LING 304

Syntax I

This course is an introduction to syntax, the study of phrase structure in human language. Through examination primarily of English varieties, students will develop various skills in scientific analysis, such as: the identification of evidence to support hypotheses; the ability to deduce the nature of lexical and syntactic categories (such as noun, verb, noun phrase, subject, object); and the ability to recognize the abstract properties, elements, and operations which give rise to e.g. syntactic ambiguity, recursion, and the variety of surface forms we recognize as distinct “constructions,” such as active vs. passive, interrogatives, and relative clauses. NOTE: Not open to students who have already completed ENL 423.

Regular Liberal Arts

029265