ENGL221 Introduction to Linguistic Analysis

If it is too specific, specialized, or new, it will be difficult finding enough information to write your paper this quarter. In that case, you will need to broaden your idea.

You will need to begin with a bit of preliminary research. I generally provide a paper topic, but within that generality, you will need to select something that
- Interests you
- Is researchable
- Can be concluded in the time you have
- Is likely to impress your professor.
  - That means, among other things, staying within the assigned topic area. Professors are very leery, and for good reason, of papers off topic because they are so often bought off the internet of recycled from fraternity and sorority vertical files.
  - Similarly, avoid trying to recycle a paper you wrote for another class, particularly in high school. Very different criteria apply and it's rarely quite on topic anyway.
- Does not get you hopping mad.
  A word about this: choose something you can write positively about. If something makes you angry, and you want to debunk it, there is a tendency to write an opinion paper more appropriate as a letter to the editor than a balanced piece of research. High schools and entry exams love to assign them and they often turn up in freshman comp, but they are deadly in most subject area courses.
Be prepared to revise your topic as you research your paper.

Let's presume that you have a topic, and even some ideas. Now, you don't want to waste time researching at the wrong level. If you are new to a field, most topics are too broad. The result is that to cover the topic well, you'd need to write a book.

Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper on childhood first language acquisition. This topic could develop in many different ways. I'm only listing a few here as examples.

To Narrow Your Topic: Ask Yourself Questions About Your Interests given the assignment's requirements.

Example: You want to write a paper about chidhood language acquisition. However, that's huge. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of books, articles, and websites have been written on the subject.

What do you know about it? What don't you know?
What aspects of your topic interest you:

Species: What do songbirds, whales, dolphins, and humans have incommon in terms of language/communication acquistion? How are all of them different from, say, chimpanzees or bonobos?
Historical: how people have 'taught' their kids to talk in the past
Sociological: do different cultures, social classes, educational groups, schooling vs. individual parenting, or other methods or environmental elements make a difference in the outcome?
Psychological: does a supportive atmosphere work best? one in which the child is shamed and/or corrected for each error, some other method?
Physiological: physical or learning disabilities, neurological issues, etc.?

What time period do you want to cover? Only newer research? What's your cut off point and why?
On what geographic region do you want to focus and why? Just research done in the U.S.? Children in developed countries? Children of parents in Pennsylvania? Children in suburban vs. urban settings?
Etc.

Don't pick em all. Pick one small, small, small thing. As you read more, you'll learn enough to narrow it still further.

Now, ask yourself what kind of information you need?

A brief summary of the field to get you started such as Wikipedia or encyclopedia articles?
A more lengthy explanation by a single author? Do you have time to read a book on the subject, and if so, how recent is it? Why select this author/study? Is it timely, or older (in linguistics, beware of studies more than 15 years old, and of things that turn up in the popular press. Particularly when it has to do with children, there are plenty of websites and such out there vying for parents' interest and dollars.
Are there other authors that you can see disagree with your original author? Is the arguement interesting? Might you report on that?
Do you have time to, will the topic require, a number of periodical articles, books, essays? What is your selection process.
Will you need statistics? How will you select and evaluate them?

As you can see, a good paper at university cannot be undertaken the day before it is due.

How to Broaden Your Topic

Example: I'm thinking of doing a paper on "why rude language should be made illegal or strongly discouraged."

This topic as stated is not a good candidate for a research paper? Why? The author already has an opinion, and is likely to create an editorial, seeking out authors who agree with her.

How can this be turned into a more manageable topic?

Restate the question:

Hint 1: Look for parallels and opportunities for broader associations:

The history/anthropology of rude words: Could you examine whether rude words are generally present in all human langauges and cultures?
Could you think broadly about how different generations feel about rude words and what kind of rude words your generation vs. your parent's generation, vs. your grandparent's generation?
Who are the key players/stakeholders in this controversy? The federal government (what did the U.S. Supreme Court have to say in FCC vs. Pacifica Foundation, 1978?) Universities and libraries? Broadcasters, publishers, webmasters? Scientists?
What other issues are involved in this topic? For example: what is the neurolingistics of using profanity/rude words? Is it neurologically the same as/different from less charged speech? Does the speaker/listener/reader have the same control over it?

Hint 2: Brainstorm! (and ask a reference librarian!)

2002; Last revised July 14, 2008
Dr. Bonnie Duncan
bduncan@millersville.edu
1-717-871-2080
English Department
Millersville University
Millersville, PA 17551

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