Dr. Johanna Rubba
English Department (Linguistics)
Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo
© 2005 Johanna Rubba
Last updated  4/12/06
ENGL 390:
THE LINGUISTIC STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH

SPRING 2006

TERM PROJECT: BOOK REPORTS

4/12/06: BOOK ASSIGNMENTS ARE NOW MARKED IN THE BOOK LIST. CLICK HERE. Please report any errors to me ASAP via e-mail.

Schedule - Description - Instructions - Form and Contents - Formatting Requirements - Grading Criteria - Book List - Plagiarism Warning

Print out these instructions and consult them frequently -- before reading, while reading, and while preparing your report.

NOTE: Many students each quarter lose significant points for not following instructions, and for not attending to problems dealt with on my Editing Tips page. Such loss is easily avoidable: Print this page out, consult it FREQUENTLY as you work on your paper, and ask me questions about points that are not clear. 

SCHEDULE: 

TUES., 4/11/06
Notify me of your book choices. See instructions below. If you do not notify me of your choice by 4/11, I will deduct 3 points from your paper grade!
TUES., 5/30/06
BOOK REPORT DUE. NO late papers will be accepted!!
Allow time for emergencies such as broken printers, illness, etc. Start reading and working on your report as soon as it is assigned to you.


DESCRIPTION

This project earns 50 points, or 25% of your overall course grade.

The assignment is a response paper to a book that you choose from the list below. Detailed instructions on the contents of the report are below. The assignment is intended to allow you to explore further a course topic or an area of linguistics not discussed in class. Another purpose is for you to demonstrate to me (a) that you understood the main concepts of the book, as well as some illustrative details; (b) that the book inspired you to deeper thought about language, whether its structure, importance in society, or its nature as human behavior, as is relevant to your book choice; (c) that you write at an acceptable college level and control such aspects of formal writing as standard grammar, punctuation, and manuscript form.

A list of books on linguistic topics relevant to English is below these instructions. Choose one of these options:
1) Regular: Choose a book from the list without the "Super" mark.
2) Super: Choose a book marked "Super". If you choose one of these books, AND your paper is of passing quality (C- or better), you will automatically receive 2 extra points. This can make a difference between, for example, a C+ and a B- or an A- and an A. This might not seem like much, but if you combine it with the good-writing incentive (see below), it will boost your grade even higher, from a B- to a B+. These books are designated "Super" either because they are quite long, or because they are advanced-level, or both.

Look over several books, in case you find that your first choice is too technical for you (I have not screened all of these books for difficulty level; most are written for non-linguists or beginners in linguistics). NOTE: Please DO NOT check books out in order to look them over. Browse them in the library. Some of your classmates will want to shop books, so please do all you can to keep all books available to all classmates until you make your final decision. If you do check a lot of books out, chances are they will just be recalled by a classmate in very short order anyway.

Sources for books:

  • Kennedy Library**
  • Link+** (links to other college libraries; books arrive within a few days to a week)--requests can be made online.
  • Interlibrary loan (books arrive with ten days/2 weeks)--requests can be made online
  • Cuesta or Hancock libraries (if you have borrowing privileges)
  • Local public libraries
  • Local bookstores, incl. used-book stores
  • Online bookstores--often sell inexpensive used copies

**Many of the books on the list are in Kennedy Library. All are available through LINK+.

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HOW TO USE LINK+:  LINK+ is a network of college libraries that have agreed to lend books to each other. It is a kind of interlibrary loan, but faster than standard interlibrary loan. LINK+ books usually arrive within a week or less; regular interlibrary loan can take up to two weeks.

Open a Polycat search window on the library website. Look for LINK+ in the black bar at the top of the page under the word "Polycat". Click on LINK+. Look for the LINK+ item in the menu at the top of the PolyCat book-search page. Click on it and do your search there. You can request a book there and then; you will need your barcode. You are notified by e-mail when your book arrives.
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USE YOUR RECALL/HOLD PRIVILEGES. If you need a book that has been checked out, you may recall it by filling out a form at the circulation desk; this will prohibit the person who has the book from renewing it. This will cause a considerable delay, so use it as a last resort. If a book is checked out or missing, you may be able to borrow it via LINK+; check with the Interlibrary Loan office (in the library) if this situation arises.

When you are finished with a library book, please return it promptly so that other students may use it.

WARNING: If you decide to buy a book, BE SURE it will arrive in no less than 2 weeks from 4/11!!  Online vendors are often the quickest suppliers, but be wary of false promises. If you order from a local bookstore, get a FIRM COMMITMENT of an arrival date and pester the store if the book does not arrive on time. I highly recommend The Novel Experience, on Higuera Street near the corner of Chorro. They can often obtain a book more quickly than the large chain stores. Late arrival of your book will  not entitle you to an extension on the report.

INSTRUCTIONS

CHOOSING YOUR BOOK:

    1. Choose several titles from the list that interest you. No more than 2 people in the class can read any one book. For this reason, you will give me a first AND a second choice of title.
    2.  If the books are in the library, spend some time there skimming them. PLEASE do not buy or check your book out UNTIL YOU HAVE MY GO-AHEAD. If the books are not in the library, but are recent, you can often find out about them by visiting a book vendor such as Amazon.com or the publisher's website and looking at the book's promotional material. This often includes a table of contents and some sample pages. Clicking on book titles in the list below which have a hyperlink will take you to this material. You can search for others as well.
    3. Read the table of contents closely; survey the whole book to see how it is organized; read a few pages out of several of the earlier chapters of each book to see if it is at an appropriate level for you.
    4. I welcome suggestions of books not on the list, but if you want to read a book that is not on this list, you MUST obtain my approval first. You must bring the book to me for approval on or before 4/11. The book must be published 1985 or later.
NOTIFY ME OF YOUR CHOICES: On or before 4/11/06. Hand in a 3 x 5 index card (none larger; no slips of paper, please). On this card write:
  • ENGL 390 Spring 06
  • Your name and major
  • Your first choice of book; cite TITLE and last name of AUTHOR (e.g., "Moral Politics, Lakoff")
  • Your second choice of book; cite TITLE and last name of AUTHOR
  • You can list a third choice if you like.

BOOK ASSIGNMENTS:  I will notify the class of book assignments by writing students' names next to the titles in the list below. This information will be available by Thursday, 5/13. Because no more than 2 students can read the same book, I will assign titles by drawing lots if needed. Early notifications are welcome, but will not improve your chances of getting your first choice. Late notifications have no guarantee of getting either of their choices. To hand in your book choices after 4/11, bring the index card to class or bring it to me in an office hour. Please do not put the card under my office door or on the bulletin board or in the bins.

READING YOUR BOOK: Since you will be reporting on the book, read more closely than you would for a leisure read.

  1. Start the minute you get the book. Do not leave the reading to be done over a few days or a weekend near the deadline.
  2. Read the book -- the whole book. As you read, take notes. When you finish a chapter, write yourself a short (1-paragraph) summary of it, and note points that are particularly interesting to you, or points that connect for you with other things in your studies or your personal life. Make note of page numbers with information you will want to mention in the report. IF YOU FIND EXACT WORDS THAT YOU PLAN TO QUOTE, ENCLOSE THEM IN QUOTE MARKS IN YOUR NOTES. Accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism.
    3. When you have finished reading the book, take some time immediately to write down your personal impressions of the book: whether it fulfilled your expectations, etc. Write your summary for the final chapter; then assemble all your notes from earlier chapters.

FORM AND CONTENTS OF REPORT
COVER PAGE:
  • Cover page same paper as report; no report covers, please. Staple report. I will not accept reports that are loose or paper-clipped. On cover page:
  • Bibliographic citation of the book in MLA format.
  • Your name, major, ENGL 390-01, & date handed in. 
CONTENTS  -Separate each part clearly. Use subtitles/subheadings: Part I, Part II. You can also use subtitles in Part II if you like, to indicate which question you are answering.
 -Use quotation marks when they are needed! See the "Plagiarism Warning" handout.
 -Note: These books are not novels. Novels are works of fiction. These books report academic/scientific research and/or put forward a position. They can't be called novels.
PART I: THUMBNAIL SUMMARY - ABSTRACT
  • An abstract is a very short summary of a longer work. It is usually limited to 500 words or less. I am not imposing a word limit on your abstract, but it should not take up more than 1-1.5 pages.
  • This part is to be an objective description of the book. Do not include ANY personal-response material, e.g, that you found some facts surprising or whether you agree or disagree with any arguments. Reserve this for Part II.
  • Give this information in PartI:
    • What is the topic/subject matter of the book (state in a few words)?
    • People write books because they have a message for the reading public. Sometimes the purpose is to inform without taking a position. Sometimes the book does both. In 1-2 sentences, state the message/purpose of the book: what is the author trying to accomplish with this book? Why did s/he bother to write it? Does s/he take a position or advocate some kind of social or policy change? Or is the purpose expository, to teach the reader about something not yet familiar?
    • Describe the contents of the book by saying how many chapters it has, and saying briefly (a sentence or less) what each chapter is about. You do not have to list or describe subsections within chapters.

Here is a sample abstract for a book entitled An Introduction to Early Modern English, by Terry Nevalainen, published by Oxford U. Press. I have adapted it slightly from a flyer I received advertising the book.

"An Introduction to Early Modern English places the language of the period 1500-1700 in its historical context as a language with a common core but also one which varies across time, regionally and socially, and according to register. The book focuses on the structure of what contemporaries called the General Dialect -- its spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation -- and on its dialectal origins. The book also discusses the langauge situation and linguistic anxieties in England at a time when Latin exerted a strong influence on the rising standard language."

Your abstract can be longer than this, but does not need to be much longer. Describing briefly what is in each chapter will give enough additional detail about the book.

PART II: RESPONSE

 

  1. **In what ways did the book increase/enrich your understanding of the English language (including social facts, political points, etc., if relevant; not just structure)? Give specific examples, with page numbers.
  2. **How does the book relate to the content of our class? Give specific course topics it is directly or indirectly related to. Try to look beyond facts about the structure of English and relate the book to social aspects of language or to language/education relationships as discussed in class.  Give specific examples.
  3. **Does the book's content have implications beyond its immediate topic area--for instance, for education, civil rights, interpersonal communication, commerce or business, entertainment? Think hard on this one; look for connections that aren't immediately obvious.
  4. Was the book entertaining, or dull? Well-written, or hard to understand?
  5. **Were there connections with your personal, family, or working life? Be specific.
  6. Would you recommend the book to a friend or fellow student of  linguistics? Why or why not? Give your honest opinion, but give the reasoning that leads you to the opinion.

    **These sections are the MOST IMPORTANT for determining your grade.
 

FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS 
  • Length: 5-8 pages.
  • Format: 
    • The paper must be typed;
    • double-spaced (NOT 1.5; check your line spacing)
    • you MUST number pages
    • 12-pt. Times Roman or Times New Roman font.
    • Margins must be 1" or 1.25". If you use a bulleted or numbered list to organize your sections, pull the bullets out to the left margin.
  • Sections: Divide your paper into sections, Part I and Part II. Subsections within Part II are also encouraged. Separate sections by only ONE blank line above and one below each section subtitle.
  • Do not skip a line between paragraphs within a section; indent new paragraphs. Adjust your document formatting settings to assure this.
  • Do not start a new section on a new page. The report should be continuous.
  • However, avoid putting a subsection title as the last thing on a page. Break the page above the subtitle (look for "insert page break" instructions in your word processor's help document). You can check how your pages will look by finding and clicking on "Print Preview", in the File menu or the Print menu.
  • Amount of TEXT per page is what determines true page length. It is very easy to spot use of short pages to stretch a report.
If you do not understand any of the above requirements, consult a technician in a student computer lab and/or your word-processor's help document.

QUALITY OF WRITING AND PROOFREADING counts towards your GRADE.
  • Set aside time to EDIT your paper, and be serious about editing it. See my Editing Tips page for help with typical grammar, word choice, and punctuation problems. Do at least two edits, with at least a full day between them.
  • If I find the problems described on the Editing Tips page in your essays, you will lose points.
  • More guidance is available in usage guides such as the MLA style manual and numerous college writing manuals. Take advantage of our WRITING LAB, bldg. 10 room 130 (right across from our classroom). Tutors are there to help you remedy problems (NOT edit or proofread your paper). If you want their help, go there with a draft with several days' notice in which to make revisions they recommend, as well as specific questions.

PAPERS THAT DO NOT FOLLOW THESE FORMATTING AND EDITING GUIDELINES WILL SUFFER A REDUCED GRADE!!!

GRADING CRITERIA

Your paper will receive TWO grades, which will then be used to calculate an overall grade for the paper.

  1. Quality of content will determine the first grade: Is there substantial content (not a large number of words, but a lot of ideas)? Are the answers to the questions above relatively superficial (a collection of "interesting facts" that are new to you), or show effects on your fundamental views of language and how it functions in society?
  2. Quality of writing will determine the rest of the grade. This includes:
    • Organization of the whole paper and of individual sections and paragraphs;
    • The clarity and conciseness of the writing (wordiness is a major problem in student writing);
    • Complexity and variety of sentence structure;
    • Appropriate formality level (the response section can be relatively casual, but not at the level of informal conversation with your peers. Aim it at the level you would use with a boss or adult stranger).
    • Usage and mechanics: correct formal grammar, word usage, punctuation, spelling, and manuscript form such as indenting paragraphs, avoiding widows and orphans*, and following formatting instructions. Attention to the points treated on my Editing Tips page.
    • Proofreading: very few typos.

*Look these up in your word processor's help function.

The two grades will be combined to calculate a score out of 50, which is the value of the paper to your course grade. Content will deliver 70% of the grade (35 points) and writing quality will deliver 30% of the grade (15 points).

Incentive: I will award up to 2 additional points to your grade if the paper is exceptionally well-edited (usage, mechanics, proofreading).

BOOK LIST FOR BOOK REPORTS

Some titles have links either to the publisher's page or to Amazon's informational page. These will have short summaries of the book. You can also look for other books in Amazon; newer ones usually have samples of the text, a table of contents, etc.

POLITICS/LAW:

Super Lakoff, George. 2002. Moral Politics : How Liberals and Conservatives Think. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 471 pp. (big print). Hartman, Tomlinson

Super  Olsson, John. 2004. Forensic Linguistics. London/New York: Continuum. Forensic ling. is the use of linguistic analysis in solving crimes. 288 pp. Goldberg

Tiersma, Peter M. 2000. Legal Language. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 328 pp.

TECHNOLOGY:

Crystal, David. 2001. Language and the internet. Cambridge U. Press. 282 pp. 

Goodwyn, Andrew. 2000. English in the Digital Age: Information and Communications Technology (ITC) and the Teaching of English. London/New York: Continuum. 176 pp.

WORDS:

Super Aitchison, Jean. 1987. Words in the mind : an introduction to the mental lexicon /  Blackwell. 314 pp. O'Brien

Aitchison, Jean. 1997. The language web : the power and problem of words. Cambridge U Press.  139 pp.

(See also History of English below.)


LANGUAGE ACQUISITION BY CHILDREN:

O'Grady, William. 2005. How Children Learn Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge U. Press. 248 pp. Sheehan, Tirado

LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE:

Super Lakoff, George and Mark Turner. 1989. More Than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor. Chicago: U. of Chicago Press. 230 pp. Martin, L. Smith, Heaney

Super Short, Mick. Exploring the language of poems, plays, and prose. Longman. 399 pp.

COMMUNICATION:

Super Allan, Keith and Burridge, Kate. l991. Euphemism and dysphemism: language used as shield and weapon. Oxford. 263 pp.

Super Lakoff, George and Mark Johnson. 2003. Metaphors we live by. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 256 pp. Pollero, Rymel, Hamman, Eastridge

Nofsinger, Robert E. 1991. Everyday conversation. Newbury Park, CA: Sage publications. 180 pp. Barbosa

Tannen, Deborah. l986. That's not what I meant! New York: Ballantine. 214 pp. Potorff, Groff

GRAMMAR/CORRECTNESS:

Haussamen, Brock. 1997. Revising the rules: Traditional grammar and modern linguistics. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. 161 pp.

Wardhaugh, Ronald. 1999. Proper English: Myths and misunderstandings about language. Blackwell. 197 pp.

LANGUAGE AND SOCIETY / LANGUAGE AND GENDER

Crawford, James. 2000. At War with Diversity:  U.S. Language Policy in an Age of Anxiety. Multilingual Matters

Super Cameron, Deborah, ed. 1990. The feminist critique of language: A reader. London: Routledge. 368 pp.

Super Coates, Jennifer. 1993. Women, men, and language: A Sociolinguistic Account of sex differences in language. 2nd Edition. London and NY: Longman. 272 pp. Harper, Walker, Andros

Super  Conklin, Nancy F. and Margaret A. Lourie. 1983. A Host of Tongues: Language Communities in the United States. New York: The Free Press. 314 pp. 

Crystal, David. 2003. English as a global language. Cambridge U Press. 212 pp. Schaffnit
 
Super Lakoff, Robin Tolmach. 1990. Talking Power: The politics of language in our lives. New York: Basic Books. 324 pp.

Super McKay, Sandra lee and Sau-ling Cynthia Wong. 1988. Language diversity: Problem or resource? Boston: Heinle & Heinle. 386 pp.

Miller, Casey and Kate Swift. 2000. Words and women. 2nd Edition. Harper Collins. 244 pp.

Phillipson, Robt. Linguistic Imperialism. Oxford Univ. Press.

Schmidt, Ronald Sr. 2000. Language Policy and Identity Politics in the United States. Phila.: Temple U. Press. 296 pp.

Super Tannen, Deborah. 1994. Talking from 9 to 5 : how women's and men's conversational styles affect who gets heard, who gets credit, and what gets done at work. New York: W. Morrow. 368 pp.  Though long, Tannen's books are written for a general audience. Trevisan

Super Tannen, Deborah. 1998. The argument culture: Stopping America's war of words. Ballantine. 348 pp
 
LANGUAGE AND MINORITIES:

Baugh, John. 2002. Beyond Ebonics: Linguistic Pride and Racial Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford U. Press. 176 pp.Wansor

Crawford, James. 2004. Educating English Learners: Language Diversity in the Classroom. 5th Edition. Bilingual Educational Services.

Crystal, David. 2002. Language Death. Oxford U. Press. 198 pp.

Delpit, Lisa. 1995. Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. NY: The New Press. 206 pp. Gonzalez

Hinton, Leanne. 1994. Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian Languages. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books. 270 pp.  Orme

Nettle, Daniel and Suzanne Romaine. 2000. Vanishing voices: The extinction of the world's languages. 241 pp. Oxford U. Press.

Perry, Theresa, and Lisa Delpit, eds. 1998. The real ebonics debate : power, language, and the education of African-American children. Boston: Beacon Press. 227 pp. Galeria

Super Rickford, John R. 1999. African American vernacular English : features, evolution, educational implications. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 399 pp.

Rickford, John. R. and Russell J. Rickford. 2000. Spoken soul : the story of Black English. NY: John Wiley & Sons. 267 pp.

Super Wolfram, Walt, and Donna Christian. 1989. Dialects and education: Issues and answers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Regents. 150 pp. Borsgard, E. Smith

Super Wolfram, Walt and Natalie Schilling-Estes. 1998. American English: Dialects and Variation. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 398 pp. 
LANGUAGE CHANGE/HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Jean Aitchison. 1994. Language change : progress or decay?  Cambridge U Press.  258 pp.

Super Bailey, Richard. l991. Images of English: A Cultural History of the Language. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press 329 pp.

Super Beal, Joan C. 2004. English in Modern Times: 1700-1945.  Oxford: Oxford U. Press. 264 pp.

Hughes, Geoffrey. 1989.  Words in time: a social history of the English vocabulary. Oxford: Blackwell. 270 pp.

Super Hughes, Geoffrey. 2000. A history of English words. Blackwell. 430 pp. A tome! But beautiful!