This course, taught by a specialist in the history of English grammar, investigates the elements of the English language and how these elements are organised in such a way as to allow speakers and writers to combine them to convey messages which can be instantly decoded by listeners (readers). The emphasis will be on grammar (syntax and morphology), although we will also explore some of the connections between grammar and semantics. In the first and larger part of the course, students will be introduced to the grammar of Standard Modern English, learning terminology and analytical techniques which linguists use to build on and modify traditional grammar. The structural characteristics of English will be compared with those of other languages where appropriate. The last part of the course will deal with variation in English, including regional, social and stylistic variation.  Special attention will be paid to ‘new Englishes' which have arisen as a result of the learning of English as a second language by people whose first language is not English.  A course website is used which includes unique interactive exercises designed by the lecturer to develop students' analytical skills.

On satisfying the requirements of the course, students will be able to:

1. Analyse a wide range of English syntactic and morphological structures, applying the grammatical terminology and analytical techniques they have learned in the course and the LING 6020 readings.

2. Systematically analyse differences between different varieties of English.

3. Use the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online and demonstrate their understanding of the information provided in the entries and also the ability to use the advanced search functions of this dictionary.

4. Demonstrate their understanding of different approaches to one area of English grammar through a written report which summarises key similarities and differences in assigned readings on this area.

5. Undertake guided research on a topic in some area relating to issues discussed in the course.

Two analytical assignments (2-3 pages of data; 3-4 pages of answers, 25% each) [LOs 1-3]

Literature Review of 1500-1800 words (20%) [LO 4]

Research Paper of 2800-3000 words(30%) [LO 5]

2 hours of lecture for 13 weeks.

1 hour of tutorial per week for 10 weeks.

Students can expect a workload of 10 hours per week including contact hours.

No prior assumed knowledge.

LENG1020, LING1020, LING2020 and LENG2020 Structure of English.