Instructor: Will Benware, Department of Linguistics, College of Letters and Science
Description: The seminar will examine various lines of evidence which researchers have employed in order to construct a conjectural history of the origin of human language. This is an exercise in weighing the kind of evidence which one needs in order to reconstruct a process for which direct evidence is impossible to obtain (no one witnessed the process). Lines of evidence are examined from a number of different fields, such as paleontology, ethology, primate anatomy, evolutionary theory, pidgin and creole languages, child language acquisition and linguistic theory. The course goals include: (1) to examine critically the evidence which researchers in various fields bring to bear on the question of the origin and evolution of human language; (2) to weigh competing theories based on the strength of the evidence; (3) to demonstrate the tentativeness of conclusions based on the findings of the fields mentioned above, in order to reconstruct a plausible narrative of the past. The major goals of the seminar are (1) to inculcate the habit of the critical reading of scientific writing, both that directed to a professionals in the field as well as that written for a wider audience; (2) to give the students an opportunity to lead short discussions based on brief readings related to the main text for the day; (3) to offer them constructive critiques of their writing and the opportunity to discuss their writing with me.
Format: Each week will feature a ‘centerpiece paper’ related to one of the areas which contribute to a conjectural history of the origin of language. Several students will have an additional short assignment which relates to the centerpiece article. They will summarize their reading and link it to the main piece, offer comments and solicit questions. The other participants will be required to submit discussion questions on the centerpiece article by the previous Friday. These will form the basis for the remainder of the discussion on the following Monday. Grading: (1) Each student will be required to present a supplementary report on a related paper to the centerpiece paper at least twice during the quarter (the number will depend on class size). The report will also be submitted in written form to the instructor for evaluation. A letter grade will be given for both the oral presentation and the written work. This part of the course will count for one-third of the course grade. (2) Every student must submit each week at least one question on the centerpiece paper for use in class discussion. These must be submitted via e-mail on the Friday before the Monday session. A minimum of seven will be required. Grading will be based on their relevance to the topic and their potential for discussion. One-third of the course grade. (3) A final short paper will be required based on an article which gives a general overview of the question of the origin of language. The students will be required to write a one-page summary of the article and then a brief evaluation of the cogency of the arguments, in which they will draw upon the material we have discussed in the course of the quarter. One-third of the course grade.
About the Instructor: Professor Benware is a member of the Department of Linguistics, where he teaches historical linguistics as well as general linguistics courses. He also offers annually a course on the languages of the world. His research interests center primarily on the history of the German language and the description of contemporary German.