LCD101: Introduction to Human Language

Table of contents

1. Course and Instructor Information
2. Course Description
3. Required Textbook
4. Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Plan
   1. Grading Scale (Queens College standard)
5. Brightspace / Technology
6. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
7. Tentative Schedule — Fall 2026
   1. Unit I — Foundations, Phonetics, Phonology
   2. Unit II — Words, Sentences, Acquisition
   3. Unit III — Meaning and Language in Society
8. References

Course and Instructor Information

Item	Information
Instructor	Han Li
Email	han.li.4@stonybrook.edu
Meeting Days	T/TH 10:45-12
Location	Queens Hall
Office Hours	Before Class

I am also available outside regular office hours via Zoom on M/W/F. Please feel free to reach out if you have some burning questions!

👉 Book a Zoom Meeting

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Course Description

The goal of this course is to introduce students to linguistics — the scientific study of human language. By the end of this course, students should:

1. Be able to analyze basic linguistic structures (sounds, words, and sentences);
2. Be able to engage in linguistic argumentation using data from English and other languages;
3. Be familiar with current research on how the human brain learns, processes, and produces language;
4. Understand how language use constitutes social meaning, and its relationship to identity and variation in contemporary society.

Required Textbook

The following resources are highly recommended for this course and grasp beyond:

Yule, G. (2023). The Study of Language, 8th ed. Cambridge University Press.

Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Plan

1. Class participation — 5%.
   1. Based on attendance and active participation in class discussions.
   2. Personal screens, including laptops, tablets, and phones, should NOT be used during class unless instructed otherwise.
2. Exams (3) — 75% total.
   • Exam 1 — 20%. Non-cumulative unit exam.
   • Exam 2 — 20%. Non-cumulative unit exam.
   • Final exam — 35%. Takes place during finals week and is partially cumulative.
3. Weekly quizzes and assignments — 20% total.
   1. The lowest quiz or assignment grade will be dropped.
   2. Assignments submitted late will incur a 20% penalty for each 24-hour period. Assignments submitted more than five days after the original due date will not be accepted.

Grading Scale (Queens College standard)

Grade	Range	Grade	Range	Grade	Range
A+	97–100	B+	87–89	C+	77–79
A	93–96	B	83–86	C	73–76
A-	90–92	B-	80–82	C-	70–72
		D+	67–69	D	60–66
				F	0–59

Brightspace / Technology

• This course uses Brightspace for slides, announcements, supplemental readings, homework, and, where applicable, open-book quizzes. Check Brightspace regularly, as course content and assignments will be posted beginning on the first day of the semester.

• You are responsible for checking Brightspace regularly for course materials, announcements, assignments, deadlines, and schedule changes.

• If you experience technical difficulties, contact the QC ITS Help Desk at helpdesk@qc.cuny.edu

Each student must pursue their academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person’s work as your own is always wrong. The Policy on Academic Integrity, as adopted by the CUNY Board of Trustees, applies to all candidates. Academic dishonesty is prohibited and is punishable by penalties including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.

• CUNY Academic Integrity Policy: http://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/offices/legal-affairs/policies-resources/academic-integrity-policy/

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. The use of generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT and similar programs) to complete or generate any part of an assignment, exam, or homework response is not permitted unless explicitly authorized by the instructor for a specific task. All submitted work must reflect your own original effort and understanding. Using AI-generated text and presenting it as your own work constitutes a violation of academic integrity and will be referred to the process above.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students who need academic accommodation should: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Special Services Office (Frese Hall, Room 111); 2) provide the instructor with a letter indicating the need for accommodation and its type. This should be done during the first week of class.

• Special Services Office: 718-997-5870; https://www.qc.cuny.edu/StudentLife/services/specialserv/

Tentative Schedule — Fall 2026

Unit I — Foundations, Phonetics, Phonology

Date	Topic	Reading (Yule, 7th ed.)	Due
Tue 9/1	Course intro; What is Linguistics?	Ch. 1
Thu 9/3	Origins of Language	Ch. 1	HW 1
Tue 9/8	Animals and Human Language	Ch. 2
Thu 9/10	Language and Thought; Descriptivism vs. Prescriptivism	Ch. 20	HW 2
Tue 9/15	Phonetics I: Articulation	Ch. 3
Thu 9/17	Phonetics II: Transcription practice	Ch. 3	HW 3
Tue 9/22	Phonology I: Phonemes & allophones	Ch. 4
Thu 9/24	Phonology II: Phonological rules	Ch. 4	HW 4
Tue 9/29	Phonology III: Syllables & phonotactics	Ch. 4
Thu 10/1	Review for Exam I
Tue 10/6	Exam I

Unit II — Words, Sentences, Acquisition

Date	Topic	Reading (Yule, 7th ed.)	Due
Thu 10/8	Word Formation	Ch. 5
Tue 10/13	Morphology I: Morphemes	Ch. 6
Thu 10/15	Morphology II: Word trees	Ch. 6	HW 5
Tue 10/20	Syntax I: Grammar & constituents	Ch. 7
Thu 10/22	Syntax II: Phrase structure	Ch. 8	HW 6
Tue 10/27	Syntax III: Trees & structural ambiguity	Ch. 8
Thu 10/29	First Language Acquisition	Ch. 13	HW 7
Tue 11/3	Second Language Acquisition	Ch. 14
Thu 11/5	Review for Exam II
Tue 11/10	Exam II

Unit III — Meaning and Language in Society

Date	Topic	Reading (Yule, 7th ed.)	Due
Thu 11/12	Semantics I: Meaning	Ch. 9	HW 8
Tue 11/17	Semantics II / Pragmatics	Ch. 9–10
Thu 11/19	Language and the Brain	Ch. 12	HW 9
Tue 11/24	Sign Languages	Ch. 15
Thu 11/26	No class — Thanksgiving recess
Tue 12/1	Regional Variation	Ch. 18
Thu 12/3	Social Variation	Ch. 19	HW 10
Tue 12/8	Language Change & Endangered Languages	Ch. 22 (excerpt)
Thu 12/10	Review for Final Exam (last class meeting)
Finals week (12/15–12/18)	Exam III (Final, partially cumulative) — exact date/time to be assigned by the Registrar

References

• Yule, G. (2020). The Study of Language, 7th ed. Cambridge University Press.
• Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2018). An Introduction to Language, 11th ed. Cengage Learning.
• Justice, P. (2001). Relevant Linguistics: An Introduction to the Structure and Use of English for Teachers. CSLI Publications.