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CC 303: Latin and Greek Elements in English

David Cramer
Time: MTWTF 8:30-9:45
Place: WAG 420
Unique Number 82650

Office: WAG 111
Office Hours MTWTF 9:45-10:15
Office Phone 471-5742
E-Mail: dwc@mail.utexas.edu

Required Texts:

• D. M. Ayers, English Words from Latin and Greek Elements, second edition (revised by T. D. Worthen).
  
• A comprehensive, contemporary dictionary of the English language with etymologies. (E.g. the most recent American Heritage, Random House, or Merriam-Webster college or unabridged editions. See Ayers p. 16).
• Lakoff, Robin Tolmach. Talking Power, The Politics of Language. (New York: Basic Books 1990)

Course Objectives:

The primary aim of this course is to offer a systematic approach to vocabulary building, based on the study of Greek and Latin elements in the English language. The course will also help foster a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the English language and how it evolves and functions.

This course will naturally involve a substantial amount of memorization Students are therefore advised to design, as soon a possible, a suitable study method (e.g. flash cards, word lists, etc.). Keep a notebook of all your assignments and work for the course. Periodically and without advanced notice I will collect these notebooks and use them to assign a class participation grade. I may also periodically and without advanced notice collect and grade individual assignments.

Requirements:

A full 20% of your grade will be based on class participation which is based on your notebooks, individual assignments, occasional quizzes, and attendance. The remaining 80% will be based on the four exams, all of which will count equally. Exams will focus on the new material, although they will be to some extent cumulative. I do not give make-up exams. If you miss an exam, I will count your final exam grade in place of the missed exam. You may only do this once, however, so donžt miss two exams!

Attendance is mandatory. Exams will cover all material from class, including material not covered in the textbook. Customers of note-taking services should be aware that these services tend to be inaccurate from time to time; in the event of a discrepancy, the instructor wins.

The exam schedule, subject to minor modifications, is as follows:

• Exam I: June 12/Latin Lessons 1-12
• Exam II: June 23/Latin Lessons 13-24
• Exam III: July 1/Latin Lesson 25-Greek 9
• Final: July 10, 2-5pm/Room TBA/Greek Lessons 10-19

There will be no make-up exams.

Scholastic Dishonesty and University Policies:

Scholastic dishonesty on any graded assignment will result in a failing grade (F), which you may not drop. Scholastic dishonesty includes any kind of cheating; if you are unsure about the exact definition you should consult A Student's Guide to Living in the Heart of Texas, pp. 10-11, or the General Information Bulletin, Appendix C, Chapter 11. In this and other matters I will follow the policies outlined in A Studentžs Guide to Living in the Heart of Texas.

I will be happy to discuss appropriate accommodations for any students with disabilities. Please be ready to provide documentation from the Office of the Dean of Students--Services for Students with Disabilities.

Other Resources:

Computer users might want to become acquainted with the Usenet newsgroup alt.usage.english, which sometimes discusses the kind of material wežll be addressing in this class. Also, you might look at the following web sites:

• History of the English Language Online (will lead you to many other interesting sites)
• Hopefully, youžll like this site
• Merriam Webster's dictionary
• The Oakland Unified School District's position on Ebonics
• Amended Policy Statement
• Ebonics: Black English in the Classroom. A collection of useful sites for understanding the Ebonics debate.
• English Grammar Online
• Help with acronyms

For students who are interested in going a bit beyond the limits of the class, I append a short, select list of useful and interesting books on the English language, with an emphasis on etymology.

• The Oxford English Dictionary, second edition. In twenty volumes, the authoritative reference on the English language. Also available on CD-ROM in the PCL reference department.
• Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, by E. Partridge. A fine, accessible (inexpensive) reference work.
• The Story of English, second edition, by R. McCrum, W. Cran, and R. MacNeil. Based on a nine part PBS series, available on videotape from the UGL AV collection.
• The American Heritage Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. A fascinating glimpse into the earliest discernible stages of the Indo-European family of languages. Now in the back of the 3rd ed. of The American Heritage dictionary.
• Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins, in three volumes, by W. And M. Morris.
• The Language Instinct, How the Mind Creates Language, by Steven Pinker. A readable explanation of how language works, how children learn it, how the brain uses it, etc. He argues that language is an instinct wired into our brains just as web spinning in spiders.
• Style, Toward Clarity and Grace. by Joseph M. Williams. A style guide based on solid linguistics. Makes your prose gooder by teaching you writing strategies rather than simplistic dos and donžts.
• Metaphors We Live By. by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson. Discusses how we use metaphors from a well structured aspect of our experience to structure less well structured areas and the consequenses of this activity... Read it! P 106 L235 PCL Stacks (but popular and usually checked out).
• Women Fire and Dangerous Things, What Categories Reveal about the Mind. by George Lakoff. Discusses categorization and the "prototype effects" which classical theories of categorization cannot deal with. Extends the work undertaken in Metaphors We Live By. P 37 L344 1987 PCL Stacks.