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ENG222Arts2 Unitsadvanced

Advanced English Syntax

This course provides an in-depth study of Advanced English Syntax, focusing on Chomsky's Transformational Generative Grammar. It explores modifications to the original formulation, their workings, and application in syntactic analysis. The course examines linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge, competence and performance, and parametric variations. It also covers phrase structure rules, transformational rules, and notational conventions. The course aims to equip students with the skills to analyze syntactic structures and understand new trends in Transformational-Generative theory.

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26h
Study Time
13
Weeks
2h
Per Week
none
Math Level
Course Keywords
SyntaxChomskyTransformational GrammarUniversal GrammarSyntactic Analysis

Course Overview

Everything you need to know about this course

Course Difficulty

Advanced Level
For experienced practitioners
90%
advanced
📚
Math Level
No Math
📖
Learning Type
Theoretical Focus

Course Topics

Key areas covered in this course

1

Chomsky's Universal Grammar

2

Parametric Variations

3

Phrase Structure Rules

4

Transformational Rules

5

Lexical Categories

6

Phrasal Categories

7

Theta Theory

8

Case Theory

9

Binding Theory

10

Bounding Theory

11

Minimalism

Total Topics11 topics

Ready to Start

No specific requirements needed

This course is designed to be accessible to all students. You can start immediately without any prior knowledge or specific preparation.

Assessment Methods

How your progress will be evaluated (3 methods)

assignments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

tutor-marked assessments

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Written Assessment

final examination

Comprehensive evaluation of course material understanding

Computer Based Test

Career Opportunities

Explore the career paths this course opens up for you

Linguist

Apply your skills in this growing field

Syntax Analyst

Apply your skills in this growing field

Language Teacher

Apply your skills in this growing field

Content Writer

Apply your skills in this growing field

Editor

Apply your skills in this growing field

Industry Applications

Real-world sectors where you can apply your knowledge

EducationPublishingLinguistics ResearchNatural Language ProcessingArtificial Intelligence

Study Schedule Beta

A structured 13-week journey through the course content

Week
1

Module 1: Chomsky's Universal Grammar

2h

Unit 1: Aspects of the Knowledge of Language

2 study hours
  • •Distinguish between linguistic and non-linguistic knowledge.
  • •Understand the concepts of competence and performance.
  • •Define acceptability and grammaticality.
  • •Analyze sentence examples to identify different types of linguistic knowledge.
Week
2

Module 1: Chomsky's Universal Grammar

2h

Unit 2: Aspects of Parametric Variations

2 study hours
  • •Explain parametric variation.
  • •Identify sound and syntactic variations across languages.
  • •Compare English word order with other languages like Igbo and Japanese.
  • •Analyze how languages vary in their sound systems and syntactic structures.
Week
3

Module 1: Chomsky's Universal Grammar

2h

Unit 3: Rules and Notational Conventions

2 study hours
  • •Define syntactic rules and their application in language analysis.
  • •Differentiate between Phrase Structure and Transformational rules.
  • •Apply notational conventions in the Transformational Generative model.
  • •Practice generating sentences using Phrase Structure rules.
Week
4

Module 1: Chomsky's Universal Grammar

2h

Unit 4: English Phrase Structure Rules

2 study hours
  • •Identify English phrase structure rules.
  • •Apply phrase structure rules to derive English sentence structure.
  • •Understand dominance relations and lexical insertion.
  • •Practice drawing tree diagrams for English sentences.
Week
5

Module 2: The Organization of the Syntax of English

2h

Unit 1: Lexical Categories

2 study hours
  • •Define lexical categories and their representation in language analysis.
  • •Identify lexical categories in English sentences.
  • •Explain how lexical categories project phrasal categories.
  • •Analyze the constituent structure of phrases using tree diagrams.
Week
6

Module 2: The Organization of the Syntax of English

2h

Unit 2: Phrasal Categories via Merger Operations

2 study hours
  • •Explain phrasal categories and their constitution.
  • •Describe noun phrases and verb phrases.
  • •Understand merger operations and their role in forming phrases.
  • •Practice representing phrasal categories in phrase markers.
Week
7

Module 2: The Organization of the Syntax of English

2h

Unit 3: Phrase and Clause Types

2 study hours
  • •Differentiate between prepositional, adjectival, and adverbial phrases.
  • •Distinguish between independent and subordinate clauses.
  • •Identify noun, adjectival, and adverbial clauses.
  • •Analyze sentence structures to identify different phrase and clause types.
Week
8

Module 3: Formalising Modules of Grammar

2h

Unit 1: Projections, X-bar, Theta and Case Theories

2 study hours
  • •Define projections and their use in syntactic analysis.
  • •Explain X-bar theory and its components.
  • •Understand theta theory and case theory.
  • •Apply these principles in syntactic analysis.
Week
9

Module 3: Formalising Modules of Grammar

2h

Unit 2: Government, Binding and Bounding Theories

2 study hours
  • •Explain government theory and its operations.
  • •Understand binding theory and its principles.
  • •Describe bounding theory and its restrictions.
  • •Analyze sentences to identify government, binding, and bounding relations.
Week
10

Module 3: Formalising Modules of Grammar

2h

Unit 3: The D-Structure

2 study hours
  • •Define the D-structure and its role in syntactic analysis.
  • •Explain the information represented at the D-structure level.
  • •Analyze how transformations modify the D-structure.
  • •Compare D-structure with S-structure.
Week
11

Module 4: Syntactic Processes and Relations

2h

Unit 1: NP Movement Structures

2 study hours
  • •Explain NP movement and its operations.
  • •Describe NP movement in passive constructions.
  • •Understand NP movement in raising constructions.
  • •Practice generating phrase markers for NP movement structures.
Week
12

Module 4: Syntactic Processes and Relations

2h

Unit 2: WH Movement Structures

2 study hours
  • •Describe WH-movement and its operations.
  • •Explain adjunct movement.
  • •Understand WH-movement and subject NP.
  • •Analyze relativization constructions.
Week
13

Module 4: Syntactic Processes and Relations

2h

Unit 3: Empty Categories

2 study hours
  • •Define empty categories and their types.
  • •Explain empty INFL, Pro, extraction-motivated empty categories, and covert complements.
  • •Analyze syntactic structures with empty categories.
  • •Understand the arguments supporting the existence of empty categories.

This study schedule is in beta and may not be accurate. Please use it as a guide and consult the course outline for the most accurate information.

Course PDF Material

Read the complete course material as provided by NOUN.

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Study Tips & Exam Preparation

Expert tips to help you succeed in this course

1

Create concept maps linking Units 3-5 database concepts

2

Practice SQL queries from Units 7-9 weekly

3

Review all examples of phrase structure and transformational rules

4

Focus on understanding the differences between D-structure and S-structure

5

Practice applying theta theory and case theory to various sentence structures

6

Review the principles of government, binding, and bounding theories

7

Understand the key concepts of the Minimalist Program and its differences from previous models

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