Intermediate syntax

Aims

Aims

The aim of the module is to develop the tools of syntactic analysis and description that you began to acquire in the first year, and to introduce you to a more formal syntactic framework that will equip you with the theoretical apparatus and the skills to solve syntactic problems.

By the end of this module, students will typically:

• Have an understanding of some basic concepts in the formal analysis of syntactic data
• Know how to make use of theoretical tools from syntactic theory in the analysis of complex data
• Begin to be able to evaluate theoretical claims 
• Begin to be able to develop written arguments in the syntactic style

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Students must have successfully completed:

•  L11C Introduction to syntax

Information for visiting students: visiting students may not register for this module without the prior approval of the module instructor who will evaluate whether your pre-requisite knowlege is sufficient.

Programme

Programme

Contact hours

Circa twenty-eight hours of lectures and practicals.

Teaching programme

Two and a half hours per week of staff contact in the Spring Term with the remainder in the Summer Term. You will also be expected to meet in small groups outside of class time to prepare some of the formative work.

As well as reading, you will have problems to solve each week, some of the answers to which you will be asked to present to other members of the class. You will also be given other work to be done in groups which you will present orally to the class.

Teaching materials

• Adger, David (2003) Core Syntax

Suggestions for reading before the module starts

Review Haegeman, Liliane. 2006. Thinking Syntactically: A Guide to Argumentation and Analysis. Blackwell.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on formative work

Oral feedback to group and individuals from both instructor and other students in practical classes. Model answers presented by students, with further comments and corrections. Opportunity for further individual consultation, including during surgery hours.

Summative assessment and feedback

• Coursework
  • Description: Weekly formative work will include two essays to be submitted in Week 7 of Spring term and Week 1 of Summer term which are marked summatively.
  • Weight: 40%
  • Feedback: Departmental feedback sheet with a mark on the University scale for individual assignments completed during term, returned to student with the assignment two (term-time) weeks after submission with opportunity for further individual consultation. Students return the assignments to the lecturer to form part of summative assessment.
• Two-hour closed examination
  • Summer Term, Weeks 5-7
  • Weight: 60%
  • Feedback: Mark on University mark scale. Model answer and/or an opportunity to see scripts at an appointed time in the term following assessment.

Skills

Transferable skills developed in this module

All modules provide an opportunity to work on general oral/written communication skills (in class and in assessments) and general self management (organising your studies), alongside the specific skills in language or linguistics that the module teaches.

In addition, this module will allow you to particularly develop skills in:

• collaborating with others: you will solve problems together with other students in small groups and you will agree with others how best to synthesise information you have learnt.
• problem solving: in this module you will explore the link between real life syntactic data and a generative theory of syntax.
• argumentation: having learnt how researchers test different theoretical hypotheses and use the results to argue for a particular approach, you will learn to apply this approach to your own analyses.

Follow this link to hear how past students use transferable skills from their degree in their current jobs.