Mysteries of language

The course objectives are introducing students to linguistic research and terminology in English, teaching students the use of online resources for linguistic analysis and experiment, and mastering the basics of original linguistic research. The course requirements include weekly readings in English, written homework or LMS assignments and a presentation of the students’ original research. In tackling various linguistic “mysteries” of different difficulty levels, students understand the broader linguistic principles underlying them. Sample questions on morphology, syntax and semantics include: Why is there a word washable, but no such word as *cryable? Why can one reshoot a movie, but not *reshoot an animal?Why can one be unhappy, but not *unsad? Why are words like brunchor smogextremely common in English but less so in Russian? Why can antonyms have the same meaning, as in fat chance= slim chance? What is the difference between closeand near? Which mechanisms allow one to derive unintentional humorous interpretations in the following newspaper headings: Two Ships Collide – One Dies; Enraged Cow Injures Farmer with Ax;

Kicking Baby Considered To Be Healthy; Deaf Mute Gets New Hearing in Killing? Why does the morning start earlier for a speaker of English than for a speaker of Russian?

Why are oats plural in English and singular in Russian, but money singular in English and plural in Russian? Why is Yes, I couldan inappropriate answer to the phrase Could you pass the salt? Students also try their hand in original research on the topics of their choice, with sample topics including “What is the difference between Russian утроand English morning?”, “How is the English prefix –un (cf. unplug, unrelated, unbalance, unbend, unconscious) different from the Russian prefix не-?’, “Describe one typical mistake that Russian learners of English (English learners of Russian) make and explain why it occurs”.