Psychology of Language

University of Connecticut Psychology
Fall Semester, 2002
Course Number: PSYC 221-01

Instructor: Whitney Tabor


 

Syllabus


 

Last update: November 21, 2003

 

 

Texts:

 

Carroll, David W. (1999).  Psychology of Language, 4th ed. Pacific Grove:  Brooks/Cole.

 

Pinker, Steven (1994) The Language Instinct. New York: Morrow.
 

Topic 1:

Language as a natural phenomenon

Language as a window on the mind

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 1

Pinker, Chapters 1, 2

Links

Labov, 1972


 

Topic 2:

Two different perspectives on Language

     Linguistics

     Psychology

Reading:

Carroll, Chapters 2, 3


 

 

Topic 3:

Levels of Language Structure:  Sounds

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 4

Pinker, Chapter 6



 

Topic 4:

Levels of Language Structure:  Words

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 5

Pinker, Chapter 5



 

Topic 5:

Levels of Language Structure:  Sentences and Discourse

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 6, 7

Pinker, Chapter 4


 

 

Midterm Exam 1:       October 17

 

Topic 6:

Language Acquisition

Reading:

Carroll, Chapters 10-11

Pinker, Chapter 9

 

 

Topic 7:

Language and Thought

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 14

Pinker, Chapter 3

Links:

Grice’s Maxims


 

Topic 8:

Language and the Brain

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 13 (pp. 334-354)

Pinker, Chapter 10

Links:

Holowka & Petitto (1992) article in Science  (vol. 297) on mouth aperature size during babbling (search for “Holowka, S”)

 

Topic 9:

Evolution of Language:   Biology, Language Change,

Animal Language

Reading:

Carroll, Chapter 13 (pp. 354-362)

Pinker, Chapter 11

Links:

---Ambrose, Stanley (2001).  Paleolithic Technology and 
Human Evolution. Science,  291: 1748-1753. (Search in Science 
for  “Ambrose, S”).
---Hauser, M. D., Chomsky, N., & Fitch, W. T. (2002). The 
Faculty of Language: What Is It, Who Has It, and How Did It 
Evolve?  Science, 298: 1569-1579. (Search in Science for 

Volume 298, p. 1569).

---Pinker, S. & Bloom, P. (1990).  Natural langauge and

natural selection.  Brain and Behavioral Sciences, 13(4): 707-784.

--Kanzi website



Final Exam: Thursday, December 11, 8-10am (Arjona 317)
 
 
 

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