LING1000 Introduction to Language

Assignment #1
Sept. 15, 2021

Part A Problem sets (30 points)

1. Write the following phonetic transcriptions in regular English spelling (Fromkin et al.
2018:213). (9 points)

2. a. As precisely as you can, describe the following sounds. For each sound, list TWO English
words which illustrate the occurrence of this sound. (Do not use words from (1)!) (11
points)

(i) [ɛ]
(ii) [ɪ]
(iii) [eɪ]

b. The three sounds in (2a) are phonemes of English. Explain what this statement means.
Illustrate your answer with appropriate examples. (10 points)

Reference
Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman & Nina Hyams. 2018. An introduction to language. Boston:
Cengage.
Part B Short essay (70 points)
Write a short essay of 600-800 words on the following topic.

What is a consonant? How are consonants produced? How are consonants described?

(i) Use information from at least 3 academic sources to support your answer. Make sure all
sources are properly cited, and a reference list is included at the end of your assignment.

University of Illinois Undergraduate Library. 2020. Determine If a Source Is Scholarly.

Available online at: https://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/howdoi/scholarly/. Last accessed on
Sept. 14, 2021.

(ii) Use linguistic examples to illustrate your points.

(iii) Word-process your work.
(iv) Double-space your work, and include a word count at the end.

Assessment
This assignment is worth 20% of your overall course grade.

Submission guidelines
Due: 11:59 p.m., October 6, 2021 (Wed)

Upload your SOFT COPY to Turnitin via Moodle.

You will see the link on Moodle one week before the due date.

A separate cover sheet is not necessary, but the following information must be clearly printed on
the first page of your assignment:-
(i) your full name;
(ii) your UID; and,
(iii) your tutorial group no.

Do NOT upload the question paper (this file) with your answers, or your work will get a very high
similarity index on Turnitin! Retyping the questions in Part A is not necessary.

Policy on Late Work

Late submissions will be penalized. Assignments submitted after 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 13
(Wed) will not be accepted.

The penalty for late submission will be a deduction of 5 points per calendar day, e.g. original mark
= 67 points; 1 day late = 62 points; 2 days late = 57 points etc.

2
Appendix I – A guide for grading written work
See also the ‘Grading Rubric’.

When we grade your assignment, we look for the following items:-

1. Understanding, Analysis, Synthesis, and Application of Knowledge

a. Was the essay informative?
b. Did it contain only relevant information? Did the author stay on the topic?
c. Was the information accurate and reliable?
d. Were the key/ technical terms properly defined and used?
e. Was the essay original? Did the author include original points and examples, or was s/he
merely using the ones from the lectures and tutorials?
f. Were the main points/arguments well-supported by relevant evidence?
g. Did the author clearly present his/her own point of view on the topic?

2. Reading, research and Citations

a. Did the author use credible and reliable sources?
b. Was the selection of sources justified?
c. Were the sources referred to purposefully?
d. Did the author use material in accordance with copyright?
e. Did the author paraphrase ideas using his/her own words and try to avoid copying word-
for-word?
f. Were all the sources duly acknowledged?
g. Was a reference list provided?
h. Was the list of sources comprehensive?
i. Did the referencing style comply with the style described on the ‘Unified Style Sheet for
Linguistics Journals’?

3. Structure
a. Was the essay easy to follow?
b. Were the points logically sequenced?
c. Did the points flow naturally from one to the next?
d. Was the essay well-structured? Could the introduction, the main body and the conclusion
be easily distinguished?
e. Was sufficient background information included? Was there too much background
information and too little analysis?
f. Was the conclusion convincing?

4. Language
a. Were there spelling or grammatical errors in the essay?
b. Did these errors hinder the reader’s understanding of the content in the essay?