LING6003 Introduction to Syntax
| Offered By | School of Language Studies |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Graduate Coursework |
| Course Subject | Linguistics |
| Offered in | First Semester, 2009 and First Semester, 2010 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description |
Students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of syntax and to a wide variety of syntactic structures found in the world's languages, and to the methods used to to basic analysis in the syntax of both familiar languages (e.g. English) and unfamiliar ones (e.g. Warlpiri) |
| Learning Outcomes | Students should be able to do basic syntactic analysis of a language for which a comprehensive grammatical description has not been worked out, and to evaluate claims about the grammatical structure of languages. |
| Indicative Assessment |
3 assignments, 16.6% each, 2 in the first teaching period, one in the second (near the beginning). These are a combination of analytical problems and tests of comprehension of concepts presented, such as drawing structure trees. One Research Paper 25%, due in second to last week of semester, investigating some topic in grammatical analysis (e.g. ergativity in the languages of the world, relative clauses in language X known by the student, etc.). One Take-Home Final Exam 25%, being a substantial grammatical analysis problem. 9am pickup, 12 noon return, next day. |
| Workload | 3 contact hours per week, + 7 for reading and review of materials |
| Course Classification(s) | TransitionalTransitional courses are designed for students from a broad range of backgrounds and learning achievements, which provide for the acquisition of generic skills; or an informed understanding of contemporary issues; or fundamental knowledge for transition to Advanced or Specialist courses. |
| Areas of Interest | Linguistics and Applied Linguistics |
|
Assumed Knowledge and Required Skills |
Standard entry requirements for ANU postgraduate coursework. An adequate command of English. |
| Corequisites | Linguistics 6001 (Introduction to Linguistics) |
| Prescribed Texts | Reading brick |
| Preliminary Reading | Pinker, Stephen (1995) The Language Instinct, ch 4 |
| Indicative Reading List |
Some recommended texts are : Chomsky, A.Noam (1957). Syntactic Structures. The Hague: Mouton. Comrie, Bernard (1989). Language Universals and Linguistic Typology. Revised edition. Oxford: Blackwell. Kroeger, Paul (2005). Analyzing Grammar: an Introduction. Cambridge University Press. Shopen, Timothy (2007). Language Typology and Syntactic Description, 2nd edition. 3 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge Universiy Press. Van Valin, R.D. and R. LaPolla (1997) Syntax: structure, meaning and function. Cambridge University Press. |
| Technology Requirements | Standard web browser |
| Programs | Graduate Certificate in Applied Japanese Linguistics, Graduate Diploma in Applied Linguistics, Master of Applied Linguistics, and Master of Linguistics |
| Academic Contact | Dr Avery Andrews |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2009 website applies to the 2009 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2008 website.
