Wolf König

Spring term 2005 Course outline for COGS 530/ELT 530

“Modern Theory of Grammar”

Tuesday 13.40-16.30; MM 451

Course objectives: Objective of the course is a detailed investigation of generative grammar. Empirical adequacy and cognitive relevance are presupposed to be the relevant criteria of explanatory adequacy for a theory of grammar as a system of mental representations or as a representation of a functional human organ.

Generative grammar in its minimalist version is assumed to be a conception of grammar fulfilling these requirements. The course introduces to this theory in detail and includes the recent developments. Application of the theory to empirical problems including data from Turkish will be discussed.

Basic textbook:

Radford, Andrew (1997). Syntax. A minimalist introduction. – Cambridge University Press.

Reference books:

Abraham, Werner et alii (Eds) (1996). Minimal ıdeas. Studies in the minimalist Framework.

– John Benjamins

Alexiadou, Artemis et alii (Eds). The syntax of relative clauses. J. Benjamins

Chomsky, Noam (1995) The minimalist program. MIT Press

Epstein, Samuel et alii (1998) A derivational approach to syntactic relations. Oxford

University Press

Epstein, Samuel and Norbert Hornstein (Eds) (1999) Working minimalism. – MIT Press

Erguvanlı Taylan, Eser (Ed) The verb in Turkish. Benjamins

Grewendorf, Günther (2002) Minimalistische Syntax. Francke: UTB 2313

Haegemann, Liliane (Ed) (1997) Elements of grammar. Handbook in generative syntax. – Kluwer Academic Publications)

Haegemann, Liliane and Jaqueline Gueron (1999) English grammar. A generative

perspective. Blackwell Publishers

İşsever, Selçuk (2003). Information structure in Turkish: The word order-propdody interface.

Lingua 113; 1025-1053

Kayne, Richard S. (2000) Parameters and universals. – Oxford University Press

Kayne, Richard S. (1994) The antisymmetry of syntax. – MIT Press

Martin, Roger et alii (Eds) (2000) Step by step: Essays on minimalist syntax in honour of

Howard Lasnik. – MIT Press

Uriagereka, Juan (1998) Rhyme and Reason. An Introduction to Minimalist Syntax. – MIT Press

Webelhuth, Gert (Ed) (1995) Binding Theory and the Minimalist Program. – Basil Blackwell

Evaluation:

Every student will choose a certain topic and (a)give a classroon presentation on the given topic, (b)write a report of the presentation, (c)do certain exercises on the given topic, (d)write a short essay on the application of the given topic to Turkish, and €give a classroom presentation of (d) - (There will be no formal midterms or finals)

Weekly schedule:

22.2. Introduction

1.3. Generative grammar and cognitive linguistics

8.3. Foundations of generative grammar

15.3. Grammar; Categories

22.3. Structure; Empty categories

29.3. Head movement; Operator movement

5.4. Subjects; A-movement

12.4./19.4. Vp-shells and argument structure

26.4./3.5. Agreement and checking

10.5./17.5. The functional domain: word order and discourse

24.5. Prospects of a minimalist grammar of Turkish

konig@metu.edu.tr
Middle East Technical University