LSA 318: Syntactic dependencies

Line Mikkelsen and Eric Potsdam | six-week course | TuTh 1:30 – 3:15, 155 Donner Lab

This course examines syntactic dependencies of two basic kinds: unbounded filler-gap dependencies (so-called A'-movement constructions) and anaphoric dependencies (binding theory-related topics). We will look at a range of representative phenomena in typologically diverse languages and consider competing analyses for these phenomena. Coursework will emphasize the interplay between empirical data and syntactic theory, and will consist of regular homework problems and an independent project.

Reading: Selected materials available online.

Prerequisites: Introductory courses in linguistics and syntax (the latter should cover phrase structure and the relation between phrase structure and the lexicon).

Areas of linguistics: Syntax, semantics, and morphology