| source Johns Hopkins University (2) |
level Upper Level Undergraduate (X) |
department Cognitive Science (X) |
Prereq: 050.320 or permission required. Building on 050.320, this course addresses and compares conceptions of syntactic theory that have emerged in the 1980âs and 1990âs. Discussion focuses on both the substantive and formal properties of the fundamental principles of syntactic theory, as well as the cross-linguistic evidence that has motivated them. When possible, connections will be made to other areas of linguistic inquiry such as processing, acquisition, and computation. The particular choice of topics and conceptions will vary from year to year but may include (1) the contrast between the Principles and Parameters view where syntactic theory is composed of a set of inviolable principles whose form admits a certain amount of cross-linguistic variation, and the Optimality Theory view where the principles are invariant though violable, and cross-linguistic variation is determined by the relative importance of satisfying the various principles; (2) the role of structure building operations in grammar, and the differences between characterizations of well-formedness in terms of sequences of derivational steps and representational well-formedness requirements. Same as 050.621
Score: 11.843149 Details | Listing | Web page
Prereq: Previous experience with one other language-related course is desirable but not obligatory. An introduction to the basic principles underlying the mental representation and manipulation of language sounds and their relation to human perception and vocal articulation: how units of sound are both decomposable into elementary features and combined to form larger structures like syllables and words. The role of rules and constraints in a formal theory of phonological competence and in accounting for the range of variation among the worldâs languages. Same as 050.625
Score: 11.843149 Details | Listing | Web page