Syntactic Theories

Course title: Syntactic Theories
Course coordinator: Professor Irena Zovko Dinković
Instructor: Professor Irena Zovko Dinković
Status: elective
ECTS credits: 6
Semester: 1st or 3rd (winter)
Enrollment requirements:

Objectives: To introduce the students to major syntactic theories and approaches from the beginning of the 20th century to the present, and teach them about various ways of syntactic analysis and representation, as well as claims and hypotheses on the structure of language in general. This will provide them with the opportunity to apply the acquired theoretical background to their own research and connect it on a broader level with other sciences.

Week by week schedule:

Week Topic
1. Introduction to the history of 20th century syntactic theories.
2. From Bloomfield to Chomsky. Early generative theories.
3. Chomsky’s Transformational Grammar. Standard Theory and Extended Standard Theory.
4. Generative Semantics. Optimality theories: Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar.
5. Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Lexical Functional Grammar.
6. Government and Binding Theory and X’- theory. Minimalist Program.
7. Relational Grammar. Dependency Grammars.
8. Functional approaches to language analysis. The Prague Linguistic Circle.
9. Martinet’s Functional Syntax.
10. S. Dik’s Functional Grammar and Functional Discourse Grammar.
11. Systemic Functional Grammar.
12. Role and Reference Grammar. Emergent Grammar.
13. Cognitive Grammar.
14. Construction Grammar.
15. Final review and preparation for the exam.

Course description:
After each unit, the students solve a specific task in the seminar, which they check with the instructor. They are also expected to read at home the relevant parts of obligatory reading and other materials.

Course requirements:
Students should attend the classes regularly and actively participate in class and in solving the assignments. The last week of the course is dedicated to preparing students for the exam. The exam is written.

Obligatory reading (selected chapters and pages):
Brown, Keith & Miller, J. (ur.) (1996). Concise Encyclopedia of Syntactic Theories. Oxford – New York: Pergamon

Moravcsik, Edith (2006). An Introduction to Syntactic Theory. New York: Continuum

Newmeyer, Frederick (1986). Linguistic Theory in America (2. izd.). Orlando: Academic Press, Inc.

Matthews, Peter H. (1993). Grammatical Theory in the United States from Bloomfield to Chomsky. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Sag, Ivan, Wasow, Thomas & Bender, Emily (2003). Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction (2. izdanje). Chicago: CSLI Publications

 

 

Suggested reading:
Chomsky, Noam (1957). Syntactic Structures. Gravenhage: Mouton

Graffi, Giorgio (2001). 200 Years of Syntax: A Critical Survey. Amsterdam; Philadelphia: John Benjamins

Müller, Stefan (2016). Grammatical theory: From transformational grammar to constraint-based approaches. Berlin: Language Science Press

Poole, Geoffrey (2011). Syntactic Theory (2. izd.). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Sells, Peter (1985). Lectures on Contemporary Syntactic Theories. Chicago: CSLI Publications

Pollock, Jean-Yves (1989). Verb Movement, Universal Grammar, and the Structure of IP. Linguistic Inquiry 20: 365-424

Nichols, Johanna (1984). Functional Theories of Grammar. Annual Review of Anthropology 13: 97–117.

Newmeyer, Frederick. (2001). The Prague School and North American functionalist approaches to syntax. Journal of Linguistics 37: 101 – 126

Dik, Simon C. (1991). Functional Grammar. U: F. Droste i J. Joseph (ur.), Linguistic theory and grammatical description. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins

Hengeveld, Kees & Mackenzie, J. Lachlan (2010), Functional Discourse Grammar. U: Bernd Heine i Heiko Narrog (ur.), The Oxford Handbook of Linguistic Analysis. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 367-400.

Halliday, M. A. K. (1984). A Short Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Arnold

Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. & Randy LaPolla (1997). Syntax: Structure, meaning and function. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Langacker, Ronald W. (2008). Cognitive Grammar: A Basic Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press.

Goldberg, Adele. (1995) Constructions: A Construction Grammar Approach to Argument Structure. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Lexicology and Lexicography

Course title: Lexicology and Lexicography
Summer
term
ECTS
5 points
Course convenor
: Professor Milena Žic Fuchs
Lecturer
: Dr. Janja Čulig Suknaić, postdoc
Language
: English
Term
: First term of graduate studies
Requisites:
Attending this course does not require any requisites, except being enrolled in the term in which the course is given.
Course format:
2 lecture classes and 2 seminar classes a week
Objective: Gaining an insight into the fundamental concepts from lexicology and their application in lexicography
Contents: The course focuses on the lexical system of language, studying the word as the basic unit of a language. Various theoretical frameworks are covered relevant to dictionary makers and users. The first part of the course deals with morphology and word formation, while the second part of the course deals with phraseology.

Syllabus

Week Topic
1 Introduction to lexicology: Word. Lexeme. Morphology, Semantics, Etymology. Introduction to lexicography.
2 Word Formation I: Inflection and derivation.
3 Word Formation II: Compounding, conversion, reduplication, backformation.
4 Word Formation III: Diminutives, clipping, abbreviations and acronyms, coinage, neologisms, nonce-words, nonsense words.
5 Word Formation IV: Onomatopoeic words, eponyms, borrowing
6 Diachrony: Sources of English vocabulary
7 Diachrony: Semantic change (metaphor, metonymy, specialization, generalization)euphemisms, false friends
8 Phraseology: Idioms. Traditional and modern approaches.
9 Phraseology: Idioms and idiomaticity. Metaphor, metonymy and idioms.
10 Phraseology: Idioms and formulaic language. Proverbs, binomials etc.
11 Phraseology: Current research.
12 Phraseology: Phrasal verbs.
13 Lexicography I: Key elements of dictionaries. Definition. Usage.
14 Lexicography II: The corpus in lexicography. Dictionary Making.Types of dictionaries. The origin of dictionaries. History of dictionaries.
15 RevisionExam

Class methods and procedures: Students should regularly attend classes and participate in class discussions. Seminar paper has to be submitted in the first week of January.

Evaluation:
Exam 70 %
Seminar papers 30 % (3,000-4,000 words)

Literature:
– Carstairs-McCarthy, Andrew (2002). An Introduction to English Morphology. Edinburgh University Press

– Halliday, M.A.K and Colin Yallop (2004). Lexicology. A Short Introduction. London: Continuum
– Harley, Heidi (2006). English Words. A Linguistic Introduction.
– Jackson, Howard and Etienne Ze Amvela (2000). Words Meaning and Vocabulary. An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology. London: Continuum
– Jackson, Howard (2002). Lexicography: An Introduction. Routledge
– Katamba, Francis (1994). English Words, Structure, History, Usage Routledge
.- Lipka, Leonhard (2002). English Lexicology. Tübingen: Narr
– Landau, Syndey (1984). Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography. Cambridge University Press
– Plag, Ingo (2003). Word Formation in English. Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics. Cambridge University Press

 

Lexicology and Lexicography (archive)

Course title:  Lexicology and Lexicography
Summer
term 2012-2013
ECTS  
5 points
Course convenor
: Professor Milena Žic Fuchs
Lecturer
: Vlatko Broz
Language
: English
Term
:  First term of graduate studies
Requisites:
Attending this course does not require any requisites, except being enrolled in the term in which the course is given.
Course format:
2 lecture classes and 2 seminar classes a week
Objective:  Gaining an insight into the fundamental concepts from lexicology and their application in lexicography
Contents:  The course focuses on the lexical system of language, studying the word as the basic unit of a language. Various theoretical frameworks are covered relevant to dictionary makers and users. The first part of the course deals with morphology and word formation, while the second part of the course deals with phraseology.

Syllabus

Week Topic
1 Introduction to lexicology: Word. Lexeme. Morphology, Semantics, Etymology. Introduction to lexicography.
2 Word Formation I: Inflection and derivation.
3 Word Formation II: Compounding, conversion, reduplication, backformation.
4 Word Formation III: Diminutives, clipping, abbreviations and acronyms, coinage, neologisms, nonce-words, nonsense words.
5 Word Formation IV: Onomatopoeic words, eponyms, borrowing
6 Diachrony: Sources of English vocabulary
7 Diachrony: Semantic change (metaphor, metonymy, specialization, generalization)euphemisms, false friends
8 Phraseology: Idioms. Traditional and modern approaches.
9 Phraseology: Idioms and idiomaticity. Metaphor, metonymy and idioms.
10 Phraseology: Idioms and formulaic language. Proverbs, binomials etc.
11 Phraseology: Current research.
12 Phraseology: Phrasal verbs.
13 Lexicography I:  Key elements of dictionaries. Definition. Usage.
14 Lexicography II: The corpus in lexicography. Dictionary Making.Types of dictionaries. The origin of dictionaries. History of dictionaries.
15 RevisionExam

Class methods and procedures: Students should regularly attend classes and participate in class discussions. Seminar paper has to be submitted in the first week of January.

Evaluation:   
Exam  70 %
Seminar papers  30 %  (3,000-4,000 words)

Literature:
– Carstairs-McCarthy, Andrew (2002). An Introduction to English Morphology. Edinburgh University Press

– Halliday, M.A.K and Colin Yallop (2004). Lexicology. A Short Introduction. London: Continuum
– Harley, Heidi (2006). English Words. A Linguistic Introduction.
– Jackson, Howard and Etienne Ze Amvela (2000). Words Meaning and Vocabulary. An Introduction to Modern English Lexicology. London: Continuum
– Jackson, Howard (2002). Lexicography: An Introduction.  Routledge
– Katamba, Francis (1994). English Words, Structure, History, Usage Routledge
.- Lipka, Leonhard (2002). English Lexicology. Tübingen: Narr
– Landau, Syndey (1984). Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography. Cambridge University Press
– Plag, Ingo (2003). Word Formation in English. Cambridge Textbooks in Linguistics. Cambridge University Press

 

Academic Writing 1

Course title: Academic Writing
Instructor:
Dr. Alexander D. Hoyt, senior lector (lecturer in foreign languages)
Status:
mandatory
ECTS credits:
 5
Semester:
1st (winter)
Enrollment requirements:
 enrollment in the first semester.
Course description:
4 hours of seminar-type instruction per week. Students will be introduced to, and required to write, various types of texts: personal letters, business letters, argumentative essays and research papers. Their research papers will be based on their own research. The students’ research will be supervised during weekly tutorials. The students and instructors will also communicate via e-mail.
Objectives:
developing students’ writing skills; initiating students into research work.
Course requirements:
the final mark will be formed on the basis of the  students’ grades on a personal essay (20%), an argumentative essay (20%), a five-page research paper (40%), and participation, including attendance in class and individual sessions, during the semester (20%).

Week by week schedule:
There are two sessions (90 minutes) per week

1)   Introduction to the course. Writing  personal letters. The instructor collects  and reads them.
2)  The instructor’s comments on the students’ personal letters. Introduction to the writing of business letters. Homework: writing a business letter.
3)    Group work: students read their peers’ business letters.

The instructor gives comments and advice.
4)   Group work: writing business letters to various institutions. Groups exchange their work, read one another’s letters, compare, comment and discuss.
5)  Introduction to the writing of personal essays. Discussing ways of writing and various  topics. Homework: writing a personal essay and sending it to the instructor by e-mail (a limited number of words required).
6)  The instructor brings photocopies of the students’ personal essays to class. The students read their peers’ essays, after which they compare their impressions and interventions in the texts with those of their peers and their instructor.
7)    Introduction to the writing of argumentative essays. Discussing possible topics.
Starting to write an argumentative essay in class.
Homework: finishing it and sending it to the instructor. The number of words is limited.
8)  The students read their peers’ argumentative essays (the instructor gives them photocopies). Comments and discussion follow. Homework: writing another argumentative essay and sending it to the instructor.
    Sessions 9) and 10) – individual work  with each student – discussing the above-mentioned argumentative essays.
11)  The whole class discusses the final versions of the students’ argumentative essays (the instructor has sent all the essays to all the students so that they can read them).
Homework: read a number of research papers provided by the instructor.
12)  Discussion about the research papers – the topics they cover, their structure and style.  Introduction to writing research papers. Suggesting possible topics for research. Introducing the MLA Style and the Chicago Manual of Style.
Homework:  students have to think of a topic for their own research.
13)  The instructor meets with half of the group and they discuss the students’  ideas concerning their research.
14)   The instructor meets with the other half of the group and they discuss the students’  ideas concerning their research.
Sessions 15 through 23 are organised as tutorials where the instructor will supervise the students’ research and, consequently, their research paper.  Upon the completion of the final versions of the students’ research papers, the instructor will put them on the internet platform ‘Omega’, so that the students can read one another’s work.
Sessions 24, 25 and  26 will serve as tutorials where the instructor will help the students prepare for the students’ conference. Sessions 27, 28 and 29 will be used for the conference where the students will present their papers. Each paper will be followed by a short discussion.. The instructor will try to create a friendly and motivating  atmosphere of cooperation.

Reading (suggested): 
1)    Strunk, William and E.B. White (2000).  The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition. Needham  Heights, Massachusetts: A Pearson Education Company
2)    Ede, Lisa (2001).  Work in Progress (A Guide to Academic Writing and Revising), Fifth edition. Boston & New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s
3)    Gibaldi, Joseph (2003). MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, sixth edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America
4)      http://www.libs.uga.edu./ref/chicago.html

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Former course title: Writing skills