reflections on classlang

Quiz Instructions
Please see the instructions in the attached message. Please read through the directions. They are
very detailed and there is important information throughout. Make sure you complete all parts of the
assignment, including the academic integrity paragraph described at the end.
Our Spacetacean language was a creation by committee, but I would now like you
to critique it as though it was the aim of one person. Consider its inventory,
phonotactics, morphological structure, syntactic structure, as well as the words in
the lexicon. Looking at it as an aesthetic object itself, what does it convey to you?
There are three specific options to choose from. Please choose ONLY ONE of
them.
To help you read through this, I’m putting each option in its own section. But
just choose one.
PLEASE SEE THE ACADEMIC INTEGRITY QUESTION BELOW AS WELL.
Regardless of which option you choose (CHOOSE ONLY ONE OPTION), please
be specific about linguistic concepts we have discussed in class and use the
technical terms we have introduced. Aim for 500-1000 words for this. This is worth
a ton of points.
I want to mention that all the criteria we’ve been using still matter. These
match the categories we use in our grading rubric.
Be specific and detailed; explain WHY you have the feelings you do.
Remember that this is a question about the structure of the language. Make
specific, detailed references to the language. We grade primarily on this. If
you want to tell a story (some people do), make sure the story relates to
specifics of our language.
This is a chance to show off your new linguistic know-how. We want (ahem)
specific, detailed linguistic arguments, using our technical terms (again,
something in our rubric).
As we’ve said throughout, deep is better than broad: it’s better to explain one
thing deeply versus talking about a lot of things superficially. Pick one or two
aspects of our language, not all of it.
This is an essay. It should be clear, logically organized, and have a central
point. You should proofread for spelling, grammar, and style.
2022/6/3 20:04 Quiz: Reflections on Classlang
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OPTION 1. Please discuss how some aspects of our language structure reflect
speakers of this language — their physiology, their dispositions, their cultural
context. That is, I want you to take our language and tell me how it reflects the
entities that speak it. It may achieve some of its aims better than others. Please
comment on the success of the various goals we had. You can examine our
running notes for some guidance.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wrbipw9XSB3ll3tv4Uer5pW9goRPjFsUy
tTOo/edit#
(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wrbipw9XSB3ll3tv4Uer5pW9goRPjFsUy51oTVtTOo/edit#)
Here are things you should look for when evaluating your OPTION 1 essay:
Does it talk about specifics of our language (e.g., specific word choices in our
lexicon, specific details about the morphological structure, specific details
about the inventory)?
Does your description of the creatures relate directly to the language specifics
you discuss?
Does it discuss specific goals we identified when we started making the
language? Does it comment on how successful we were?
Is it an essay? Is it clear, organized, and convey a cohesive point?
OPTION 2. Suppose our language was used in some piece of media (a novel or a
film). What impressions, emotions, or feelings would you expect it would trigger in
people reading/hearing it for the first time? What aspects of the language do you
think contribute to those impressions, emotions, or feelings? This form of the
question is actually *quite* difficult. I don’t want something like “they would be
confused” or “they would love it”. I’d like you to comment as specifically as you
can what people’s reactions would be and then use our linguistic terminology to
explain why. I also do not want a discussion about the way our language looks in
IPA transcription. We don’t have a writing system for our language, so saying “they
would be confused by all the weird symbols” isn’t what I’m looking for.
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Here are things you should look for when evaluating your OPTION 2 essay:
Does it talk about specifics of our language (e.g., specific word choices in our
lexicon, specific details about the morphological structure, specific details
about the inventory)?
Does it describe specific, detailed impressions that someone would have?
Does it explain WHY someone would have those impressions?
Do those impressions relate directly to the language specifics you discuss?
Is it an essay? Is it clear, organized, and convey a cohesive point?
OPTION 3. Make our language better! This was a first draft, and like all first drafts,
it has its share of problems. Please identify at least one issue and then propose
specific changes you’d make to the grammar to account for those. Explain how
your changes address the issues you raised. You might, for example, think our
inventory didn’t do what it should. In that case, you’d have to give a specific new
inventory, and then show how a few (maybe 5) words would change as a result.
Your issue shouldn’t be “it’s too hard to say” or “it’s too hard”, unless you can
explain how those are problems for a language for spacefaring whale-like
creatures (and their ghosts).
Here are things you should look for when evaluating your OPTION 3 essay:
Does it talk about specifics of our language (e.g., specific word choices in our
lexicon, specific details about the morphological structure, specific details
about the inventory)?
Does it identify a specific problem with the language? Does it explain WHY that
aspect is a problem?
Does it propose a specific solution? Does it show concretely how that solution
would work? Does it explain how that solution eliminates the problem you
raise?
Is it an essay? Is it clear, organized, and convey a cohesive point?
Question 1 0 pts
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Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Which of the above Options did you choose? We will use your choice to determine
the rubric we will be using to grade your response.
Question 2 0 pts
p 0 words
Please insert your essay here.
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Question 3 0 pts
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Although you are permitted to collaborate on this assignment, the structure and
wording of your essay should be your work and yours alone. In order to
understand how you collaborate, please write a short paragraph summarizing:
who you collaborated with (with names)
what parts of the ideas you describe come from you and what came from your
collaborators
This summary should be present, even if you collaborate with no one (in that case,
saying that you collaborated with no one is sufficient).
Please also include a statement stating that the structure and wording of the essay
are yours alone. Something along the lines of “Although the ideas in this essay
were developed in collaboration, I wrote the essay entirely on my own, and the
structure and wording are my work and mine alone.”
If you do not include this paragraph, we will not grade your essay, even if
you didn’t collaborate with anyone.
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