Prospectus

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Linguistics 2: The Syntax of English

Course
2010-2011

Admission Requirements

None.

Description

This course is an introduction to the syntax (sentence structure) of Modern English. We will discuss the classification of words into syntactic categories, and how words can be combined into phrases and phrases into sentences. We will introduce the notion of constituent movement and we will also discuss the function of words and phrases in the sentence as well as different verb complementation types.

Course Objectives

Students acquire insight into the grammatical structure of Modern English, and are familiar with some linguistic methods of analysis.

Timetable

The timetable will be available from July 1 onwards on the Department website.

Mode of Instruction

Two one-hour lectures per week and a two-hour seminar per week.

Assessment

Three in-term quizzes (30%), final written exam (70%); if the average quiz mark is lower than the mark for the final written exam, the latter will count for 100%.

Blackboard

This course is supported by Blackboard.

Reading list

  • Noel Burton-Roberts (2011), Analysing sentences: An introduction to English syntax, 3rd edn. Harlow: Pearson Education.

  • David Crystal (1995), The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (2nd edition 2003).

Registration

Students can register through U-twist.

Register for ‘Contractonderwijs’ via: www.hum.leidenuniv.nl/onderwijs/contractonderwijs

Contact information

English Department, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 103c. Phone: 071 527 2144, or mail: english@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks