Course Outline

Department of Linguistics

Linguistics 322-3

Syntax

Course Chair: Dr. Richard C. DeArmond
Office: CC 9204
Phone 291-3545
Fax 291-5659
e-mail : dearmond@sfu.ca
Language Lab: AQ 3020, 291-4698
My Home Page: http://www.sfu.ca/~dearmond/
Linguistics Home Page
Language Lab Home Page

Prerequisites: L222

Course Description:

Linguistics 322 covers the logical structure (the organization) of syntax:


• logical form to phonological form flow chart
  
• propositions
  
• logical form of the sentence.htm
  
• logical form of the sentence.pdf
  
• logical form of the noun: agreement
  
• Sense and Reference
  
• verbal operator: tense
  
• event classes
  
• theta roles
  
• theta roles continued
  
• feature copying: T to V
  
• tense, aspect, and voice
  
• raising
  
• passive voice and raising
  
• Case theory
  
• question operator
  
• mood
  
• the lexicon
  
• lexical insertion
  
• inflectional morphemes
  
• words: the features Weak and Strong
  
• argument assignment
  
• predicate adjectives
  
• Prenominal Adjectives
  
• agreement
  
• rules
  
• Implicit arguments
  
• internal subject hypothesis
  
• lexical insertion (2)
  
• raising from infinitives
  
• logical form of NP
  
• small clauses
  
• transformational processes
  
• principles
  
• some parameters of English
  
• X-bar theory
  
• complements vs modifiers
  
• the lexicon--continued
  
• preposing operator
  
• negation operator (PDF)
  
• negation operator (HTM)
  
• control
  
• WH-operator
  
• echoes and disbelief
  
• islands
  
• relative clauses
  
• binding
  
• pre-syntax of WH-operators
  
• Incorporation
  

Texts

Required Text:

Transformational Grammar: A First Course, by Andrew Radford. (1988). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0 521 34750 5

Recommended Reading:

Transformational Grammar, by Jamal Ouhalla. London: Edward Arnold. ISBN=0340556307. Library Catalog: PE 1106 093 1994

Introduction to Government and Binding Theory,' by Lilianne Haegeman. Oxford and Cambridge, MA: Blackwell's. (1991). ISBN=0631165630. Library Catalog: P 158.2 H34.

Syntactic Argumentation and the Structure of English,' by Scott Soames and David Perlmutter. (1979). Berkeley: University of California Press. 1979. Library Catalogue: P 291 P4

A concise introduction to syntactic theory: the government-binding approach, by Elizabeth A. Cowper. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1992. ISBN= 0226116468. Library Catalogue: P 158.2 C6 1992.

English Syntax by Roderick A. Jacobs. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (1995). ISBN 0-19-434277-8.. Library Catalogue: P 291 P4

Syntax: an Introduction to the Principles and Parameters Framework,' by Richard C. DeArmond. This manuscript is available on the WWW network.


click here to read and print this manuscript.

Schedule for Fall 1998

Course Syllabus (pdf format)

Course Syllabus (htm format)

A Model of Grammar

To view a model of grammar click here

Structure of the Course:

The course is divided into six overlapping sections:

• Logical Form
• Theta Theory
• Transformations
• X-Bar Theory
• Case Theory
• Binding Theory
• Control Theory

 Certain topics will be drawn from:

• Universal Grammar
• Parametric Theory
• Movement Theory

Language Lab

Using the on-line services of the web is a requirement of the course. The language lab is accessible to all students.

Exercises:

 Source of Exercises

• Exercises will be supplied by the instructor. Few will come from the main text. It is the student's responsibility to obtain the exercises for each and follow the instructor's guide. Exercises will be available on the web.

 

Late Exercises

• 50% will be taken for exercises not turned in at the end of class on the day required, and 70% per week will be taken off for exercises late by 24 hrs., unless excused by presenting a doctor's note or if there is an extenuating circumstance such as a death in the family. No other excuses will be acceptable. All grade discrepancies must be settled by the end of the last week of classes in the semester.

Stapled Exercises

• All homework must be stapled together. 10% will be taken off for unstapled homework.

Written Exercises

• Full credit will be given to exercises done on a word processor (or typewriter) (diagrams may be done by hand).
• 90% credit will be given if the exercises are written in ink (use of white out is acceptable).
• 0% credit to those written in pencil. Such exercises will be returned to the student unrecorded. In exams, pencil may be used for graphics only. Ink is still required for anything written.

List of Exercises

• To go to list of exercises click here.

Exams

• All exams must be written in ink. The use of white-out is acceptable. Any exam written in pencil will be returned to the student unread.

Sample Exams and Answers to Given Exams:

• 322. Sample mid term
• 322 midterm F97 answers
• 322. Sample final F97
• 322 Sample final F97 answers in part
  

Course Grading

• The assignments will count for a total of 10% of the final grade, attendance 10%, the midterm exam 35% of the final grade, and the final exam 45% of the final grade. Grading will be determined on a fixed scale adjusted to a grading curve. The fixed scale before adjustment is: 100$-90% = A, 89%-80% = B, 79%-70% = C, 69% - 60% = D, 59% - 0% - F.

Click here for keywords.

On line

• Many materials are on line. All students are required to be able to access and download relevant information from the net. Machines are available in the language lab and on other places on campus. Tutorials will be offered for students who are not familiar with the web. See below.

Labs

 

• The best place to download Netscape and Acrobat Reader is in the Language Lab. It is located in AQ 3020 near the foot of the stairs leading up to the 9th floor where the Dept. of Linguistics is. I will set up an introductory session on how to use the lab and access Netscape leading you through select parts of my homepage and the course outline. Times will be announced at the beginning of the semester.

Definitions

Cgram (a programming grammar)

Contents: Course Description | Texts | Syllabus | Model of Grammar | Structure of Course | Language Lab | Exercises | Grading | Keywords | On Line | Labs | definitions

For an informal evaluation of this WWW site and L322, click on evaluation