- UCAS course code
- Q100
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Analysing Grammar
Unit code | LELA20021 |
---|---|
Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 2 |
Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
Available as a free choice unit? | Yes |
Overview
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).
Pre/co-requisites
Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
English Word and Sentence Structure | LELA10301 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
Compulsory Pre-Requisite: LELA10301: English Word and Sentence Structure. Students who do not meet this pre-requisite must gain academic approval before they can enroll.
Aims
- 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
Knowledge and understanding
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.
Intellectual skills
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.
Practical skills
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.
Transferable skills and personal qualities
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.
Assessment methods
Exam | 70% |
Assignments | 30% |
Homework assignments | N/A |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or summative |
Discussion board on Blackboard | formative |
Oral feedback through tutorial discussions | formative |
Global feedback on online quiz and a discussion of the sample exam in the final lecture | formative |
Individual meeting with lecturer on request | formative |
Feedback on exam on request | formative and summative |
Recommended reading
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
---|---|
Assessment written exam | 2.5 |
Lectures | 22 |
Tutorials | 11 |
Independent study hours | |
---|---|
Independent study | 164.5 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
---|---|
Richard Zimmermann | Unit coordinator |