Course title:

Generative syntax

Course code: PSL133
Course status: Obligatory
Course leader: Irena Zovko Dinković
Course instructor: Irena Zovko Dinković
Language of instruction: English
Total hours: 2L+2S
Form of instruction: Lecture
ECTS credits: 2

Course content by topics:

1. The Chomskyan turn in linguistics (a natural science approach to language and Galilean style of research inquiry; change of perspective and object of research; language is procedure rather than system); 2. internal structure of syntactic units and ways of its representation and description; 3. transformation component. i.e. the role of transformations, their mode of operation and principles governing them; 4. functional categories and their role in derivation

Learning outcomes at course level:

1. Compare and structure representational levels (phonetic and logical form) and the functioning of the computational system that links them; 2. Critically evaluate syntactic descriptions by generative grammarians; 3. Use the methodology of analysing syntactic structures of complex utterances; 4. Assess the importance of generative syntax in a wider context of linguistics; 5. Provide competent argumentation in discussions on generative grammar

Learning outcomes at programme level:

Reading list:

Adger, D. (2003): Core Syntax: A Minimalist Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.;

Chomsky, N. (1995): The Minimalist Program. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.; Mihaljević, M. (1998): Generativna sintaksa i semantika. Zagreb: HFD.; Mihaljević, M. (2005): Minimalistička

sintaksa. Skripta za studente.; Ouhalla, J. (1999): Introducing Transformational Grammar: From Principles and Parameters to Minimalism. London: Edward Arnold Publishers (2nd edition).; Radford, A. (2004): Minimalist Syntax: Exploring the Structure of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Assessment of student achievement: course attendance, oral exam Quality assurance mechanism: student survey