Linguistics 250 is an introduction to basic principles of generative syntactic theory, focusing on phrase structure (the composition of phrases and sentences) and movement (dependencies between syntactic constituents). Much of the evidence discussed in the class comes from English, but other languages are discussed, in keeping with the comparative and universalist perspective of modern syntactic theory. To a greater extent than in past years, we will attempt to introduce you to the practice of syntactic argumentation.
The textbook for the class is a web textbook developed specifically for this course.
Grammatical terminology. Although syntax in its modern form has developed only in the last 50 years, its descriptive vocabulary is based on the concepts and terms of traditional school grammar. Some of these are explained in the supplementary material to the chapters of the web textbook (accessible through the table of contents or the syllabus). If your acquaintance with these concepts and terms is limited, please also consider consulting the references listed in the textbook under Traditional grammatical terminology.
Background reading in linguistics. If you have little experience with linguistics, Pinker 1994 is an introduction that is at once sound and entertaining. His Chapter 4 goes over material that is covered in the first few chapters of the web textbook for this class. Pinker's and our treatments are similar in spirit, though they differ in detail. Particularly relevant as background for this course are Chapter 9 on language acquisition and Chapter 12 on the distinction between prescriptive and descriptive grammar.
Place of linguistics in the information sciences. Campbell 1982 gives a panoramic view of the emergence and development of the information sciences and of the central role of generative linguistics within that development. Unfortunately, the book is out of print, but Van Pelt has at least one copy
(Q360 .C33 1982), and it regularly shows up in the local used-book stores (Big Jar, Book Trader, Last Word). Highly recommended.Another highly recommended reading is Richard Feynman's The character of physical law, Chapters 1-4. Feynman was a physicist, not a linguist, but his remarks are a lively and enjoyable guide to the scientific worldview.
The course requirements consist of (roughly) ten assignments and three exams. The assignments account for 10% of your grade, and the remaining 90% come equally from the three exams.
Assignments. The difference between reading about syntax and doing it is comparable to the difference between listening to music and playing an instrument. To pursue the metaphor, taking a syntax exam is like performing at a recital. Even if you're a musical genius, you probably wouldn't think of appearing in a recital without putting in some regular practice on scales and études somewhere along the line. Similarly, even if you're a linguistic genius, you probably won't do well on the exams without working on the assignments.
The assignments that you hand in will be reviewed (but not normally graded). You receive one point for each assignment that you hand in. However, if an assignment is badly incomplete, I reserve the right to give you less than full credit for it.
From time to time, the assignments may be graded. These grades are for informational purposes only. That is, you will receive a point no matter what your grade, but I assign a grade so that you can get an indication of how well you are understanding the material and of how well you are likely to do on the exams.
The assignments consist of exercises and sometimes problems. Exercises require the fairly straightforward application of the concepts introduced in the course, particularly of the concepts introduced in the current chapter. Problems are more open-ended. They might require you to integrate material from previous chapters or to exercise your analytical imagination in some other way.
The due date for the assignments is posted on the syllabus. The due time is 11:59 p.m. of the due date. No assignments will be accepted after a solution is posted except in case of a medical emergency or a death. In such cases, please get in touch with me as soon as you can.
Exams. In the past, the exams have been take-home, but I reserve the right to give them in class.
The exercises and problems for the chapters (both those that I assign and those that I don't) should give you a good idea of what to expect in the exams.
Electronic submission. As a rule, you will be submitting assignments and exams electronically. Please submit Word attachments (rather than pdf files) so that we can easily add comments and corrections.
To facilitate bookkeeping, the subject line of your email messages as well as the attachments that you submit in them should contain "Ling 250," your last name, and the assignment or exam number. For example: "Ling 250 Chomsky Assignment 1."
Extra credit. There is none. It's unfair to the other students in the class.
Many of the assignments make use of the Trees program, developed here at Penn by Tony Kroch and Sean Christ.
In order to use Trees, you need to download the program itself from Tony Kroch's download page. You then use the program to run so-called grammar tools, which you will also need to download. Links to the grammar tools are provided in the exercises and problems. Just click on the link, and the grammar tool will download to your computer. In order to run a grammar tool, invoke Trees, and choose "Choose grammar".
The present edition of the Trees program was written for Windows. If you have an Intel-based Mac, it is now possible to run the program using a (free) program called Darwine. Click here for further details. Please let me know of any problems.
The program has been tested rather extensively over the last few years, but some bugs may still remain. If you find any bugs, please document them as carefully as you can and send me a report. If possible, the bug will be fixed.
If you find it helpful to collaborate on assignments, I strongly encourage you to do so. However, you should write up and hand in your answers individually. Otherwise, neither you nor I can reliably gauge your understanding of the material.
If you work with other students, please indicate at the top of your assignment who you worked with.
On the exams, you should work independently in accordance with Penn's Code of Academic Integrity.
If I have reason to believe that your behavior is violating this code, I will contact the Office of Student Conduct (OSC) to initiate an investigation. I have contacted the OSC a few times in the past, and in all but one case, the OSC found that the code had indeed been violated.
If the OSC finds that you have violated the Code of Academic Integrity, you will fail the class. You may be able to retake the class, but as far as I know, the grade you receive on the retake will not replace the original F.