Aufbauseminar Nominal Syntax

Noun phrases are syntactic structures organized around a nominal head, ranging from one word phrases to rather complex ones: [This] was followed by [a discussion among various experts]. The head noun as the minimal element can occur on its own, but it often takes one or more dependents. NPs can have various roles in the clause (e.g. subject or object) and are commonly used to refer to extra-linguistic entities. This class will be looking at the internal structure of noun phrases. We will start out with the relevant word classes and their properties before we turn to the functions they realize within the phrase. We will then examine some of these NP-constituents more closely, comparing data against standard assumptions in the literature. Questions/aspects to be addressed might include - What is the difference between modifiers and complements of the noun? - If we have multiple modifiers, what determines their order? - Do noun phrases always have a head? - When do we need -connectives” for posthead dependents such as overt relative pronouns or prepositional links? We will apply the tools of analysis provided in the intermediate module. The aim is to deepen the participants’ understanding of syntactic structures and the analysis thereof, i.e. to make them acquainted with the state of the art in nominal syntax, to encourage a critical analysis of the research literature as well as applying/discussing methods of data collection and analysis. Anglistik u.Amerikanistik (BA, PO 2013) Kernfach Anglistik-BA: Abgeschlossenes Intermediate Module. Please note that we will read and discuss research articles on nominal syntax and check whether the predictions are supported by our data. This requires a profound knowledge of English phrase structure. If you feel you do not have sufficient background knowledge, please recap the relevant parts of the classes you have taken (Intro, Structure lecture, …) or read the NP-chapter in one of the introductory textbooks (e.g. Börjars & Burridge 2010, Huddleston & Pullum 2005). Universität Düsseldorf SoSe 2016 Dr. Günther Christine