| CODE | LIN2022 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Models of Grammar | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit introduces the students to the state of the art in the formal modelling of grammatical knowledge, that is, knowledge pertaining to sentence structure (syntax) and word formation (morphology). The concept of a grammar and model is discussed, and different grammar models are presented and compared in terms of the underlying theoretical frameworks and approaches. Fundamental concepts and issues in syntax (e.g., hierarchical and linear relations, lexicon-syntax interface) and in morphology (e.g., allomorphy, markedness, inflection, derivation) are discussed with examples from different languages. Two specific models, namely, Lexical Functional Grammar and Optimality Theory are presented in detail, the former with a focus on syntax, the latter with a focus on morphology. Study-unit Aims: The aim of the unit is to delineate the domain of grammar (syntax and morphology) by discussing the approaches to modelling grammatical structure and grammatical relations at the levels of the sentence and the word. This unit builds upon and deepens the knowledge acquired by students in the basic units on syntax and morphology, providing a solid grounding in models of grammar which have been developed to account for the rich variety of morpho-syntactic phenomena in the languages of the world. Students are expected to familiarise themselves with fundamental concepts, such as 'theory', 'model', 'markedness', 'mapping', and with the way in which grammar models are constructed and adopted to account for the morpho-syntactic properties of a wide range of languages, and thus consolidate their knowledge and expertise in the study of formal grammar. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - provide an overview of the rich variety of grammar models that have been proposed and the way they are related to each other within the wider spectrum of theories of language; - develop an in-depth understanding of two models that have been influential on developments in the area of language modelling; - identify the strengths and weaknesses of models proposed in terms of their effectiveness in accounting for morpho-syntactic phenomena; - appraise the rich variety of phenomena that such models purport to explain. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - compare and contrast grammar models that aim to explain how language is processed at the syntactic and morphological levels; - critically evaluate the notion of model of grammar and its implementation; - explain the relation between theory and model, and apply the concept of a model to the interpretation of linguistic data; - analyse and formally represent complex data within a given theoretical framework. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main: - Spencer, Andrew(1991) Morphological Theory. Cambridge, Mass.: Blackwell - Kuiper, Koenraad & Nokes, Jaqui (2014) Theories of Syntax. Concepts and case studies. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Optimality Theory. Supplementary: - Bresnan, J., Asudeh, A., Toivonen, I., & Wechsler, S. (2015) Lexical-Functional Syntax. Oxford: Blackwell - Fabri, Ray. (1998) Models of Inflection. In: R. Fabri, A. Ortmann, & T. Parodi (eds.) Models of Inflection. Tübingen: Niemeyer, pp. 1- 10 - Fabri, Ray (2008) Lexical Functional Grammar. In: Jörg-U, Keßler (ed.) Processability Approaches to Second Language Development and Second Language Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Press, 31 - 66 - Jackendoff, Ray (2002) Foundations of Language. Oxford: Oxford University Press - Kager, René (1999) Optimality Theory. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press - Newmeyer, Fredrick (1983) Grammatical Theory: Its Limits and its Possibilities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press - Sells, Peter (1985) Lectures on Contemporary Syntactic Theories: An Introduction to Government-Binding Theory, Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar, and Lexical-Functional Grammar. Stanford: CSLI |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | Pre-Requisite Study-units: | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Ray Fabri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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