English Language Teaching and Linguistics

The Art of Language or The Language of Art, and Discourse

2008-03-18T17:36:00.002+02:00

Hi All,

This week we studied "Discourse Analysis". Here's your homework: You have 2 weeks to complete your assignment.

1. Visit an art museum (Istanbul Modern Art Museum, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Pera Art Museum, etc.)

2. Tell us which exhibition you visited. Analyze the artists' language. Try to explain how the artists are expressing the meaning without using a verbal or non-verbal language. Are they any successful and how they succeed to express the meanings they have in their mind? Exemplify by artists' and their works' names.

3. Post your comments to our blogger.

İstanbul Modern Art Museum (free-admission on Thursdays) (in Tophane)http://www.istanbulmodern.org/tr/f_index.html

Sakıp Sabancı Art Museum (in Emirgan)
http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/

Pera Art Museum (in Taksim)
http://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/

Good Luck,

tuncer can

Write A Review

2008-01-18T09:30:00.001+02:00

Hi All,

Please write a review so that next year students can read and know what to expect from this class.

Thank You,

Tuncer Can

Left Brain Dominance

2007-11-02T13:53:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody,

This week we have a simple question: " What do you think are some of the solutions in changing the left hemisphere dominant school programs, think of particularly foreign language classrooms?" Remember our discussion of the school programs and the characteristics of the left hemisphere.

Check ou these before answering...
http://staff.washington.edu/chudler/lang.html
http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume4/Number4/F95Lang.html
http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=col/burns00feb
http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=fa/listening-skills

P.S.
Your exam questions will be similar to these that are on the blogger.

tuncer

A Poem

2007-11-02T13:48:00.000+02:00

Greetings,

This week we have an activity that is supposed to make our both brain hemispheres work, like we talked during the class, we are writing a poem on "Language" or "Linguistics", in Turkish or English, choose whichever.

Good Luck,

Tuncer Can

The Origins of Language

2007-10-29T19:57:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone,

This week we have studied the 3 approaches to the question of "the origins of language", "The Divine Theory", "The Evolution Theory" and "The Social Theory". Bearing these and the nature of language (last week's question) in mind, could you please foresee the future of the language? Try to picturize the future world in language context.

You might want to check these as well... http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/01origin/01origin.html
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~rober/linguistics/origins.html#divine
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~alock/virtual/lockfin.htm

Listen to the Conversation if you can... http://www.forbes.com/2005/10/19/cx_audio_comm05_noamchomsky.html

tuncer can

What is Language?

2007-10-19T18:42:00.000+03:00

Hi All,

This week we made an introduction to the concept of "Language", your first week assignment:

Please answer the question "What is Language?", remembering our class discussion and Steven Pinker's article "An Instinct to Acquire an Art".

Good luck,

Tuncer Can

Our blog for Linguistics

2007-10-16T22:29:00.000+03:00

Hi All,

This blog will serve as a tool for our weekly assignments and discussions, your contribution can be made in the "comment" section, down below to the right.

Tuncer Can

Welcome to the World of Linguistics

2007-10-16T22:25:00.000+03:00

INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS
In this lesson, starting from language phenomenon, scientific bases, terminology on linguistics, multi-relational aspect and the other related areas are discussed. First of all, developing a fair awareness on language is aimed. Language phenomenon is discussed by reference to domains that nurture it. Language origins, language-brain relationship, sound, word, syntactic, meaning and social systems, communication with all its contexts, discourse analysis and its approaches, language learning and teaching aspects are discussed throughout the course. Linguistics and language teaching methods is just another study area for us. Our main goals are providing our trainees with the necessary information on language and other domains related to language, and creating an intellectual background on language and language teaching. That language is a dynamic system and is nurtured by everything human is being strongly stressed. Thus, we believe that a scientific approach to language teaching can also be developed as in Linguistics. Furthermore, we strongly guesstimate the fact that once our trainees develop awareness on language, they can elaborate pleasure from literature pieces like poetry and theatre plays. By discussions on Communication and Discourse Analysis we assume that our trainees will improve their interpersonal relations and have more intuition in their professional lives. Weekly assignments contribute into personal development of our trainees by catering for improvement of their intellectual abilities. Poems, novels, movies, conversations and their contexts are analyzed. Their significance for Linguistics and teaching is emphasized so that it is presupposed that this enables personal creation and creativity in later stages of life. In addition, Course-books are analyzed according to practical outcomes of Linguistics. The main goal there is to enhance success in seeing the pragmatic results Linguistics study has brought in for language teaching and having a broader view on evaluating the foreign language teaching books and the activities they employ. It is so obvious that human beings have much deeper relation with the language. Seeing the world in Linguistics’ shoes would construe new perspectives for our trainees while perceiving and appreciating the world around them.

Welcome to the world of Linguistics, I wish you a pleasant stay around,

Tuncer Can

Origins of Language and The Future of Language

2007-03-26T13:46:00.001+03:00

Hi All,

This week we have studied the 3 approaches to the question of "the origins of language", "The Divine Theory", "The Evolution Theory" and "The Social Theory". Bearing these and the nature of language(last week's question) in mind, could you please foresee the future of the language? Try to picturize the future world in language context.

You might want to check these as well... http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/01origin/01origin.html
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~rober/linguistics/origins.html#divine
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~alock/virtual/lockfin.htm

Listen to the Conversation if you can... http://www.forbes.com/2005/10/19/cx_audio_comm05_noamchomsky.html

tuncer can

What is Language?

2007-03-17T11:14:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody,

This week, in our first class of Linguistics in the second semestre, we tried to answer the question: "What is Language?", here you'll find the answers of some of your friends:

Language is...
Communication device (osman)
Identity card?
Way of communication (volkan)
Language is life? (meral)
Expressing yourself? (arev)
Non verbal – verbal?
sharing experiences (zeynep)
one way of making our thoughts visible (özlem)
correct order of symbols (kürşat)
sign of existance
link between individual and the outside (ali)
Mirror of our minds? (nilay)
Voice of ideas (ayşe)
Sharing thoughts, communication (adnan)

Choose 2 of their answers and comment on them trying to prove that their answers are not adequate to answer the question completely.

Have a good second term,

tuncer can

Discourse Analysis

2007-01-18T13:18:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody,

I have a last request from you, guys, I would much appreciate if you could post the "analysis part" of your final assignments to our blogger. Please, post all the examples you've analized so that eveybody could see what you've done. Share your work, beware the proper citation.

Thank you for your cooperation,
and very good luck in your future careers.

Tuncer Can

Sociolinguistics

2006-12-15T12:14:00.001+02:00

Hi Guys,

Please send "local expressions" that you use in your home town. Translate them into İstanbul Turkish so that we can use them in our Monday class. For example:

Trakya Region

"Beya": yahu.

Thank you in advance,

Tuncer Can

Conversational Analysis

2006-12-06T13:29:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody,

I was surfing on the net the other day and I was looking for something I can use in my Linguistics class. However, I couldn't find anything worth. So, I made up my mind and decided to ask you to prepare something:) Here's your assignment:

1. Create an educational video (your videos should teach the topic you choose to cover), that I can use next year in my Conversational Analysis course. You can use anything from our course, however using Goffman's "System and Ritual Constraints" would be much appreciated. You can also use "Gricean Maxims", "Speech Acts" and "Pragmatics".
2. Work in groups of 3s or 4s. Bring in your videos in CD format, alternatively you can upload them to any video websites where everybody can see them and send me their "link".
3. Finish this homework till our final exam.

Good Luck,

Tuncer Can

Cooperative Principle and Politeness

2006-11-08T13:23:00.000+02:00

Hello Everybody,

We have studied Gricean Maxims and Politeness Strategies this week. Here's your assignment of the week.

1. Note down all the "Speech Events" you have experienced during the week, (from wednesday to wednesday let's say, or etc.)
2. a)Analyze your own speech contributions according to Grice's Maxims. (if you are behaving according to the maxims or you violate them, and what are the concequences, choose to write about at least 5 conversations to examplify)
b) In what kind of situations are you more polite, and why do you think this is so? (situation names and reasons, at least 4 examples, please.)
3. You have 2 weeks to complete this work.

I hope you enjoy it while doing,

Tuncer Can

Speech Events and the Script Theory

2006-11-03T15:53:00.000+02:00

Hi Everyone,

This week we studied "Speech Events", the "Script Theory" and the "Moves". Here's your homework:

Specify a Speech Event and write the script for it. Remember the "Script of a Ramadan Visit"

Greeting (high pitch)
Welcoming (high pitch)
Seating (high pitch)
Greeting (higher pitch)
Opening (money, children)
Topic Introduction (the silliest topics, laughs)
Topic Extension (insincere, positive)
Serving and Eating
Topic Change (positive:old bayrams) (higher pitch)
Agreeing
Topic Variation (positive: business, children) (higher pitch)
Agreeing
Compliment (highest pitch)
Acknowledge (agree, deny, redirect focus)/acceptance/downgrade the compliment
Preclosing
Closing

However, NO TWO students can work on the SAME speech event, I mean everyone should find a genuine example of a speech event.

Good Luck,

Tuncer Can

Conversational Analysis Paper

2006-10-19T14:50:00.000+03:00

Please write the topics of your Conversational Analysis Paper so that we all know what you're doing.

Tuncer Can

Speech Acts

2006-10-19T14:33:00.000+03:00

This week we studied the "Speech Act Theory". This week's homework consists of three parts.

1. Visit this webpage and do the exercise:
http://www.ugr.es/~inped/module10/hot_mod10/quiz1_1.htm

2. Find examples (sentences) for the following Speech Acts from TV Serials, Theatre Plays, Signs etc. (You might not find examples for each one, nevertheless think beyond sentence.)

Constatives: affirming, alleging, announcing, answering, attributing, claiming, classifying, concurring, confirming, conjecturing, denying, disagreeing, disclosing, disputing, identifying, informing, insisting, predicting, ranking, reporting, stating, stipulating

Directives: asking, begging, challenging, commanding, daring, inviting, insist, request. advising, admonishing, asking, begging, dismissing, excusing, forbidding, instructing, ordering, permitting, requesting, requiring, suggesting, urging, warning

Commissives: guaranteeing, pledging, promising, swearing, vowing, undertaking, warranting, agreeing, guaranteeing, inviting, offering, promising, swearing, volunteering

Acknowledgments: apologizing, condoling, congratulating, greeting, thanking, accepting (acknowledging an acknowledgment)

Representatives: affirm, believe, conclude, deny, report

Expressives: apologize, appreciate, congratulate, deplore, detest, regret, thank, welcome.

Declarations: I now pronounce you man and wife, I sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you be dead, I name this ship...

3. Answer the following question? What kind of a Speech Act is this homework's text? (What do I want/intend to achieve by putting all this language together?)

I wish you and your family a very good holiday. (specify the speech act in this sentence)

Tuncer Can

The Art of Language or the Language of Art

2006-10-10T12:41:00.000+03:00

Hi,

This week we studied "Discourse Analysis". Here's your homework: You have 2 weeks to complete your assignment.

1. Visit an art museum (Istanbul Modern Art Museum, Sakıp Sabancı Museum, Pera Art Museum, etc.)
2. Tell us which exhibition you visited. Analyze the artists' language. Try to explain how the artists are expressing the meaning without using a verbal or non-verbal language. Are they any successful and how they succeed to express the meanings they have in their mind? Exemplify by artists' and their works' names.
3. Post your comments to our blogger.

İstanbul Modern Art Museum (free-admission on Thursdays) (in Tophane)
http://www.istanbulmodern.org/tr/f_index.html

Sakıp Sabancı Art Museum (in Emirgan)
http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/

Pera Art Museum (in Taksim)
http://www.peramuzesi.org.tr/

Good Luck,

tuncer can

Take Home Final Exam

2006-05-29T12:19:00.000+03:00

Hi Guys,

Here's our Final Exam:

FINAL EXAM: Take Home
1) Frame: Around 1500 words
2) Evaluation: Content, citations, reference, language, clarity, order…
3) Due date: the final exam day (whenever)
4) We will have a 10 Point Final Exam as well.
5) Don’t forget to bring your Evaluation Letters

Questions
Language? Make up your own explanatory theory of language. (45 pts)
Why do we study Linguistics at ELT Departments? (45 pts)

You are always welcome to ask any questions regarding the exam.

Very good luck,

tuncer

Word Formation: Morphology

2006-05-16T15:54:00.000+03:00

Hi,

This week we are looking at the word formation processes. Here's your task: Raise you head and eyes while you are walking on the street and look for names of the bussinesses (names of shops, or anything of this sort); see and give us examples of the word formation processes given below.(More than one example is welcome)

Word Coinage:
Compound words:
Acronyms:
Words from names:
Blends:

Good Luck,

tuncer

A Poem

2006-05-01T21:38:00.000+03:00

Greetings,

This week we have an activity that is supposed to make our both hemispheres work, like we talked during the class, we are writing a poem on "Language" or "Linguistics", in Turkish or English, choose whichever.

Good Luck,

tuncer

Left Brain Dominance

2006-04-07T09:54:00.000+03:00

Hello Everybody,

This week we have a simple question: " What do you think are some of the solutions in changing the left hemisphere dominant school programs, think of particularly foreign language classrooms?" Remember our discussion of the school programs and the characteristics of the left hemisphere.

Check ou these before answering...
http://staff.washington.edu/chudler/lang.html
http://www.med.harvard.edu/publications/On_The_Brain/Volume4/Number4/F95Lang.html
http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=col/burns00feb
http://www.brainconnection.com/topics/?main=fa/listening-skills

Good luck in your exam,
questions will be similar to these that are on the blogger.

tuncer

Langage Acquisition

2006-03-30T15:49:00.000+03:00

Remembering Brown's Order of Acquisition, Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition, and the Order of Sound Acquisition, could you comment on if acquisition (not learning) of second/foreign language is possible in Foreign Language Classrooms?

Why don't you check these before answering...

http://www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html
http://www.iteachilearn.com/cummins/
http://www.sdkrashen.com/SL_Acquisition_and_Learning/index.html

tuncer

Origins of Language and The Future of Language

2006-03-21T22:28:00.000+02:00

This week we have studied the 3 approaches to the question of "the origins of language", "The Divine Theory", "The Evolution Theory" and "The Social Theory". Bearing these and the nature of language(last week's question) in mind, could you please foresee the future of the language? Try to picturize the future world in language context.

You might want to check these as well...
http://www.putlearningfirst.com/language/01origin/01origin.html
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~rober/linguistics/origins.html#divine
http://www.massey.ac.nz/~alock/virtual/lockfin.htm

Listen to the Conversation if you can... http://www.forbes.com/2005/10/19/cx_audio_comm05_noamchomsky.html

tuncer

What is Language?

2006-03-14T16:05:00.000+02:00

Here are some of the anwers your classmates have given for the question "What is Language". Based on these, could you make an attempt to make up a more wholistic answer. Before answering you might want to consider the discussions we've had during the class on Monday.

"Communicative device, and open- ended" (Emine)
"Expression of thoughts and feelings" (Saadet & Elif)
"Alive" (Mustafa & Elçin)
"Significant part of culture" (Yasin)
"Meaningful chain of sounds" (Pınar)
"Great power and weakness" (Samet)The ability to get the word combinations together (Seda
"Language is interaction, a certain system of signs" (Sine)
"Verbal: the way to express our thoughts" (Narin)
"is culture" (Demet)
"istediğimiz şekilde kullanabileceğimiz bir paradır" (Derya)
"Mirror of our mind" (Şenol)
"Something about practical thinking" (Kübra)
"Construction based on words" (Fikret)
"Dil bir oyun hamurudur" (Yağmur)
"That chains people together" (Hatice)
"Tool to earn money" (Gamze)

You might also want to check some of these...
http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/language_speech.htm
http://anthro.palomar.edu/language/language_2.htm
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/langling/whatis.shtml
http://ling.lsa.umich.edu/ug/linguistics.html

tuncer