Description

Course objectives are:

  • overview of the descriptive phenomena which inform research in the major theoretical framework
  • detection of the central research questions and some of their solutions.
  • experience in mastering complex empirical phenomena in both familiar and unfamiliar languages
  • guidelines for evaluating linguistic argumentation in competing grammatical frameworks

This course examines competing models of grammatical description with regard to syntactic analysis and argumentation. It explores typological issues in the interface between morphology and syntax as well as between syntax and semantics, in order to provide an overview of the descriptive phenomena which inform research in the major theoretical frameworks. Problems and discussion will focus on a variety of languages. Phenomena-driven approach will provide focused essay topics for term papers.

Introductory Reading

The following books are good preparatory reading for the course for those who need some comprehensive introduction to lingustic analysis and argumentation:

  1. Maggie Tallerman (2011) Understanding Syntax. Third edition
  2. Paul R. Kroeger (2005) Analyzing Grammar: An Introduction.

Schedule

Session Content
26.10.18 Introduction / Organisational meeting
Emily Bender's slides

For the next time, pick a language and prepare its "portrait" highlighting challenges and including some excercises too.

Some giudelines on morphology and syntax
02.11.18 1. Presentations & Discussion
Selected languages:
Arabic (Rudy), Chinese (Yuchen), Ukrainian (Daria)
09.11.18 2. Presentations & Discussion
Language "portrait": Arabic
For the next time, please read Tallermann's chapter 1
16.11.18 3. Presentations & Discussion
Language "portrait": Chinese
For the next time, please read Tallermann's chapter 2
23.11.18
 4. Presentations & Discussion
Language "protrait": Ukrainian
For the next time, please read chapter 3 and chapter 4
30.11.18 5. Presentations & Discussion
Assignment; Problem set (based on Tallermann's chapters 1-3)
For the next time, please read chapter 5 and chapter 6
07.12.18 6. Presentations & Discussion
Problem set (based on Tallermann's chapters 4-6)
For the next time, please read chapter 7 and chapter 8
14.12.18 7. Presentations & Discussion
Problem set (based on Tallermann's chapters 7-9)
Recap (cf. chapter 9), summary and essay topics
Writing a thesis or homework:
11.01.19 8. Presentations & Discussion
Seminar talk: slides (Daria)
Readings: article1, article2, article3
18.01.19 9. Presentations & Discussion
Seminar talk: slides (Yuchen)
Info on Chinese NLP link;
Readings: article1. article2. article3
25.01.19 10. Presentations & Discussion
Seminar talk: slides (Rudy)
Info on Arabic NLP link
01.02.19
  no class meeting
Universal Dependencies Tutorial
Cross-linguistically consistent syntactic annotation
Word segmentation and morphological annotation

Essay Topics

It is possible to write a good essay on a given topic from any one of several points of view.

  • You can examine a topic in detail from the point of view of a particular syntactic theory. In your essay, you can discuss existing analyses, propose a new analysis, and/or point out difficulties for previous proposals in the light of new data.
  • You can compare the treatment of the same topic in two or more different syntactic theories.
  • You can discuss the topic with reference to data from two or more languages, pointing out similarities and differences between the languages, and noting any other similarities or differences that may be correlated.

It is best to start your research with the required and recommended texts and the references given there. Additional references are included below, which you may wish to consult when you have read the material in the textbooks. You can also do your own research, using the web or library facilities to search for alternative or additional material that is relevant to your essay.

Sample topics:

  • Overview of morphology, syntax, semantic and their interrelation
  • Realization types: head-marking vs. dependent-marking
  • Word order: configurationality
  • Canonical inflections vs. non-canonical inflections; 'wrong-headed' inflection; edge inflection; unaligned functional categories (Wackernagel clitics)
  • Synthetic vs. analytic constructions: lexical integrity, periphrasis, paradigms
  • Voice and alignment: demotions and promotions; passives, antipassives, inverse systems; double object constructions
  • Case marking: accusative/ergative/active languages; double (multiple) case and expression of tense/aspect/modality
  • Agreement and pronominal affixation:
    • Cross-referencing of arguments vs. modifier-head agreement ('concord')
    • Parameters of agreement (gender, phi-features, etc.) and the problem of distinguishing agreement from other types or morphosyntactic dependency
    • The Agreement Hierarchy
    • Clitic systems and agreement
  • Complex predicates - introductions: causatives, applicatives and others
  • Copula constructions and non-verbal predication
  • ...

(to be completed)

Oral Exam Check List

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