A complexity hierarchy-based solution to the clausal subject puzzle in Turkish

This paper presents a novel analysis of subordinate clause structure in Turkish, focusing on subordinations formed by the following three suffixes: the infinitival -mA(K) with tenseless and (ir)realis usages, and -DIK/ -(y)ACAK with a (non)future temporal specification. We present a classification aligning each form on the Implicational Complementation Hierarchy (ICH) proposed in Wurmbrand and Lohninger (2020), which provides a solution for the subject puzzle observed with these clauses: only infinitival -mA(K) clauses with their (ir)realis use are compatible with being the subject of a transitive verb. We propose that (ir)realis infinitival clauses belong to the situation class in the ICH, and that this middle class is of the ideal semantic complexity and syntactic size for a clausal subject in Turkish.

Taking the first step: How to create a high-school linguistics course

While teachers might see the need for linguistics, the fear of not being “expert enough” can prevent high-school teachers from all disciplines from designing and teaching a linguistics course. Teachers, with or without subject matter expertise, who seek to establish a K-12 linguistics course need to work closely with administrators and stakeholders, maintain a “progress over perfection” mentality, consider the merits of exposing students to linguistics early instead of waiting for a national, standardized curriculum, and remain flexible in delivery.

Using Science Standards to guide the development of high school linguistics

As the linguistics community is pushing for more introductory classes to be taught at the high school level, it is useful to create a course framework. This framework can help provide structure for a potential Advanced Placement (AP) test and course as well as help interested teachers create successful proposals to add linguistics to their school’s course offerings. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I suggest that the existing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are an ideal starting point. Although not a science in the traditional secondary school sense, there is considerable overlap in methodology. Using the language of science can help those unfamiliar with linguistics see that it is the systematic study of language rather than just language learning, as well as help students transfer some of the skills and knowledge of practices that they already know from previous classes. This paper serves as an introduction to NGSS and the connections between the existing science standards and methodologies with the goal of demonstrating their usefulness for creating standards for linguistics.

The Columbus Linguistics in High School experience: Fits and starts as a prelude to success

We report here on our efforts to incorporate linguistics into the high school curriculum in a large midwestern metropolitan area through a university-based initiative — Linguistics in High School (LxHS) — spearheaded by the Department of Linguistics at The Ohio State University. We offer a brief history of the project, and explain our strategy of targeting non-public schools and the practical nature of the reasoning behind this decision. We chronicle the ups and downs of our efforts, ultimately reporting on our success with implementing a linguistics course and a linguistics club at a small local STEM-oriented high school. This partnership between the school and the Linguistics Department has allowed, among other things, for on-site visits by the students to phonetics and sociolinguistics labs. By presenting our challenges, strategies, failures, and successes, we hope that others may be encouraged to evaluate how they can make a difference in their locale and with the resources they have.

From "Hello, World!" to Fourier transformations: Teaching linguistics undergraduates to code in ten weeks or less

I used Backward Design to scaffold ten weeks of assignments that taught students how to perform sine wave vowel synthesis and a Fourier transformation approximation using just a few fundamental programming concepts. This strategy gave all students, regardless of their previous programming experience, the opportunity to implement algorithms related to core concepts in phonetics and speech technology. Reflecting on the course, it seems that the coding assignments were generally well-received by students and contributed to students programming something complex and meaningful.

Emergency remote teaching in linguistics during the early COVID-19 pandemic

In the spring of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many higher education institutions to transition suddenly to emergency remote teaching. This paper describes the results of a survey that the Linguistic Society of America carried out on the response to this situation among teachers and learners in the linguistics community. We consider what teachers tried, what students found helpful, and what got overlooked.

ADA compliance and teaching linguistics online

Only 8.8% of faculty have reported receiving formal training for develop-ing ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant online courses (Gould & Harris, 2019), yet in any given semester, faculty may be required by federal law to make their course accessible for a student that has enrolled with a disability. Linguis-tics faculty face many of the same challenges (namely time and resources) as other disciplines with implementing ADA federal guidelines. However, there are further obstacles with linguistic specific topics (such as dialect illustrations, phonology, morphology) that require special attention when devising accessible material for those that are either visually or hearing impaired. Through the exploration of an un-dergraduate linguistics course (LING 2050: Language of Now), this paper reflects on best practices, suggested modifications, barriers in developing an ADA compliant online linguistics course, and presents a resource developed by the author aggregat-ing resources that facilitate making a course ADA compliant.

All in with Google Slides: Virtual engagement and formative assessment in introductory sign language linguistics

My goals as an instructor are to be transparent and approachable and to cultivate a community of learners. The transition to virtual instruction in Sign Language Structure and Usage presented significant challenges. I wondered how students could engage effectively with me, with each other, and with course content; how students could identify what they understood and on what they needed further instruction. To address these questions, I went all in with Google Slides to build engaging, searchable, self-paced slide presentations with built-in formative assessments. COVID-19 inspired this shift in slide creation, but I envision using these slides going forward because they are more equitable and more inclusive. If studentsare not able to come to class for any reason, they can review videos and complete selfassessments, just as they would in class. Anecdotal remarks suggest this approach appeals to a wider range of students and learning styles, but further study should explicitly examine student perceptions of this slide format. Other faculty in my college have recently expressed interest in adopting this style of presentation in their owncourses.

Ten Trees a Day: How learning science and a story of multilingual buffalo help students learn syntax

This paper describes an activity designed to help students improve skills in drawing syntax tree structures without significantly increasing instructor grading time. In this formative exercise, students draw ten trees prior to each class period, correct their own work, and reflect on their mistakes. This assignment incorporates many practices that research on learning suggests are essential for understanding and retention of material. In addition, this exercise incorporates some best practices on effective feedback. The activity works best when students understand the science behind it, so discussion of the pedagogical reasons for the exercise is essential. Further, overt discussion of how to learn helps students develop effective skills for learning linguistics. Self-correct homework assignments like this can be applied to many courses that involve learning skills or terminology.

Journaling about progress and errors

Drawing on mindset, belonging, and equity scholarship, a journaling assignment was developed as a low-stakes, writing-to-learn, formative assessment instructional tool for engaging students with content, normalizing mistakes, and supporting students during remotely scheduled online instruction for introductory linguistic analysis courses. Anecdotal data from student evaluations and instructor impressions suggest that journals provide high impact learning opportunities.