Linguistics 3102 Syntax Course Home (Spring 2014)


Table of Contents:


 

Instructor: Chongwon Park, Ph.D. (TAs: Rachel Lee & Amanda Himebaugh)

Office Hours: 10:00 - 10:55AM, WF (H 431)

Class Time: 3:00 - 3:50, MWF (H 484)

Required Texts:

Syntax, 3rd Edition (Andrew Carnie, Wiley-Blackwell)

Course Description:

In this course, we investigate the syntactic (sentence) structures of natural language (with emphasis on the English language) from the Generative linguistics perspective. We will discuss major issues within the framework, such as movement, binding, raising, control, ellipsis, among others. The learning outcomes of this class will be [1] the acquisition of the ability to analyze complex sentence structures in English, [2] the acquisition of analytical thinking skills that can be extended to a similar type of problem solving, and [3] the acquisition of the ability to critically compare and evaluate competing hypotheses that deal with various syntactic phenomena.

Requirements:

You will have a total of 10 assignments and 3 exams. All the assignments and the exams are problem-solving questions.

Attendance and Evaluation:

It is important for you to be present for every class. Every homework assignment should be turned in on the due date (or before the due date) in class. Evaluation will be based on the following weight. IMPORTANT: I DO NOT accept late assignments (no exceptions). E-mail submissions WILL NOT be accepted.

Number
Points
Total
Homework
10
5 (per homework)
50
Exam 1
1
10
10
Exam 2
1
15
15
Exam 3
1
25
25
Total
100

While students are expected to attend every single class period, there are circumstances that lead to excused absence from the classroom. Excused absences are defined at http://www.duluth.umn.edu/vcaa/ExcusedAbsence.html. To be eligible for an excused absence, students must provide written documents such as doctor's notes and advisor's letters. To encourage your attendance, for each class you miss 1 point will be deducted, but if your attendance is perfect (any absences being excused) you will receive 3 bonus points.

Final Grades:

Course Schedule for Spring 2014:

Date
Topic
Assignments and Due Dates
Required Reading
Jan. 22 (W)
Introduction


Jan. 24 (F)
X'-theory review
Guest Speaker: Dan Turner
Carnie, Ch. 6 & Ch. 7
Jan. 27 (M)
X'-theory review
Guest Speaker: Dan Turner
Carnie, Ch. 6 & Ch. 7
Jan. 29 (W)
X'-theory review
Guest Speaker: Dan Turner
Carnie, Ch. 6 & Ch. 7
Jan. 31 (F)
Binding
Carnie, Ch. 5
Feb. 3 (M)
Binding
 
Carnie, Ch. 5
Feb. 5 (W)
Binding
Assignment 1, Due Feb. 12 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 5
Feb. 7 (F)
Theta-Theory
Carnie, Ch. 8
Feb. 10 (M)
Theta-Theory
 
Carnie, Ch. 8
Feb. 12 (W)
Theta-Theory
Assignment 2, Due Feb. 19 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 8
Feb. 14 (F)
Auxiliaries
 
Carnie, Ch. 9
Feb. 17 (M)
Auxiliariies
Carnie, Ch. 9
Feb. 19 (W)
H-to-H movement
 
Carnie, Ch. 10
Feb. 21 (F)
H-to-H movement
Assignment 3, Due Feb. 28 (F)
Carnie, Ch. 10
Feb. 24 (M)
DP-movement
Carnie, Ch. 11
Feb. 26 (W)
DP-movement
Carnie, Ch. 11
Feb. 28 (F)
DP-movement
Assignment 4, Due Mar. 7 (F)
Carnie, Ch. 11
Mar. 3 (M)
Exam 1
Carnie, Ch. 1 ~ Ch. 10
Mar. 5 (W)
Wh-movement
Carnie, Ch. 12
Mar. 7 (F)
Wh-movement
Carnie, Ch. 12
Mar. 10 (M)
Wh-movement
Assignment 5, Due Mar. 14 (F)
Carnie, Ch. 12
Mar. 12 (W)
A unified theory of movement
Carnie, Ch. 13
Mar. 14 (F)
A unified theory of movement
Carnie, Ch. 13
Mar. 17 (M)
No class!
Spring Break
 
Mar. 19 (W)
No class!
Spring Break
 
Mar. 21 (F)
No class!
Spring Break
 
Mar. 24 (M)
Expanded VPs
Carnie, Ch. 14
Mar. 26 (W)
Expanded VPs
Carnie, Ch. 14
Mar. 28 (F)
Expanded VPs
Assignment 6, Due Apr. 2 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 14
Mar. 31 (M)
Raising & Control
 
Carnie, Ch 15
Apr. 2 (W)
Raising & Control
 
Carnie, Ch. 15
Apr. 4 (F)
Raising & Control
Assignment 7, Due Apr.. 11 (F)
Carnie, Ch. 15
Apr. 7 (M)
Review
 
Carnie, Ch. 1 ~ Ch. 14
Apr. 9 (W)
Exam 2
Carnie, Ch. 1 ~ Ch. 14
Apr. 11 (F)
Ellipsis
Carnie, Ch. 16
Apr. 14 (M)
Ellipsis
 
Carnie, Ch. 16
Apr. 16 (W)
Ellipsis
Assignment 8, Due Apr. 23 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 16
Apr. 18 (F)
Binding Redux
Carnie, Ch. 17
Apr. 21 (M)
Binding Redux
 
Carnie, Ch. 17
Apr. 23 (W)
Binding Redux
Assignment 9, Due Apr. 30 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 17
Apr. 25 (F)
Polysynthesis & Incorporation
Carnie, Ch. 18
Apr. 28 (M)
Polysynthesis & Incorporation
Carnie, Ch. 18
Apr. 30 (W)
Polysynthesis & Incorporation
Assignment 10, Due May 7 (W)
Carnie, Ch. 18
May 2 (F)
Other syntactic theories
Additoinal material
May 5 (M)
Other syntactic theories
Additoinal material
May 7 (W)
Other syntactic theories
Additional material
May 9 (F)
Review

 

 
May 13 (T)
Final Exam (2:00-3:55pm)
Carnnie, Ch. 1 ~ 18

 

Academic Dishonesty:

Academic dishonesty tarnishes UMD's reputation and discredits the accomplishments of students. UMD is committed to providing students every possible opportunity to grow in mind and spirit. This pledge can only be redeemed in an environment of trust, honesty, and fairness. As a result, academic dishonesty is regarded as a serious offense by all members of the academic community. In keeping with this ideal, this course will adhere to UMD's Student Academic Integrity Policy, which can be found at http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/integrity. This policy sanctions students engaging in academic dishonesty with penalties up to and including expulsion from the university for repeat offenders.

Appropriate Classroom Conduct:

The instructor will enforce and students are expected to follow the University's Student Conduct Code (http://www.d.umn.edu/conduct/code). Appropriate classroom conduct promotes an environment of academic achievement and integrity. Disruptive classroom behavior that substantially or repeatedly interrupts either the instructor's ability to teach, or student learning, is prohibited. Disruptive behavior includes inappropriate use of technology in the classroom. Examples include ringing cell phones, text-messaging, watching videos, playing computer games, checking email, surfing the Internet, or Facebooking (or facebooking) on your computer instead of note-taking or other instructor-sanctioned activities.