Students

LING220 – Syntax

2017 – S1 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Iain Giblin
Contact via Email
AHH3.433
By appointment - please email
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
LING110 or LING111
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
The unit introduces students to Chomsky's theory of Universal Grammar as the basis for the structure of all languages. The focus is to investigate the structure of English sentences using the scientific method, but data from other languages is also introduced. The unit covers parts of speech, tests for dividing sentences into phrases, drawing 'tree' structures for sentences, the structural relations within sentences, and movement transformations.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations
  • Explain arguments for and against Chomsky's theory of 'Universal Grammar'
  • Research and explain to peers a property of a language family

General Assessment Information

To gain a Pass grade in LING220 Students must

  • Sit the final exam

Late Submissions Policy

Late submissions will attract a penalty of 5% per day. This includes Saturdays and Sundays. Assessments submitted after the return of marked materials will not be marked.

Students may be granted an extension for medical reasons or unavoidable disruption. You should apply for a disruption to studies through ask.mq.edu.au. If no extension has been granted, there is a penalty for late submissions.

Assessment information

In-class quizzes will take place during the tutorials in week 4 and week 9.

Problem sets are due Friday, 11:59pm in weeks 6, 8, 10, and 12.

Short essay is due Friday, 11:59pm, Week 13.

Presentation topics and times will be assigned at the beginning of the semester.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
In-class Quizzes 30% No Week 4 and Week 9
Problem Sets 25% No Weeks 6, 8, 10, 12
Final Exam 30% No Examination Period
Language Typology 15% No Ongoing

In-class Quizzes

Due: Week 4 and Week 9
Weighting: 30%

There will be two in-class quizzes that will test basic foundational concepts, parts of speech and constituency, phrase structure trees and structural relations in sentence structures. 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations
  • Explain arguments for and against Chomsky's theory of 'Universal Grammar'

Problem Sets

Due: Weeks 6, 8, 10, 12
Weighting: 25%

Problem sets test concepts taught in class. Students may discuss problems with classmates. The write up of problems must be done alone.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations

Final Exam

Due: Examination Period
Weighting: 30%

The final exam is cumulative and tests knowledge of syntax covered throughout the semester.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations

Language Typology

Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 15%

Students will work in groups to research a property of a language family. Students will give a short powerpoint presentation to the class and submit a short individually written exposition of the language property assigned to the group. Written summary must be 500 words.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Research and explain to peers a property of a language family

Delivery and Resources

Technology

A laptop computer is required for diagramming sentence representations.

Students will use the free software named 'Treeform' to diagram sentences.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html

Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html

Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html​

Disruption to Studies Policy (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/

Results

Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.

Further Policy Notes:

As a good student, you are responsible for ensuring academic integrity practices are followed at all times. Your first step is to read the University's Academic Honesty Policy, and make sure you know what constitutes good practice. Then make sure you know how to reference and cite correctly. There are other practices we need to consider, and one of these is the potential for collusion. 

 

Informal study groups are encouraged as a good way to assist your learning, but please remember that all your independently assessed assignments must be totally independently completed. Unless you are doing a group project where each member contributes to producing one piece of work, for which you get the one mark, using part or all of someone else's work constitutes collusion and breaches the University's Academic Honesty policy. 

 

Do not collude with any other student by selling, giving, lending, explaining or showing all or parts of your independently assessed work/answers/past or current assignments, and do not ask to buy, borrow, see and use all or parts of the work of another student.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Graduate Capabilities

Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills

Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations
  • Explain arguments for and against Chomsky's theory of 'Universal Grammar'
  • Research and explain to peers a property of a language family

Assessment tasks

  • In-class Quizzes
  • Problem Sets
  • Final Exam
  • Language Typology

Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking

We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations
  • Explain arguments for and against Chomsky's theory of 'Universal Grammar'

Assessment tasks

  • In-class Quizzes
  • Problem Sets
  • Final Exam

Problem Solving and Research Capability

Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Use linguistic tests to identify parts of speech and sentence constituents
  • Apply the scientific method to test hypotheses about the structure of English and other languages
  • Draw tree diagrams for English sentences and apply syntactic transformations
  • Research and explain to peers a property of a language family

Assessment tasks

  • In-class Quizzes
  • Problem Sets
  • Final Exam

Effective Communication

We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Research and explain to peers a property of a language family

Assessment task

  • Language Typology