Spring 20 Malone UI Engl 241 Intro to Language final project

1. Engl 241: Intro to the Study of Language; Final Project Prompt; UI; Spring ‘20; Malone
Overview:
Now that you have the basic skills to analyze language use, you can explore a topic of your choice, so long
as the topic is (or should be) of concern to contemporary linguists. While class has focused on large
subfields of linguistics (ie. Semantics, Morphology, Phonetics, etc.), you should choose a narrower topic.
One good way to approach this is to examine “case studies” of language use. In other words, find
examples of a linguistic phenomena that complicate or reveal the way language works in society.
Deciding a Topic:
Perhaps following the template, “What does [event or phenomena] tell us about [abstract linguistic
topic]” will help. For example, “What does the case of ‘Mama’ the Chimp tell us about nonverbal
communication in human-animal interaction?” OR, “What does the caught-cot merger tell us about how
English has evolved geographically/historically across the United States” OR “What does Bahasa
Indonesia’s status as the official language of Indonesia tell us about language policy, national identity, or
multilingual societies?” OR “What does the inclusion of ‘translanguaging’ curriculum in schools where
‘Tex-Mex’ dialect is spoken tell us about the relationship between English and Spanish in the
Southwestern United States?” OR “What do Yasmin Levy’s early albums tell us about generational
responses to the preservation of Ladino language and culture?”
Procedure:
First, you will research your topic using any combination of valid digital/print sources including videos,
books, songs, etc. to provide an overview of the topic. Next, you should complicate the topic somehow –
tell us why this issue is urgent and important to linguists. Then, you should provide some sort of analysis
of how the issue has already developed in significant ways. Lastly, you should provide an overview of the
direction the conversation is (or should be) moving and point us to additional resources to better
understand the topic.
Be sure to, somehow, weave in specific terminology and concepts from class to discuss how your
background in linguistics helps you approach this topic as a linguist, not a layperson.
Format:
You will record yourself (I recommend using Audacity) and share your recording to a host site like
Podomatic or Soundcloud. Your recording should be 6-10 minutes. You may also work in pairs, in which
case your recording should cover even greater depth and be about 11-20 minutes. Think of this like a
podcast episode.
Due Dates:
A link to your recording should be submitted to the BB Learn discussion board by Monday, May 11 at
11:59 PM. Make sure your link works!!!! Any projects that are inaccessible to me will be awarded a
ZERO.
Next, you should listen and respond to three classmates’ projects by Wednesday, May 13 with
substantial but supportive comments. Please choose the projects that have the fewest responses, as I
would like everyone to get feedback!
Grading:
The project is worth 20% of your overall grade in class. I will evaluate your recording based on the depth
and focus with which you address your topic, how closely you follow the procedure detailed above, and
the quality of your recording. While this is being delivered orally, I will evaluate your work using the
contract for evaluating written work as outlined in the syllabus.
I will likely ask for a mini proposal where you share your idea for the project. That, plus the comments
you leave for classmates, will count as a homework/classwork assignment.
Make sure your content is thoroughly researched and clearly presented from a linguistic standpoint.
Make sure your recording is polished and high quality!! I recommend writing a script in advance, since
long pauses and stumbles which betray a lack of preparedness will diminish quality and credibility.