SEL8026 : Generative Syntax
SEL8026 : Generative Syntax
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Professor Michelle Sheehan
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
no
Aims
Students are familiarised with a scientific approach to syntax. Major syntactic phenomena (categories, features, rules, principles) are dealt with in the context of contemporary syntactic theory. Students develop their skills in sentence analysis, learn how to test hypotheses and argue for theoretical explanations.
Outline Of Syllabus
- Aims and context: the scientific study of language;
- Phrase structure, X' theory, Merge, Bare Phrase Structure
- Argument structure, theta-theory;
- Case, Agreement, Binding
- Movement: A'-movement, A-movement, head movement;
- Syntactic features and valuation
- Discourse and syntax; the left periphery
- The architecture of grammar: Logical Form, Phonetic Form;
- Cross-linguistic syntactic variation
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
- Acquaintance with the basic building blocks of syntactic theory, including syntactic categories and features, argument structure, phrase structure, theta roles, case, agreement, and movement.
- Knowledge and understanding of fundamental concepts and explanatory mechanisms in syntactic theory, the architecture of grammar, locality principles.
- Some knowledge and understanding of syntactic variation; ability to apply syntactic theory to different languages;
- Some knowledge and understanding of differences between major syntactic theoretical frameworks.
Intended Skill Outcomes
Students will be able to
- analyse formally a variety of sentence types;
- evaluate the relative strengths and limitations of competing syntactic analyses;
- integrate empirical evidence with theoretical hypotheses in linguistic argumentation;
- approach bibliographical resources with a critical attitude and employ analytical skills in scrutinizing linguistic argumentation.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 167:00 | 167:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 21 | 1:00 | 21:00 | Shared with SEL2089 |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | essay consultation |
| Total | 200:00 |
Jointly Taught With
| Code | Title |
|---|---|
| SEL2089 | Syntactic Theory |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures (shared with SEL2089): To introduce and discuss theoretical concepts and methodology.
Seminars: To apply theoretical concepts and methods to linguistic examples, and practice analysis of linguistic expressions.
Reading Lists
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 1 | A | 100 | 4000 word essay |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1 | M | Portfolio of semi-weekly problem sets (pre- and post-seminar) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The problem set portfolio gives the students a sense of their progress across the semester with respect to the necessary basic analytic skills in syntactic theory which will be relevant for the final assessment.
The final assessment is an extended problem set through which the students demonstrate understanding of syntactic theory, analysis, and argumentation, and ability to apply knowledge of theory and analysis to empirical and/or theoretical problems, using methods of scientific inquiry.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SEL8026's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- SEL8026's past Exam Papers
General Notes
Original Handbook text:
Welcome to Newcastle University Module Catalogue
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Disclaimer
The information contained within the Module Catalogue relates to the 2024 academic year.
In accordance with University Terms and Conditions, the University makes all reasonable efforts to deliver the modules as described.
Modules may be amended on an annual basis to take account of changing staff expertise, developments in the discipline, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Module information for the 2025/26 entry will be published here in early-April 2025. Queries about information in the Module Catalogue should in the first instance be addressed to your School Office.