English Linguistics - Assignment 2

James Madison University

[This assignment will be marked only as an acceptable or unacceptable effort.]

  1. Write down your answers for exercise 2 on page 32 of the text.

  2. Do a reduced version of the informal experiment described in exercise 3 of Chapter 1, and write up your results. Create just three "words" and ask at least three people. (Note: Make sure that you come up with "words" that, in addition to being onomatopoeic, SOUND LIKE English words. In other words, don't create "words" like "blf" or "grrrrrrikslaaa." The goal is to create something that really could be an English word! :) ) To respect the privacy of your volunteers, do no refer to them by name.)

  3. Write just a one or two paragraph thoughtful response to the the "anti-prescriptivist view" handout distributed in class on Weds., 8/27. Some possible considerations: Does this perspective seem surprising for a linguist? Does it seem well-reasoned? Does it address the right social issues?



















Syllabus for ENG418/512E Linguistics Resources Writing Resources Oxford English Dictionary Send email to Prof. Cote