Syntax - LANE 334:Course Description

LANE 334: Syntax

Second Semester 2010

Instructor: Dr. Shadia Yousef Banjar
Office: teachers’ Building, Office no. 4, EX. 4373
Telephone: 2576570
E-mail: dr.shadiabanjar@gmail.com
Webpage: http://sbanjar.kau.edu.sa/
Office Hours: According to schedule; and by appointment.
Prerequisites: LANE 321: Introduction to Linguistics

Course Description

This course is a basic introduction to syntactic analysis and argumentation. The emphasis is on description, with some analysis and argumentation. The goal is to become familiar with core facts of English syntax, as well as with terms and concepts central to different syntactic theories. It covers word classes in terms of form and function, grammatical categories, syntactic categories, simple and complex sentences, head words and their dependents (complements and adjuncts), constituent structure (trees, constituency tests), relationships within sentences such as word order, syntactic processes that change grammatical relations such as passives, and syntactic processes that don't change grammatical relations such as relative clauses. Problems and discussion will focus on English.

Required Textbook

1. Lind Thomas. Beginning Syntax.

2. Mark Lester. Introductory Transformational Grammar of English

Components of the Course

The course consists of lectures as well as PowerPoint presentations with some practice exercises. Students are expected to read the relevant material before class. Four assignments will be given throughout the semester.

Contents
Chapter 1: Tools of analysis-------p. 1-22
Chapter 2: More on Categories -------p. 23-36
Chapter 3: The Verb Phrase-------p. 37-60
Chapter 4: The Verb Group -------p. 61-79
Chapter 5: The Noun Phrase-------p. 80-100
Chapter 6: Subordination and Coordination -------p. 101-124
Rules: Summary of All Rules -------p. 124-128
Tips for Success
- Attend the class regularly
- Do all assignments and exercises
- Ask questions in class or during office hours
- Keep up with the new material
- Get into groups to discuss the readings and work on assignments.
Grading

Grading of assignments will be done on a check plus (100%). No late assignments will be accepted. Each student will be responsible for presenting the answer to part of an assignment once during the semester. The correct answers for the assignments will be conveyed through these presentations. Percentage scores on exams will be based on objective criteria guided by qualitative judgment, according to the following scale. Final letter course grades will be computed from total percentage scores on the basis of the same scale. Some of the exam questions will be essay questions; evaluation of these will depend on clear, concise, logical argumentation in proper academic English.

Exams must be written on time. In accordance with departmental policy, no make-up midterms will be given. If a student misses a midterm due to illness, and provides a doctor’s explanatory note, the final grade will be computed proportionately, based on the work that the student does complete.

Recommended Reading

• Syntax: A Generative Introduction, by Andrew Carnie. (2002). Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.

• Transformational Grammar: A First Course, by Andrew Radford. (1988). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

• Transformational Grammar, by Jamal Ouhalla. London: Edward Arnold.(1994). ISBN=0340556307.

• Syntactic Argumentation and the Structure of English,' by Scott Soames and David Perlmutter. (1979). Berkeley: University of California Press. 1979.