COURSE INFORMATION GRAMMATICAL THEORIES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE Degree in English Philology Academic Year 2011-12 Optional course, 5 th year Annual course: 3 hours a week, 2 days a week. 9 credits TEACHING STAFF Prof.: Dr. Luisa González Romero. Office: Pabellón 11 alto, 31 Phone: +34 959 219129 E-mail: luisa@uhu.es Office hours: 1 st Semester: Wednesday 10:00-12:00 Thursday: 10:00-12:00 Friday: 10:00-12:00 2 nd Semester: Tuesday: 9.30-12:00; 13:30-14:00 Thursday: 9:45-10:30 Friday: 9:45-10:30; 13:30-15:00 PROGRAMME 1. DESCRIPTION Analysis of the most influential theoretical approaches to the study of the main syntactic phenomena in English. 2. OBJECTIVES This course is oriented to students interested in Linguistics. Its main purpose is to present and analyse the most influential theoretical approaches to English syntax. It is designed as a theoretical course which will familiarize students with the basic principles and methodology of both formal and functional approaches to syntax. The theoretical description of these aspects will be followed by the practical analysis of different syntactic phenomena of the English language. Teorías Gramaticales de la Lengua Inglesa will provide the student with a general linguistic background to some of the current grammatical theories which will be very useful in future research activities. 3. TEACHING METHODOLOGY - Theoretical lectures/practical classes - Sessions devoted to oral presentations - Tutorial sessions - Workshops on competencias transversales
This course is divided into two modules. The theoretical contents of the units in Module 1 will be explained in class by the teacher. These theoretical topics are linked to practical activities and exercises to be worked on individually by the student. These practical activities will be later revised and commented in class. After finishing each unit, a tutorial session will be devoted to the revision of the corresponding contents, both theoretical and practical. The contents of Module 1, which are the basis of the course, will be covered by early May. A course-pack containing all the material necessary for Module 1 will be available at the beginning of the course. The contents corresponding to Module 2 will be presented in class by the students after having worked on them in groups. As regards this oral presentation, the teacher will advise the students on both the bibliography to be used and the organization of the work. Students are also expected to attend the workshops on competencias transversales, proposed for students of 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th years throughout the semester. 4. CONTENTS MODULE 1: 1. INTRODUCTION TO GRAMMATICAL THEORY. 1.1. On syntactic approaches. 1.2. The goals of Syntax. 2. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR I: X-BAR THEORY. PHRASES. 2.1. Phrasal categories: syntactic evidences. 2.2. Noun phrases. 2.3. Complements and adjuncts. 2.4. Adjective phrases. 2.5. Adverb phrases. 2.6. Prepositional Phrases. 3. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR II: X-BAR THEORY. SENTENCES. 3.1. Some terminology. 3.2. S as a projection of INFL. 3.3. Tensed vs. tenseless clauses. 3.4. The structure of IP. 3.5. Complex sentences. 3.6. Head-to-head movement. 4. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR III: Θ-THEORY 4.1. Predicates and arguments. 4.2. Non-verbal predicates. 4.3. Theta roles. 4.4. Multiple Theta roles and the Theta Criterion. 4.5. Theta marking of subjects. 4.6. Nonthematic subjects. 4.7. Elements that are not arguments of the predicate. 5. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR IV: CASE THEORY. 5.1. Morphological case and abstract case. 5.2. Case assignment. 5.3. DOs that do not follow verbs immediately.
5.4. Assigning case to subjects. 5.5. The case assigners V, P and I. 5.6. Adding the notion of government to Case Theory. 5.7. Exceptional Case Marking. 6. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR V: MOVEMENT THEORY. 6.1. Traditional account of passive sentences. 6.2. Justification for empty nodes. 6.3. Global vs. discrete Models of Grammar. 6.4. The analysis of passive participles. 6.5. Inventory of empty categories. 6.6. Chains. 6.7. Move Alpha. 6.8. WH-movement. 6.9 Islands and Subjacency. 6.10. Strict cyclicity. 7. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR VI: BINDING THEORY AND CONTROL. 7.1. Interpretation of empty categories. 7.2. Obligatory and non-obligatory control. 7.3. Restrictions on the controller. 7.4. Pro s positions at SS. 7.5. Typology of NPs. 7.6. Binding Theory. 7.7. PRO Theorem. 8. TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR VII: THE MINIMALIST PROGRAM. 8.1. Levels of representation. 8.2. Economy Principles. 8.3. Bare Phrase Structure. 8.4. Copy Theory of Movement, and Binding. MODULE 2: 9. FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR. 9. 1. Goals and method. 9. 2. The organization of a Functional Grammar. 9. 3. Applications. 10. SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR. 10.1. Language and Grammar. 10.2. Language Metafunctions. 10.3. The Systems of Mood, Transitivity and Theme. 10.4. Active/passive alternation. 11. COGNITIVE GRAMMAR. 11. 1. Lingusitic organization. 11. 2. Semantic Structure. 11. 3. Syntactic Structure. 12. CONSTRUCTION GRAMMAR. 12.1.Constructions. 12.2. No derivations. Nonmodularity. 12.3. Inheritance Hierarchy.
12.4. Research Focus. 5. BIBLIOGRAPHY General: Aarts, B. (1997) ENGLISH SYNTAX AND ARGUMENTATION. London: Macmillan. Alcaraz Varó, E. (1990) TRES PARADIGAMAS DE LA INVESTIGACIÓN LINGÜÍSTICA. Alcoy: Marfil. Baltin, M. & C. Collins (2001) (eds.) THE HANDBOOK OF CONTEMPORARY SYNTACTIC THEORY. Oxford: Blackwell. Brown, K. & J. Miller (eds.)(1996) CONCISE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SYNTACTIC THEORIES. Cambridge: University Press. Droste, F, G. & J. E. Joseph (eds.) (1991) LINGUISTIC THEORY AND GRAMMATICAL DESCRIPTION. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. Edmonson, J. A. & D. A. Burquest (1994) A SURVEY OF LINGUISTIC THEORIES. (2nd edition). Dallas: The Summer Institute of Linguistics. Green, G. M. & J. L. Morgan (1996) APRACTICAL GUIDE TO SYNTACTIC ANALYSIS. Standford: CSLI Publications. Luque Durán, J. de D. y A. Pamies Bertrán (eds.) (1997) PANORAMA DE LA LINGÜÍSTICA ACTUAL. Granada: Método Ediciones. Mattews, P. H. (1993) GRAMMATICAL THEORY IN THE UNITED STATES FROM BLOOMFIELD TO CHOMSKY. Cambridge: University Press. Moravcsik, E. A. & J. R. Wirth (eds.) (1980) CURRENT APPROACHES TO SYNTAX. (Syntax and Semantics, vol. 13). San Diego: Academic Press. Robins, R. H. (1980) A SHORT HISTORY OF LINGUISTICS. London: Longman. Sells, P. (1985) LECTURES ON CONTEMPORARY SYNTACTIC THEORIES. Standford: CSLI Publications. Specific: Butler, C. et al. (1999) NUEVAS PERSPECTIVAS EN GRAMÁTICA FUNCIONAL. Madrid: Ariel. Dik, S. (1989) THE THEORY OF FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR. PART I: THE STRUCTURE OF THE CLAUSE. Dordretch: Foris. Dik, S. (1997) THE THEORY OF FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAT. PART II: COMPLEX AND DERIVED CONSTRUCTIONS. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Goldberg, A. E. (1995) CONSTRUCTIONS. A CONSTRUCTION GRAMMAR APPROACH TO ARGUMENT STRUCTURE. Chicago: University Press. Goldberg, A. E. (2006) CONSTRUCTIONS AT WORK. THE NATURE OF GENERALIZATIONS IN LANGUAGE. New York: Oxford University Press. González Romero, L., M. Martínez Vázquez, B. Rodríguez Arrizabalaga y P. Ron Vaz (2001) RECENT APPROACHES TO ENGLISH GRAMMAR. Universidad de Huelva: G.I. Gramática Contrastiva. Haegeman, L. (1994) INTRODUCTION TO GOVERNMENT AND BINDING THEORY. Oxford: Blackwell. Haegeman, L. y J. Guéron (1999) ENGLISH GRAMMAR. A GENERATIVE PERSPECTIVE. Oxford: Blackwell. Halliday, M. A. K. (1994) AN INTRODUCTION TO FUNCTIONAL GRAMMAR. London: Edward Arnol. (2ª edición) Langacker, R. W. (1987) FOUNDATIONS OF COGNITIVE GRAMMAR. VOLUME I: THEORETICAL PREREQUISITES. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Langacker, R. W. (1991a) FOUNDATIONS OF COGNITIVE GRAMMAR. VOLUME II:
DESCRIPTIVE APPLICATION. Stanford: Stanford University Press. Langacker, R. W. (1991b) CONCEPT, IMAGE AND SYMBOL. THE COGNITIVE BASIS OF GRAMMAR. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Lock, G. (1996) FUNCTIONAL ENGLISH GRAMMAR. Cambridge: University Press. Napoli, D. J. (1993) SYNTAX. THEORY AND PROBLEMS. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ouhalla, J. (1999) TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR. FROM PRINCIPLES AND PARAMETERS TO MINIMALISM. London: Arnold. Radford, A. (1988) TRANSFORMATIONAL GRAMMAR. A FIRST COURSE. Cambridge: University Press. Radford, A, (1997) SYNTAX. A MINIMALIST APPROACH. Cambridge: University Press. 6. ASSESSMENT JUNE: - Exams: 70% of the final mark. - Group work and oral presentatation: 25% - Attendance and participation in the Workshops on competencias transversales: 5% There will be two mid-term exams (February and June) and a final exam (June/July) to be taken by those student who did not pass the mid-terms exams. The exams, in which the contents of both modules will be evaluated, will count 70% of the final grade. The group work and oral presentation in class will count 25%. Attendance and participation in the Workshops on competencias transversales amounts to 5% of the final mark. An optional short paper can be handed in by those students who wish to improve their grades, provided they have passed the exams. SEPTEMBER: There will be a final exam which will evaluate the materials of both module 1 and module 2. It will count 100% of the final grade.