L700 Seminar on Phonological Acquisition (3 credits)
Spring 2008
Section number:  25602
TR 2:30 to 3:45, BH 011
Instructor:  Daniel A. Dinnsen

This seminar will focus on theoretical, descriptive, experimental,
and methodological issues in phonological acquisition.  Findings
from the current literature will be examined with the intent of
establishing the empirical characteristics of developing systems,
evaluating theoretical proposals, refining methodological skills,
and identifying potential applications.  Topics will include:  the
nature of children’s underlying representations, interacting and
implicationally related error patterns, opacity effects (i.e.,
generalizations that are either not surface-true or not surface-
apparent), learning algorithms, disparities between developing and
fully developed phonologies, and conspiracies.  A background in
optimality theory would be helpful, but not essential.

The seminar will involve students in a survey of the literature,
class presentations and a final paper. The final paper can be on any
approved topic relating to phonological acquisition (e.g., a (re)
analysis of some corpus, a cross-linguistic typology of learners’
error patterns, or a proposal for an experimental or descriptive
study (including rationale, methodology, predictions)).  Students
will be encouraged to work on languages or populations (e.g., L1,
L2, bilinguals, disorders) that are most relevant to their primary
areas of interest.

Prerequisites:  L542 or consent of instructor

For more information, contact:  Dan Dinnsen, Linguistics (5-7948 or
dinnsen@indiana.edu)