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LN4017: DISSECTING SENTENCES (2023-2024)

Last modified: 05 Oct 2023 08:46


Course Overview

We all string words together without thinking, but how does this process actually work? What makes the difference between a meaningful phrase and word salad? In this course we will explore sentence structure through the study of syntax. Students will gain tools to describe and analyse sentences, drawing on a mixture of their own insights and data from a variety of languages to get to grips with the mechanisms that allow us to go beyond single-word utterances and communicate complex messages.

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 4
Term First Term Credit Points 30 credits (15 ECTS credits)
Campus Aberdeen Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Elspeth Edelstein

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

While arranging words into phrases and sentences is something we do without thinking, this process is in fact governed by a complex set of rules which constitute an internal grammar available to speakers of any given language. The study of syntax takes as a starting point our surface knowledge of how words are combined in different languages and attempts to systematically describe and explain the types of mental computation which might underlie our linguistic output. This course examines how sentences are constructed from a syntactic perspective, and how this component of language interacts with other aspects such as morphology and semantics to give us meaning that goes beyond single words. Students will be introduced to tools for syntactic analysis and have the opportunity to apply them.


Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Language Data Exercise

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks 12 Feedback Weeks 15

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Feedback

Students will be provided with written feedback through the Blackboard platform, as well as oral feedback from the tutor if desired.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseHave the ability to identify, describe, and analyse the syntax of sentences.
ConceptualUnderstandHave an understanding of the structure of sentences and how this contributes to their meaning.
FactualUnderstandHave the basic technical vocabulary needed to describe grammatical phenomena.
ProceduralAnalyseHave the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse and present syntactic data.

Seminar Participation

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 10
Assessment Weeks 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11 Feedback Weeks 12

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Feedback

Students will be provided with a comment through the Blackboard platform, as well as oral feedback from the tutor throughout the course if desired.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseHave the ability to identify, describe, and analyse the syntax of sentences.
ConceptualUnderstandHave an understanding of the structure of sentences and how this contributes to their meaning.
FactualUnderstandHave the basic technical vocabulary needed to describe grammatical phenomena.
ProceduralAnalyseHave the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse and present syntactic data.

Homework Exercises

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 40
Assessment Weeks 5 Feedback Weeks 8

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Feedback will be provided by tutors in written form through the online coursework submission platform Turnitin.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseHave the ability to identify, describe, and analyse the syntax of sentences.
ConceptualUnderstandHave an understanding of the structure of sentences and how this contributes to their meaning.
FactualUnderstandHave the basic technical vocabulary needed to describe grammatical phenomena.
ProceduralAnalyseHave the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse and present syntactic data.

Homework Exercise

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 40
Assessment Weeks 10 Feedback Weeks 12

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Feedback will be provided by tutors in written form through the online coursework submission platform Turnitin.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ConceptualAnalyseHave the ability to identify, describe, and analyse the syntax of sentences.
ConceptualUnderstandHave an understanding of the structure of sentences and how this contributes to their meaning.
FactualUnderstandHave the basic technical vocabulary needed to describe grammatical phenomena.
ProceduralAnalyseHave the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse and present syntactic data.

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Resit Assessments

Data Assessment Paper

Assessment Type Summative Weighting 100
Assessment Weeks Feedback Weeks

Look up Week Numbers

Feedback

Feedback will be provided by tutors in written form through the online coursework submission platform Turnitin.

Learning Outcomes
Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
Sorry, we don't have this information available just now. Please check the course guide on MyAberdeen or with the Course Coordinator

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge LevelThinking SkillOutcome
ProceduralAnalyseHave the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyse and present syntactic data.
ConceptualUnderstandHave an understanding of the structure of sentences and how this contributes to their meaning.
ConceptualAnalyseHave the ability to identify, describe, and analyse the syntax of sentences.
FactualUnderstandHave the basic technical vocabulary needed to describe grammatical phenomena.

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