2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

LING2340 Syntax

20 creditsClass Size: 60

Module manager: Valentina Brunetto
Email: v.brunetto@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

Pre-requisite qualifications

MODL1060 Language: Structure and Sound

Pre-requisites

MODL1060

Language: Structure and Sound

Module replaces

LING2320 Introduction to Grammar

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module will introduce students to the study of grammar, and in particular syntax. Syntax is the component of grammar that determines how words combine into larger units and how parts of sentences relate to each other. It corresponds to the structure of language.The two main objectives of the module are:(i) to introduce you to the main concepts and issues in syntax and (ii) to train you to carry out basic practical syntactic analysis.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will:

- have an understanding of the principles underlying the structural study of grammar, and in particular, syntax;
- be familiar with the basic terminology and concepts of syntactic description and theory;
- be able to analyse data from English and other languages (with guidance) and to formulate grammatical rules on the basis of such data;
- be able to write basic grammatical arguments;
- be able to study more advanced topics in syntactic theory.

Learning outcomes
Students will gain a better understanding of the language(s) they speak, and of language in general. They will be aware of the often surprising similarities between languages, and will have been introduced to a range of 'exotic' languages.

In terms of transferrable skills, this module will develop students' analytical skills and provide an in-depth introduction to formal systems.

Skills outcomes
Analytical skills; understanding of the structure of language; ability to deal with data from languages other than English.

Syllabus

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the study of syntax, i.e. the study of how words and phrases combine to form larger units, and how parts of sentences relate to each other. 



The course will be taught in 10 lectures (1.5 hours each), 5 fortnightly seminars and 5 fortnightly optional tutorials. Topics covered include: lexical categories, grammatical categories, predicates and arguments, constituency, X-bar syntax, clauses and subordination, syntactic processes. Although much of the exemplification will be from English, analytical illustrations and problems from other languages will also be given.

The seminars will enable students to explore in more depth the issues covered in the lectures and prepare them for the exams.

This module will be of relevance to anyone who is interested in the structure of language. It is an essential foundation for further studies in formal syntactic theory and will be an asset for any module requiring analytical skills.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	10	1.50	15.00
Seminar	5	1.00	5.00
Tutorial	5	1.00	5.00
Private study hours			175.00
Total Contact hours			25.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

- Reading preparation for lectures and seminars: 50 hours
- Preparation for practical take-home exercises: 40 hours
- Preparation for weekly compulsory exercises: 40 hours
- Preparation for examination: 50 hours

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Two practical take-home exercises, for which the students will receive formative feedback.
- Students will also be encouraged to participate actively in the seminars and tutorials, where exercises will be discussed in detail.
- There will be weekly optional and compulsory exercises to complete on the VLE, with answers provided the following week for the students to evaluate their understanding and progress.
- Students will be encouraged to be proactive about their learning via the participation in a discussion forum on the VLE, where they will be able to post questions and answer others' questions, and share tips and resources. The discussion forum will be regularly monitored by the lecturer.
Active participation in the lectures will be encouraged.

Methods of assessment

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	60.00
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 02/03/2018 17:22:53

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