BA English Language and French

This course shows students the value of using a theoretical framework to analyse the grammar of a language. Empirically, the course is based on a set of morpho-syntactic phenomena that any theoretical model worth its salt should be able to deal with. The data comes mainly from English, but some phenomena require data from other languages. We consider how more abstract generalizations can be made over the data and how these generalisations can be captured with the formal tools of Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG).

• to introduce students to language data that illustrate some central properties of morpho-syntax;
• to introduce the students to the basic principles and formal tools of Lexical-Functional Grammar;
• to show the students how to apply the tools of Lexical-Functional Grammar to the data sets in order to capture generalisations;
• to give students a sense of what can be gained by constructing an abstract model for a complex dataset

By the end of this course students will:

• understand the crucial properties of a core set of morpho-syntactic data;
• understand how morphology and syntax can contribute together or separately to identify grammatical functions and feature
• understand the basic principles of Lexical-Functional Grammar;
• apply the tools of Lexical-Functional Grammar to the data sets.

 By the end of this course students will:

• make generalisations over complex data sets;
• acquire abstract concepts;
• understand the value of constructing an abstract model for a complex dataset;
• understand that if they read a complex argument a second time, they understand it better than the first time they read it.

By the end of this course students will:

• manipulate the tools of a formal system;
• analyse unfamiliar language data and detect patterns;
• understand that if they read a complex argument a second time, they understand it better than the first time they read it.

All intellectual and practical skills listed above are transferrable. Personal skills that will be developed include independence, perseverance and the confidence to trust your own intelligence.