36616 - Syntactic Typology - טיפולוגיה תחבירית

עברית

Prof. Y. N. Falk
Office 7812
Office Hours: Sundays and Wednesdays 14:45-15:30

Semester B 2010-1 Sunday/Wednesday 12:30-14:00 in Room 2705
BA Course in advanced syntax, Linguistics Department, Generative stream

"Typology" is the study of the ways in which languages differ and the ways in which they are similar. In this course, we will examine how syntactic constructions in a variety of languages. We will examine issues such as word order, the relation between structure and function, properties of subjects, Case-marking patterns, and relative clauses. Time permitting, we will discuss markedness hierarchies and optimality theory.

A couple of quotes to consider

Martin Joos 1957: "...[L]anguages [can] differ from each other without limit and in unpredictable ways." [Readings in Linguistics I p. 96]

Hilda Koopman and Dominique Sportiche 1991: "[W]e suppose that the null assumption concerning language variation is that it does not exist." [Lingua 85 p. 218f]

Course Outline

  1. Basic concepts of typology [Chapters 1,2]
  2. Dimensions of linguistic representation [Chapter 3]
    1. General issues
    2. Configurationality
  3. Word Order Typology [Chapter 4]
  4. Argument Typology
    1. Ergativity
      1. Case Marking Patterns
      2. Subjects and Pivots: Syntactic Ergativity [Chapter 5 and Falk 2006]
      3. Differential Marking I: Description [Chapter 6]
      4. Differential Marking II:Prominence Hierarchies and Optimality Theory [Chapter 9]
    2. Objects
  5. Relative Clauses (time permitting) [Chapter 7]
  6. Causatives (time permitting) [Chapter 8]
  7. Final comments [Chapter 11]

Course requirements/grading

Homeworks -- two major assignments (50%)
Final take-home exam (50%).
Students who take this course as a seminar write a seminar paper.

Readings

Textbook: Bernard Comrie (1989) Language Universals and Linguistic Typology. University of Chicago Press.

+ excerpts from: Yehuda N. Falk (2006) Subjects and Universal Grammar: An Explanatory Theory. Cambridge University Press

The parts we will be reading can be downloaded here.

Additional (optional) readings

Peter Austin and Joan Bresnan (1996) "Non-configurationality in Australian Aboriginal Languages." Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 14: 215-268.

Judith Aissen (1999) "Markedness and Subject Choice in Optimality Theory." Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 17: 673-711.

Judith Aissen (2003) "Differential Object Marking: Iconicity vs. Economy." Natural Language and Linguistic Theory 21: 435-483.

Handouts available for downloading in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format

Note: If these don't print correctly on your printer but display properly in Acrobat, try using the "Print as image" option in Acrobat.

Syllabus (13 February)
Languages of the World (13 February)
Hebrew et and Typology (13 February)
Is Case Universally Required? (16 February)
Syntax-relevant Dimensions (20 February)
Dimensions and Typology (23 February)
Configurationality (27 February)
Word Order Universals (6 March)
Case--Basic Concepts (13 March)
Differential (Split) Marking (6 April)
Animacy (13 April)
Prominence Hierarchies (1 May)
Optimality Theory (11 May)
Ditransitive Constructions (18 May)
Wh-Movement and Ergativity (29 May)
Typology Summary (5 June)

Announcements

Typological terminology in English and Hebrew

16 March: For the next class, read Chapter 5 of the textbook and the sections from Falk (2006), and bring them to class.

16 March: I have added Universal 18 to the Word Order Universals handout.

Homeworks

Assigned 9 March, due 23 March: Imbabura Quechua

Assigned 4 May, due 18 May: Hindi-Urdu Case