them. A one letter grade drop will apply.

Attendance

I do not take attendance, but we will do activities in class that will prepare you for the HW assignments and tests, so attendance is an important part of earning a good grade.

Homework Assignments

The assignments consist of small data gathering and analysis projects that relate to one of the topics of discussion during the week. Many of them are impossible to do without some prior planning (doing corpus searches, administering surveys, and typing up results), so don't wait until the last minute! These are due on the day indicated in the syllabus before the end of class. If you know you will not be in town on a particular day, all the assignments are posted on line so that you may do them and turn them in early. The lowest two assignment grades will be dropped so there is some leeway for unexpected emergencies, car trouble, and just downright bad days.

Final Project (See link)

Test

There is one takehome exam that you can download from this page and work on at home. Please note the dates and times in the syllabus that it is due during finals week. If you have extenuating circumstances based on poor health please contact me before the due date. The test is to be done alone and is not a group project.

Annotated Bibliography (See link)

First Draft of Final Project (See link)

Honor Code Standards

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university.

Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university’s expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 4222847 if you have questions about those standards.

Preventing Sexual Discrimination or Harassment

Sexual discrimination or harassment (including studenttostudent harassment) is prohibited both by the law and by Brigham Young University policy. If you feel you are being subjected to sexual discrimination or harassment, please bring your concerns to the professor. Alternatively, you may lodge a complaint with the Equal Employment Office (D240C ASB) or with the Honor Code Office (4440).

Students with Disabilities

If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you should get in touch with the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (1520 WSC). This office can evaluate your disability and assist the professor in arranging for reasonable accommodations.