Nicholas B. Aoki

Sample Slides (Introduction to Linguistics)

Week	Topic	Content
2	Introductory Concepts	Course Logistics, Definition of Language, Linguistic Relativity, Arbitrariness, Sound Symbolism, Study Tips
3	Phonetics and Phonology	Benefits of Cold Calling, Vowels, Consonants, Minimal Pairs, Allophones
4	Morphology	Morphological Processes, Morphology Trees, Allomorphy
5	Syntax	Midterm Tips, Consituents, Phrase-Structure Rules, Syntactic Trees, Syntactic Ambiguity, Argument Structure, Recursion
6	Midterm Review	Extended Office Hour Schedule, Practice Problems for Concepts from Weeks 2-5
7	Semantics and Pragmatics	Lexical-Semantic Relations, Entailment, Implicature, Presupposition, Compositionality, Conceptual Metaphors
8	Linguistic Typology and Historical Linguistics	Absolute and Implicational Universals, Grammatical Change, Sound Change, Borrowing
9	Psycholinguistics and Sociolinguistics	Dialect Variation, Language and Politics, Indirectness, Semantic Priming
10	Final Exam Study Guide	Extended Office Hour Schedule, List of Important Concepts from Weeks 2-9

Sample Student Evaluations

Course	Comment
Introduction to Linguistics	Nicholas was one of the best TA's I've had. Very helpful in understanding topics and super understanding and patient.
Introduction to Linguistics	His teaching of the material was very effective. I also like how he created his own slides where he broke down every topic and made it easier to understand. I feel like those slides really helped me in getting a better understanding of the material. He had a great grasp of the material that he taught during the discussion.
Introduction to Linguistics	The TA-led discussion sections were crucial to my understanding of the material in this course. The TA presented information clearly and understandably. They were very receptive to student questions and feedback, clearly wanting students to succeed and helping put us in the best position to do so.
Introduction to Psycholinguistics	Nick was a very effective TA. I have not seen this level of detailed and constructive writing feedback in other courses, and he always returned work timely and with specific, not-trite comments. I appreciated his effort throughout the course.
Introduction to Psycholinguistics	While the grading was harsh in the beginning, Nicholas gave such great comments and thoughtful advice. He knows the material extremely well, and was quick to respond to any concerns/emails. I appreciate the critical lens in which he gave feedback, as I could better know how to improve!
Introduction to Psycholinguistics	Nick was constantly communicative with the entire course. He takes the time to give us each individualized feedback on each writing assignment with insightful, beneficial comments. His comments pushed us to put in effort and thought into our assignments and papers, and he was present and attentive in every lecture section. When we emailed, he responded promptly and thoroughly. Wonderful TA!!!