Studying at York
Issues in the Syntax & Semantics Interface - LAN00068M
- Department: Language and Linguistic Science
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
This modules explores areas where the interplay between formal syntax and formal semantics is necessary in understanding the nature of empirical realities and for the understanding of the workings of both syntax and semantics
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
This module aims:
To provide students with an opportunity to discuss cutting edge research in core issues involving the interplay of syntax, semantics, and the lexicon.
To develop the students' ability to deal with higher complexity sets of data and develop a theoretically informed understanding of the issues and challenges that they raise.
To support independent research in formal generative syntax and semantics and the interface between them; one or two main themes will be chosen each year eg. nominals and events.
To develop specific research skills linked to abstract theoretical work (i.e. discover the connectedness of seemingly disparate ideas and go beyond binary branching reasoning)
Module learning outcomes
At the end of the module the students will:
- Know in depth the specific issues arising in the syntax and semantics of the areas chosen each year as the focus of the module.
- Be familiar with the primary literature in these areas.
- Be able to formulate theoretically relevant analyses of novel observations.
- Understand the value of theoretical argumentation in building a complete analysis
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Additional assessment information
Formative work includes presentations (with handouts) and a proposal for the main essay.
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback on essay topic proposal, drafts of essays and seminar presentations will be provides in one-to-one meetings or in class in the case of presentations.
Indicative reading
Noam Chomsky: Three Factors in Language Design, Linguistic Inquiry 2005 36:1, 1-22
Gennaro Chierchia: Logic in Grammar, OUP, 2013
Jessica Rett: The semantics of evaluativity, OUP 2015
George Tsoulas: The common syntax of Deixis and Affirmation, in: Order and structure in syntax I: Word order and syntactic structure, Language Science Press, Berlin, pp. 281-309.