Syntax group 3

For the beginning non-native learner of English, the syntax of this language seems rather easy to comprehend and learn, mostly because most simplex sentences have rigid subject-verb-object word order. With regard to more complex sentences, this impression must certainly be revised, since we can find many constructions that are no longer that straightforward. For examples, there are sentences in which subjects or objects are not expressed at all, do not appear in the standard position, or behave strangely in other respects. The following sentences briefly illustrate this point: The man I saw yesterday (a relative clause without relative pronoun?), Avoiding linguistics, she exclusively studied literature (who avoids linguistics here and how do we know?), Jane expected Tarzan to write a term paper (what does Jane expect? who is supposed to write the term paper? and if it is Tarzan, why can Tarzan only be replaced by an object pronoun, i.e. him, although it is the subject of write?). In this proseminar we will look at the structure of sentences in English, and try to find answers to these - and other - questions. We will develop basic skills that are needed for the analysis of sentences and get to know major concepts that are necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the principles of English syntax. We will use the following textbook as the basis for our discussion: Aarts, Bas. 2008. English Syntax and argumentation. 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave. (Available in paperback). Students must have passed the course -Introduction to Linguistics” Bemerkung ACHTUNG: Unbedingt vom 15. Februar – 14. März im LSF für den Kurs über -jetzt belegen- anmelden (bzw. wieder abmelden, wenn man doch nicht daran teilnehmen möchte). Bei Fragen oder Problemen bei der Anmeldung bitte an Frau Rüüberg wenden ( rueueberg@fb3.uni-siegen.de ). Anglistik - Sprachwissenschaft I Universität Siegen SoSe 2010 M.A. Kösling Kristina M.A