Linguistics 3502
The Linguistics of Constructed Languages
Spring 2019
Time: TR 2:20-3:40 Place: Hagerty 46
Dr. Julia Papke
email: papke.5@osu.edu
phone: 614-247-5322
office: Oxley Hall, Room 112
office hours: TR 4:00-5:00, and by appointment
Course description:
Constructed languages like Klingon, Elvish, and Dothraki may seem like the province of ComiCon goers, but they have a long and varied intellectual history. Constructed languages require a deep understanding of both the mechanics of language and how languages relate to the cultures that they come from. This course examines constructed languages with several objectives in mind: a) to study the diversity of natural human language in order to understand how languages might be constructed, b) to study the linguistic complexity of constructed languages, and c) to study the history and motivation behind the creation of constructed languages.
Textbooks:
The Language Construction Kit, Mark Rosenfelder
Advanced Language Construction, Mark Rosenfelder
The Conlanger’s Lexipedia, Mark Rosenfelder
*A Dictionary of Made-up Languages, Stephen D. Rogers
A Dictionary of Made-up Languages is available online through the university library and does not need to be purchased for the course.
Course Requirements (and percentage towards final grade):
-
- Weekly Homework…………………………………………………………………55%
- Course Project……………………………………………………………………….35%
- Conlang Relay: 15%
- Final submission: 20%
- Participation…………………………………………………………………………..10%
Grading Policies:
The Course Project:
Nearly everything you do in this course is part of the project: a linguistic description of a constructed language of your creation. By the end of the term you will have:
- A lexicon of words in your language
- A grammar of your language including phonetic, phonological, syntactic and morphological information
- Several example texts written in your language
We will spend the term working on assignments that will build into this linguistic description.
Homework:
There will be 11 homework assignments, which are all parts of the project. It will begin with an idea for the language, and then you will start building the sound system, the lexicon, the grammar, and finally begin constructing sentences and then whole narratives in your language. It is very important not to fall behind on the homework, as nearly all of it builds on what’s been done before.
Homework assignments will be handed out at the end of each week and due at the beginning of the following week except when there is a translation relay ongoing.
You may work on homework assignments with your classmates, but the work you turn in must be your own.
The Translation Relay:
A long-standing tradition in the conlanging community is the Conlang Relay, also called Conlingual Telephone. You will start with a text in a conlang, which you will translate into English and then into your conlang to pass onto the next participant, and so on.
For the relay, you will be divided up into groups of four. Each participant will have three days to produce the materials for the next leg of the relay (most of these materials will have been developed in the translation exercises) on the following schedule:
Wk 13, R (4/4): Original text goes to student A
Wk 13, Sun (4/7): Translation A goes to me, I forward to student B
Wk 14, W (4/10): Translation B goes to me, I forward to student C
Wk 14, Sat (4/13): Translation C goes to me, I forward to student D
Wk 15, T (4/16): Translation D due to me
Wk 15, R (4/18): Relay debrief
Readings:
Readings will either be from one of the three required texts or from excerpts available for download on Carmen. Readings should be done before the class they’re listed next to in the course schedule.
Late work:
I will accept late homeworks no later than one week late for a 10% point deduction. On the third late assignment, this will increase to a 20% point deduction. If there is a reason that your lateness should be excused, please talk to me about it personally. Late work for the translation relay will be subject to a stiffer penalty.
Extra credit:
I may offer extra credit during the course at my discretion. If so, such assignments will be made available to the entire class. I will not assign extra credit to a single student under any circumstances.
Classroom Etiquette:
I expect that you are all aware of basic classroom etiquette. Specific requirements for this class:
- I do not allow laptops or tablets to be used during lecture. If you have reasons that you need to be able to use these devices, please talk to me about it.
- Remember that we may be discussing sensitive topics from time to time- you will be expected to be respectful of other classmates.
- Please refrain from packing until you are dismissed; the noise is disruptive.
Academic misconduct:
Students are encouraged to discuss the course material, homework, and papers with one another. The primary purpose of the homework is for discussion and to assure knowledge of course material. However, all work that you turn in must be yours alone. Practically, this means that you’re welcome to discuss the assignment with a partner, but when you sit down to write the assignment up, you must do it on your own.
It is the responsibility of the Committee on Academic Misconduct to investigate or establish procedures for the investigation of all reported cases of student academic misconduct. The term “academic misconduct” includes all forms of student academic misconduct wherever committed; illustrated by, but not limited to, cases of plagiarism and dishonest practices in connection with examinations. Instructors shall report all instances of alleged academic misconduct to the committee (Faculty Rule 3335-5-487). For additional information, see the Code of Student Conduct at http://studentlife.osu.edu/csc/ (Links to an external site.).
Disability Services:
The University strives to make all learning experiences as accessible as possible. If you anticipate or experience academic barriers based on your disability (including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions), please let me know immediately so that we can privately discuss options. To establish reasonable accommodations, I may request that you register with Student Life Disability Services. After registration, make arrangements with me as soon as possible to discuss your accommodations so that they may be implemented in a timely fashion.
SLDS contact information: slds@osu.edu; 614-292-3307; slds.osu.edu; 098 Baker Hall, 113 W. 12th Avenue.
Course schedule:
Carmen readings marked with (*), LCK= The Language Construction Kit, ALC= Advanced Language Construction, CL=The Conlanger’s Lexipedia, and DMUL=A Dictionary of Made-up Languages.
| Week | Date | Topics | Readings | Assignments | |
| Week 1 | 1/8 | (T) | Introduction to Conlangs | syllabus | |
| 1/10 | (R) | Introduction to Linguistics/workshop | *Language Files, Ch. 1 | ||
| Week 2 | 1/15 | (T) | Phonetics, The sounds of human language | LCK Ch. “Sounds” *Language Files Ch. 2.4 |
HW1 due |
| 1/17 | (R) | Phonological structure / workshop | LCK Ch. “Sounds” | ||
| Week 3 | 1/22 | (T) | The Lexicon | LCK Ch. “Word Building” CL: “Derivation” |
HW2 due |
| 1/24 | (R) | Semantics: word meanings/workshop | LCK Ch. “Semantics” CL: “Metaphor” |
||
| Week 4 | 1/29 | (T) | Leipzig Glossing; Simple Sentences | *Leipzig glossing rules LCK Ch. “Grammar” |
HW3 due |
| 1/30 | (R) | Verbs and time/workshop | LCK Ch. “Grammar” | ||
| Week 5 | 2/5 | (T) | Complex sentences | LCK Ch. “Grammar” | HW4 due |
| 2/7 | (R) | Subordinate clauses/workshop | LCK Ch. “Grammar” | ||
| Week 6 | 2/12 | (T) | Nouns, case and class | ALC Ch. “Studies in Morphosyntax” | HW5 due |
| 2/14 | (R) | Inflectional systems/workshop | ALC Ch. “Studies in Morphosyntax” | ||
| Week 7 | 2/19 | (T) | Pragmatics: politeness | LCK Ch. “Pragmatics” | HW6 due |
| 2/21 | (R) | Pragmatics: deixis/workshop | LCK Ch. “Pragmatics” | ||
| Week 8 | 2/26 | (T) | Language change | ALC Ch. “Life Cycles” | HW7 due |
| 2/28 | (R) | Language contact/workshop | ALC Ch. “Pidgins and Creoles” | ||
| Week 9 | 3/5 | (T) | Writing systems: typology | LCK Ch. “Writing Systems” | HW8 due |
| 3/7 | (R) | Writing systems: design/workshop | ALC Ch. “Logographic Writing” | ||
| Week 10 | SPRING BREAK | ||||
| Week 11 | 3/19 | (T) | Language modality | ALC Ch. “Sign language” *Brentari and Coppola, 2012 |
HW9 due |
| 3/21 | (R) | Esperanto/Volapük | DMUL entries “Esperanto”, “Volapuk” | ||
| Week 12 | 3/26 | (T) | Láadan | DMUL entry “Láadan” | HW10 due |
| 3/28 | (R) | Loglan | DMUL entry “Loglan” | ||
| Week 13 | 4/2 | (T) | Quenya and Sindarin | DMUL entries “Quenya, Sindarin” | HW11 due |
| 4/4 | (R) | Heptapod B | *“The Story of Your Life” (short story) | ||
| Week 14 | 4/9 | (T) | Klingon | DMUL entry “Klingon” | RELAY |
| 4/11 | (R) | Dothraki | DMUL entry “Dothraki” | RELAY | |
| Week 15 | 4/16 | (T) | Ithkuil/Teonaht | DMUL entries “Ithkuil”, “Teonaht” | RELAY |
| 4/18 | (R) | Relay debrief | RELAY | ||
| Final project writeup due April 24th, 2:00pm (via online submission) | |||||