Latvian Descriptive Grammar 3020-1B1GLO

The course gives an introduction to the phonetics and the phonological system, the grammatical categories and the syntax of modern standard Latvian.
The aim of the lectures is to explain the principles of grammatical structure, the functions of grammatical categories etc., but ample attention is paid to the practical aspects of the learning process, viz. to the process of mastering the rules allowing the students to construct inflectional complete paradigms on the basis of the grammatical information supplied by the dictionaries. The grammatical system presented is basically that of modern Standard Latvian, with some attention for colloquial variants; obsolete forms and constructions, even those found in the classical writers, are not dealt with.

Type of course

obligatory courses

Mode

Classroom

Prerequisites (description)

A degree of proficiency in Latvian at A2 level is highly desirable if the course is to yield the learning outcomes defined below.

Learning outcomes

On completion of thye course the student:
(KNOWLEDGE)
- has a theoretical knowledge of the phonetic and phonological features of Latvian, including those not reflected in the standard orthography (such as consonant quantity, opposition of and <æ>);
- recognizes all the inflectional forms of both verbs and nouns used in modern Standard Latvian and is aware of their functions;
- understands the underlying principles of Latvian clause and sentence structure;
(SKILLS)
- is able to pronounce Latvian correctly with respect to segmental features as well as with respect with part of the prosodic features (except pitch accent, of which only a theoretical awareness is expected);
- is able to inflect Latvian words with the aid of a dictionary listing the basic inflectional forms and properties.
- is able to construct relatively elementary sentences in Latvian, both simple and complex, using the most productive syntactic patterns.

Assessment criteria

A condition for the obtention of term credits is regular attendance and preparation for classes.
The course is concluded by an examination consisting of an oral and written part. Obtention of the term credits is a precondition for admission. The written part consists of constructing, with the aid of a dictionary, a number of inflectional forms of nouns and verbs.
The oral part will consist of three questions pertaining to problems of Latvian phonetics/phonology, morphology, and syntax.

Bibliography

handouts and syllabus supplied by the teacher