The course works through in detail how to construct a formal syntactic theory that can accommodate the central syntactic phenomena of a typologically diverse range of grammar.  Lexical-Functional Grammar is the theory most often developed, but certain others might be, instead.

On completing the course, students should have the ability to:

1. Understand how the theory considered applies to the grammatical structure of English and a range of other languages
2. With help, read professional literature that applies the theory considered to grammatical phenomena
3. With guidance, apply the theory to the grammatical phenomena of an unfamiliar language
4. Identify phenomena that might be either problematic or especially supportive for the theory

1. Three assessed problem-sets illustrating the application of theoretical ideas to concrete data (50% outcomes 1,3)
2. Briefly annotated bibliography on some topic, which would constitute good basic research for a paper (10% outcome 2)
3. A research essay, 2500-3000 words, which can either be an original investigation and analysis of some aspect of the syntax of a language, or a comparison of the way in which two different syntactic theories would handle some kind of syntactic phenomenon (40%, outcomes 2,4)

2 lectures, 1 tutorial, plus approximately 5 hrs/week study

Ling 6003, Introduction to Syntax

A brick to be made available