Syntax and morphology of English 15-SIMJAN-OG-22

(First semester of a two-semester course - continues as 15-SIMJAN-OG-22.)

The main aims of the course are: (i) to provide students with knowledge in the area of English syntax with respect to phrase structure, rules of sentence formation, derivational processes, and the role of lexical information in instigating structure building; with the description following recent models of the theory of Generative Grammar., (ii) to develop students’ synthetic and analytical skills of the description of syntactic structures, and to provide them with the basic terminology needed for such a description, (iii) to provide students with basic information on English morphology and morphological derivation, and (iv) to develop students’ ability of empirical verification of the theoretical proposals, including the ability of comparative, cross-linguistic analysis. The course comprises 30 hours of lectures and 60 hours of classes and lasts for two semesters (summer semester of the 1st year and winter semester of the 2nd year of BA studies). The methods of teaching include audio-visually supported lectures and tutorials with exercises and printed handouts (classes). The assessment methods are: the written exam at the end of the course covering the content of the lectures, and quizzes administered at classes testing the knowledge of the reading assignment and familiarity with recently covered material, as well as in-class problem solving. The examination questions are of two types: (i) closed-ended questions including selecting correct answers, providing definitions, applying the domain-specific terminology, determining the truth/falsehood of statements, and (ii) open questions aimed at providing descriptive answers and analyses of sentence and phrase structure.

Module learning aims

A1 To provide students with knowledge in the area of English syntax with respect to phrase structure, rules of sentence formation, derivational processes, and the role of lexical information in instigating structure building; with the description following the recent models of the theory of Generative Grammar. A2 To provide students with basic information on English morphology and morphological derivation. A3 To develop students’ synthetic and analytical skills of the description of syntactic structures, and to provide them with the basic terminology needed for such a description. A4 To develop students’ descriptive attitude to the system of grammar, and to provide them with the basic information on the methodology of linguistics. A5 To develop students’ ability of empirical verification of the theoretical proposals, including the ability of comparative, cross-linguistic analysis. A6 To develop students’ collaborative and communicative skills in accomplishing research projects.

Information on where to find course materials

Course materials will be available from the Moodle platform and from the Faculty of English home site.

Major

English philology general academic specialization

Methods of teaching for learning outcomes achievement

Audio-visually supported lecture Tutorials and exercises with printed handouts

Student workload (ECTS credits)

Student workload (ECTS credits) Activity types - Mean number of hours* spent on each activity type - Contact hours with the teacher as specified in the programme 90 Independent study 1 (preparation for classes) 45h Independent study 2 (doing exercises and solving tasks) 45h Independent study 3 (preparation for exam) 30 Total hours 20 Total ECTS credits for the module 7 (after both semesters)

Cycle of studies

1st cycle

Module type

compulsory

Year of studies (where relevant)

Year 2

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences

General knowledge and skills in descriptive grammar of a language different than English (e.g. Polish) including the elements of the knowledge of sentence constituents, syntactic categories and functions.

Course coordinators

Przemysław Tajsner

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student will:
1. present and describe formal schemata of constructions of various types of phrases and English sentences
2. determine syntactic derivational processes, including basic rules of forming various types of sentential structures
3. describe the morphological structure of words as well as discuss various rules of morphological derivation
4. describe the English phrase and sentence structure by applying appropriate terminology and methods of representing structure (by means of diagram and bracketing representations)
5. derive phrase structure and sentence structure from the basic derivational schemata and from lexical selectional requirements of words
6. apply descriptive and linguistic criteria to the facts from the English syntax, distinguishing the descriptive approach from the prescriptive approach
7. empirically justify the suggested theoretical solutions and know the basics of linguistic methodology
8. apply elements of linguistic comparative description, relating the facts from the English syntax to other languages, e.g. Polish
9. properly use the basic notions from descriptive grammar and linguistics
10. together with others, by means of information exchange, distinguish and solve practical problems from the area of the English syntax

Assessment criteria

P - written exam. Closed-ended questions include selecting correct answers, providing definitions, applying the domain-specific terminology, determining the truth/falsehood of statements. Open choice questions include providing descriptive answers and analyses of sentence and phrase structure.
D - a short quiz administered at the beginning of a class, which tests the knowledge of the reading assignment and familiarity with recently covered material
F - in-class problem solving; the problem sets include tasks and exercises of recently covered topics

Bibliography

Carnie, Andrew. 2002. Syntax: A generative Introduction. Malden: Blackwell Publishing.
Koopman Hilda, Sportiche Dominique & Stabler, Edward 2006. Introduction to Syntactic. Analysis and Theory. Malden: John Wiley and Sons Ltd.
Koeneman, Olaf & Zeijlstra, Hedde 2017. Introducing Syntax. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Morenberg, Max. 1997, 2002. Doing Grammar. OUP.
Newson, Mark (ed.). 2004. Basic English Syntax with Exercises. (http://primus.arts.u-szeged.hu/bese/bese.pdf)
O’Grady, W – M. Dobrovolsky – M. Aronoff. 1989, 1993. Contemporary Linguistics: An introduction. New York: St. Martin's Press. Radford, Andrew. 2004. Minimalist Syntax: Exploring the Structure of English.

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 15-SIMJAN-OG-22 in USOSweb