FRS 001I —
Sec. 001 —
(1 unit) — CRN 65501 — W 2:10-3:00pm — 200 B Street, Suite A
Conference Room
Origin of Language
Instructor: Will Benware, Department of Linguistics, College
of Letters
and Science
Description: The course will examine the various
lines of evidence
which researchers have employed to construct a conjectural history of
the origin
of human language. The evidence believed relevant to this reconstruction comes
from such fields as paleontology, ethology, primate anatomy,
evolutionary theory,
pidgin and creole languages, child language acquisition as well as linguistic
theory. Course goals are: (1 ) To examine critically the evidence
which researchers
bring to bear on the question of the origin and evolution of human
language; (2)
to weigh competing theories based on the strength of the evidence;
(3) to demonstrate
the tentativeness of conclusions in a scientific study which rests largely on
inferences about present-day language and communication in addition
to fragmentary
discoveries about the past in order to reconstruct a narrative about
the past.
Format: Reading of popular and short scientific
articles on the
various aspects of the topic (see A. above). Some papers will be read
in advance
(the 'centerpiece' paper) by all. One or two supplementary papers
will be assigned
to particular students each week which speak to particular aspects of
the centerpiece
paper. The argument or contribution of the supplementary paper will
be presented
by the student(s). Weekly reading of the centerpiece paper (see C.)
with discussion
by the whole group, supplemented by specialized reading of one or two students.
The final paper will be a brief written critique of a short scientific article
on the origin of language, due during exam week.
Grading:
Half the final grade will be based on class presentation of the supplementary
articles; half will be based on the final written critique (2 pages).
About the Instructor: Professor Benware is a member
of the Department
of Linguistics, where he teaches historical linguistics as well as
general linguistics
courses. He also offers annually a course on the languages of the
world. His research
interests center primarily on the history of the German language and
the description
of contemporary German.