Course syllabus

SEMESTER 1, 2017
Course Information

• Course Coordinator 

Helen Charters - h.charters@auckland.ac.nz

• Teacher

Helen Charters - h.charters@auckland.ac.nz

• Tutor

Helen Charters - h.charters@auckland.ac.nz

• Course delivery format

2 hours of lectures and 1 hour of tutorial

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

Course Description              

This course will introduce you to the basic concepts central to an understanding of syntax from either a functional-typological perspective, or a formal perspective, and will expose you to the way these operate differently in different languages. These two perspectives are not in opposition to each other; rather, they are complementary, each one providing important insights into the nature of human language. The text-book provides an excellent overview of the basic data that underlies our descriptions of syntactic systems, and the terminology we use to discuss them. This will be supplemented in lectures with material demonstrating how the concepts are formalized, related and employed in syntactic theory.

No prior knowledge of any other language is assumed.

You are expected to attend and actively participate in the Tutorials which, for LINGUIST 200 begin in the FIRST week of the semester! The tutorial sessions will largely be based on the exercises found in the set text book. Answers to these exercises are not provided in the text book and will not be posted online during the course. You will receive a set of answers only if you attend the tutorial and attempt the exercises yourself.

Course outcomes

A student who successfully completes this course will:

• know the names of major and minor word classes, thematic roles, grammatical functions, and the grammatical categories associated with major word classes,
• understand and carry out morpho-syntactic analysis of different languages, including the identification of heads and dependents, constituents, different aspects, moods and clause types   
• acquire skills in critical thinking, academic literacy, collection and presentation of linguistic data

Weekly Topics

Prescribed Texts:

 Tallerman, Maggie. 2015. Understanding Syntax, (4th Edition). London: Routledge.

Workload:

The University of Auckland's expectation on 15-point courses, is that students spend 10 hours per week on the course. Students manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Students attend two hours of lectures each week and participate in a one-hour tutorial from week 2 of semester. This leaves seven hours per week outside the classroom to prepare for tutorials, assignments and the exam.

Deadlines and submission of coursework:

There are penalties of up to 10% for submitting work late without an extension.  Extensions may be given in special circumstances; applications for extensions should be made WELL BEFORE the due date if possible. 

Plagiarism:

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence.  The work that a student submits for grading must be the student’s own work, reflecting his or her learning.  Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced.  This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web.  A student’s assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

For more information, see the University’s Guidelines: Conduct of Coursework, and Guidelines: Conduct of Research

http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/fms/default/uoa/about/teaching/policiesprocedures/docs/conductcoursework.pdf

http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/fms/default/uoa/about/teaching/policiesprocedures/docs/conductresearch.pdf