Intro to Syntax

Catalog description

This course introduces the principles of modern syntactic theory in generative grammar. Students will learn to identify parts of speech and to draw syntactic trees based on hierarchic relations. Topics covered include phrase structure, binding, syntactic movement, and thematic roles. Syntactic principles are applied to various languages in order to explain structural similarities as well as differences, such as why an adverb comes between the verb and the object in French (Je mange souvent des pommes) but not in English (*I eat often apples). Prerequisite: LING/ANTH 118. Offered Fall semesters in alternating years.