LINGUIST 200
Syntax
Please note: this is archived course information from 2018 for LINGUIST 200.
Description
Continues on from LINGUIST 100 or 103 and consists of a formal and a functional part, providing problems and exercises in syntactic analysis, as well as an introduction to grammatical theories and types of grammatical systems.
Course overview
This course will introduce you to the basic concepts central to an understanding of syntax from either a functional-typological perspective, or a formal perspective, and will expose you to the way these operate differently in different languages. These two perspectives are not in opposition to each other; rather, they are complementary, each one providing important insights into the nature of human language. The textbook provides an excellent overview of the basic data that underlies our descriptions of syntactic systems, and the terminology we use to discuss them. This will be supplemented in lectures with material demonstrating how the concepts are formalised, related and employed in syntactic theory.
No prior knowledge of any other language is assumed.
You are expected to attend and actively participate in the Tutorials which, for LINGUIST 200 begin in the FIRST week of the semester! The tutorial sessions will largely be based on the exercises found in the set text book. Answers to these exercises are not provided in the text book and will not be posted online during the course. You will receive a set of answers only if you attend the tutorial and attempt the exercises yourself.
Course outcomes
A student who successfully completes this course should:
- Know the names of major and minor word classes, thematic roles, grammatical functions and the grammatical categories associated with major word classes
- Understand and carry out morpho-syntactic analysis of different languages, including the identification of heads and dependents, constituents, different aspects, moods and clause types
- Acquire skills in critical thinking, academic literacy, collection and presentation of linguistic data
Availability 2018
Semester 1
Lecturer(s)
Coordinator(s) Dr Saurov Syed
Reading/Texts
Readings will be made available.
Assessment
Coursework + exam
Points
LINGUIST 200: 15 points
Prerequisites
LINGUIST 100 or 103
