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
Additional information
Pre-requisite module
Intermediate Syntax
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 2 2023-24 |
Module aims
This module aims to support independent research in formal generative syntax by encouraging discussion with staff and peers, engaging with materials from current high-level research.
Note that a Research Extension module can be taken alongside this module, for students who wish to write a dissertation.
Module learning outcomes
Before you start the module you should:
-
be familiar with the principles of generative syntax
-
be familiar with the concepts of the architecture of grammar
-
be able to understand and formulate complex argumentation
By the end of the module students should minimally:
-
be familiar with theoretical and empirical issues regarding major parametric differences in clausal structure, constituent order, and formal mechanisms of analysis
-
be able to engage with primary research literature
-
be able to conduct independent syntactic research
-
be able to 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 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 in the second half of the semester.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 20 |
| Essay/coursework | 80 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 20 |
| Essay/coursework | 80 |
Module feedback
Written and oral feedback on formative assessments within 10 working days.
Written and oral feedback on summative assessments within 25 working days.
Indicative reading
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.
Walkden, George. 2016. Eastern Generative Grammar summer school lectures on V2, 1-16.
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.
Abels, Klaus. 2001. The predicate cleft construction in Russian. In Steven Franks and Michael Yadroff (eds.), Formal Approaches to Slavic Linguistics 9. Bloomington, IN, Michigan Slavic Publications, 1-19.
Vicente, Luis. 2009. An alternative to remnant movement for partial predicate fronting. Syntax 12, 158-191.
Harizanov, Boris and Vera Gribanova. 2019. Whither head movement? Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 37, 461-522.