Studying at York
Advanced Topics in Syntax - LAN00003H
Module summary
Broadening the empirical coverage of previous syntax modules, extending to languages beyond English, with a focus on syntactic structures and syntactic features.
Related modules
Pre-requisite modules
Co-requisite modules
- None
Prohibited combinations
- None
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Spring Term 2022-23 to Summer Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
This module aims to support independent research in formal generative syntax by encouraging discussion with staff and peers engaged in related research.
Note that a Research Extension module can be taken alongside this module, for students who wish to write a dissertation.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students will typically:
- have an overview of the core syntactic properties of clausal structure across a variety of languages
- be familiar with modern generative accounts of different clausal constituent orders
- be able to read and evaluate primary theoretical literature on syntactic analysis
- plan, research and write a final essay on formal syntactic description and analysis
Module content
The module will run seminar-style, with a focus on different clausal structures, in the first instance across languages of Europe, from Irish to Russian. Students will read articles and chapters, and will be called upon to make presentations of parts of the readings. Part of each seminar meeting will be given over to summarisation of the key points and main implications of the analyses. Students will choose their topic for the final essay after the first eight weeks of classes.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Formative feedback
Written feedback within 10 working days.
Summative feedback
Written feedback within 20 working days.
Indicative reading
Selected indicative readings:
Adger, David. 2003. Core Syntax. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Zanuttini, Raffaella. 1994. Re-examining Negative Clauses. In G. Cinque et al. (eds.) Paths towards Universal Grammar, Studies in Honor of Richard S. Kayne. Georgetown, Georgetown University Press, 427-451.
Mikkelsen, Line. 2015. VP anaphora and verb-second order in Danish. Journal of Linguistics 51, 595-643.
Gribanova, Vera. 2017. Head movement and ellipsis in the expression of Russian polarity focus. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 35, 1079-1121.
McCloskey, James. 2017. Ellipsis, polarity and the cartography of verb-initial orders in Irish. In Enoch Aboh, Eric Haeberli, Genoveva Puskás, and Manuela Schönenberger (eds.), Elements of comparative syntax: Theory and description. Berlin, De Gruyter, 99-151.
Vicente, Luis. 2009. An alternative to remnant movement for partial predicate fronting. Syntax 12, 158-191.
Zeijlstra, Hedde. 2008. On the syntactic flexibility of formal features. In: Theresa Biberauer (ed), The Limits of Syntactic Variation. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 143-174.