HIF-3010 | UiT

Type of course

This course is mandatory for students in the MA programme in Theoretical Linguistics, and elective for students in the MA programme in English Acquisition and Multilingualism. This course may be taken as a single course by students who qualify for admission to the MA programme in Theoretical Linguistics.

Admission requirements

Bachelor's Degree (180 ECTS), or equivalent qualification, in a language or linguistics, or a degree combining linguistics and literature (minimum 80 ECTS in linguistics/language/literature, of which minimum 60 ECTS must be in linguistics and/or language). Applicants must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian C (2,5) in the ECTS scale.

Application code 9371 Enkeltemner på masternivå (Nordic applicants).

Course content

This is a theoretical introduction to syntax. The course focuses on developing a theory of syntax by proposing, testing and modifying hypotheses. The ultimate goal is a universal theory which can account for both the similarities between and the differences across languages, thus comparison of data from several languages; especially the Germanic languages, will be a recurrent theme. The course starts with the basic building blocks of syntactic structure and the fundamental ways in which they can be combined. It then moves on to examine a series of syntactic phenomena, including basic constituency, selection, tense and verbal inflection, grammatical functions and case, thematic roles, clausal complementation and question formation. At each step along the way, the theory under development will be tested, expanded and revised to accommodate new data and insights.

Objectives of the course

The aim of the course is to enable students to work independently with the analysis of syntactic data. The students should be able to show thorough knowledge of the materials described in the course description. Students must also develop the skills for oral presentation and argumentation, as well as the skills necessary for group work and individual project work.

Language of instruction and examination

English.

Teaching methods

Lectures, exercises, seminars, project work.

Quality assurance:

All courses undergo a halfway evaluation once in a 2-year period at the master's level. The board of the programme decides which courses will be evaluated by students and teacher each year.

Information to incoming exchange students

This course is open for exchange students who fulfill the admission requirements (please see the "Admission requirements" section). The course should be taken as a part of a course package.

Schedule

Se timeplan

Examination

Examination:	Duration:	Grade scale:
Assignment	1 Semesters	A–E, fail F
Coursework requirements: To take an examination, the student must have passed the following coursework requirements:
Homework assignment 1		Approved – not approved
Homework assignment 2		Approved – not approved
Homework assignment 3		Approved – not approved
Homework assignment 4		Approved – not approved
Homework assignment 5		Approved – not approved
Homework assignment 6		Approved – not approved

UiT Exams homepage

More info about the coursework requirements

Students are required to hand in 6 homework assignments.

More info about the assignment

Assignment (5000 words).

Re-sit examination

A resit exam is arranged for students who have not passed the last ordinary exam in this course. In the event of a re-sit examination, the student is allowed to submit a revised version of his/her term paper within a given deadline.

autumn 2024 HIF-3010 Syntax I - 10 ECTS