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Linguistics 20: Hints on how to study
Bruce Hayes
Department of Linguistics
UCLA
People sometimes ask advice on how to study for Linguistics 20. In principle, you should go with whatever method best helps you learn the material, but you might take a look at the following suggestions. All of them are embarrassingly old-fashioned, but maybe they will help.
Show up to class. Yes indeed, the readings match the class pretty closely. But here is my own perspective: I find that I understand academic journal articles more easily if I've already heard the author give the same paper orally at a conference. The same principle might work for you, too.
Print out the readings, don't try to read them on screen. Quite a few of your brain cells get preempted by the need to interpret those crummy little pixels.
Scribble comments and questions in the margins of the readings. You can take the questions to class or office hours.
Study the derivations (places where rules are applied to forms) with particular care. Where they get complicated, grab a yellow pad (the linguist's friend!) and copy them down, line by line.
Distinguish active from passive understanding. Once a very nice student who had gotten a dreadful grade from me visited my office hours and told me that I was so clear in my lectures that he thought he was understanding every word. He was understanding every word, but he hadn't translated his passive understanding into active understanding. Active understanding means you can apply the rules and theories by yourself starting from scratch.
Find friends to study with. Don't do all your studying in groups, since you have to prove to yourself that you know the material. But talking it over with friends is often quite helpful. Note: be very careful that you don't copy each other's homework, even by accident; the Ling. 20 staff will prosecute all such cases. For safety in this matter, do your write-up alone.
Visit tomb-like, serious places when you study the hardest material. The YRL upper floors and reference area would be a good bet.
Further suggestions for this page are welcome; send them to me at
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Last modified September 27, 2006