Schedule

This is the current view of how the semester will proceed, but the schedule will be adjusted from time to time. Do not rely on the printed copy; instead, consult this page. Homework will generally be assigned on Thursdays and due on the following Thursday (the “assignment” column in the table, therefore, represents the time you have to work on the assignment, an assignment is due on the class that occurs after the time you have to work on it ends. E.g., homework 1 is given out on Jan 19 and is due Jan 26). The readings in the Readings column are those that pertain to the lectures that week, which come from the Meisel (2011) textbook (“M”) unless otherwise noted. Readings listed as “Related” constitute (part of) the source material for the discussions they are listed with, but it is not necessary to read “related” papers (usually because they assume a fair amount of background). Handouts are linked in the “class topic” column and presentations in the “date” column, when available.

Theme Date Class topic Readings Assignment
Issues in L1A:
structure,
parameters,
development of
morphosyntax
Tue
Jan 17
Overview (Lust 2006, ch. 2) Survey
Thu
Jan 19
Logical problem of language acquisition Lust (2006), ch 3, M sec 2.1. HW1
Tue
Jan 24
Development of syntax M sec 2.2
Thu
Jan 26
Root infinitives M sec 2.3 to p. 46. HW2: Root infinitives
Tue
Jan 31
Agreement, case, ATOM, and the UCC Schütze & Wexler (1996)
Thu
Feb 2
Null subjects
(and part 2)
(No reading) HW3: ATOM
Tue
Feb 7
Guasti (2002, ch. 5, 160-185)
Thu
Feb 9
Binding theory and Principle B (Chien & Wexler 1990)
Experimental
methodology,
data analysis,
and reporting
Tue
Feb 14
Experimental methods, design, analysis, and write-ups.
CHILDES demo
Snyder (2007), chapter 4 CHILDES lab: Data collection
Thu
Feb 16
Snyder (2007), chapter 5
Tue
Feb 21: Monday schedule, no class
Issues in L2A:
transfer,
parameters
Thu
Feb 23
Second language acquisition of syntax M 1, 3.1–3.2 CHILDES lab: write-up
Tue
Feb 28
Transfer, initial state M 3.3, 4.1, 4.2
Thu
Mar 1
Parameters in L2 acquisition M 4.4, 5.2, MacLaughlin (1995) HW4: L2 parameters
Tue
Mar 6
The definiteness effect in L2A White et al. (2012), M 4.3
Thu
Mar 8
Wh-movement in L1 acquisition Guasti, Thornton, and Wexler (1995) Final project:
Proposal
Mar 10–Mar 18: Spring recess
Acquisition of
syntactic
movement
Tue
Mar 20
Wh-movement in L2 acquisition, critical periods Umeda (2007)
Thu
Mar 22
Passives and A-chains in L1 acquisition TBA Final project:
Design
Tue
Mar 27
Acquisition of semantics in L1 acquisition (No readings)
Topics Thu
Mar 29
In-class discussions of statistics (No readings)
Tue
Apr 3
Specific language impairment (Wexler et al.
Schaeffer et al.)
Final project:
Data collection
Thu
Apr 5
Morphology/syntax interface in L2 acquisition, etc. (Prévost & White)
Acquisition of
meaning
Tue
Apr 10
Pragmatics, Albanian (Kapia 2010)
Thu
Apr 12
Guest lecture,
Prof. Stephen Crain
(Macquarie University)
Final project:
analysis
Tue
Apr 17
Acquisition of semantics in L2 acquisition TBA
Topics Thu
Apr 19
Attrition, language mixing (MacSwan, Sorace) Final project:
Presentation prep
Assessment Tue
Apr 24
Recap No reading
Presentations Thu
Apr 26
Presentations
(JG) —
(JH) —
(KK) —
(CL) —
Final project:
write-up
Tue
May 1
Presentations
(DG) —
(KH) —
(AK) —
(CK) —
(MS) —
Semester ends