Syntax 3301-L1S
This is a one-semester class course complementing the lectures. The course relies on open discussion, group work and problem solving activities to promote the perception of language as process rather than product. The course introduces elements of descriptive syntax (major syntactic processes and categories) . Basic phrase structure rules are examined along with constituency tests (e.g. movement, coordination, gapping, ellipsis, clefting, pseudo-clefting) and elements of X-bar syntax. Constituency tests are a necessary tool in the process of distinguishing between phrasal verbs and prepositional verbs. The relations of precedence and dominance are used to define sentence functions. Complements, adjuncts and specifiers within noun phrases, adjectival phrases, verb phrases are introduced together with a battery of tests to distinguish between adjuncts and complements. A generative account of premodification and postmodification is offered with a view to helping students with the task of learning English as a foreign language.
Type of course
Course coordinators
Mode
Learning outcomes
Learning outcomes
A) KNOWLEDGE (cognitive domain)
On completing the course, students
- know the basic mechanisms of syntactic analysis and understand the required terminology
- understand the methodology of syntactic and morpho-syntactic research into English as a first or second language
- are acquainted with the key assumptions of present-day descriptive and applied syntax
- know the mechanics of research in the domain of formal syntax and appreciate its impact on EFL methodology
B) SKILLS (psychomotor domain)
On completing the course, students can
- relate the basic patterns of pedagogical grammar to the theoretical models proposed in the generative framework
- identify syntactic regularities and instances of their violations in everyday communication, both native and non-native
- design their own research tasks: from formulating the problem to interpreting the data
C) ATTITUDES (affective domain)
On completing the course, students perceive and appreciate
- communication as a socially driven and culture-dependent phenomenon
- the usefulness of grammatical and lexical competences in establishing social roles
- the equidistance principle in the study of language varieties (descriptive vs. prescriptive grammar)
Bibliography
Borsley, Robert D. 1991. Syntactic Theory. A unified approach. London: Edward Arnold.
Burton-Roberts, Noel 1987. Analysing sentences. An introduction to English syntax. London: Longman.
Carnie, Andrew 2002. Syntax. A generative introduction. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
Moravcsik, Edith 2006. An introduction to syntactic theory. London: Continuum.
Radford, Andrew 1989. Transformational grammar. A first course. Cambridge: CUP.
Additional information
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