This course will provide students with an advanced understanding of the morphosyntactic structures of human languages, and of the concepts, goals and methodologies used in studying them. Students will gain practical experience in solving structural problems, considering data from different languages. Topics covered include both morphology and syntax, formal and functional approaches, and different theoretical frameworks, such as Minimalist Program, Lexical Functional Grammar, and probabilistic grammar.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the morphosyntactic structures of human languages through applying linguistic theories to solve problems encountered in linguistic data from a range of languages;
2. understand how people use morphosyntactic systems in languages to communicate;
3. use basic tools of modern approaches to morphosyntax to analyse certain grammatical structures of English and a range of other languages;
4. carry out research applying relevant theoretical approaches to the analysis of morphosyntactic structures of a language or languages; and
5. engage with  literature that applies syntactic theory to a range of linguistic phenomena, allowing  evaluation of popular beliefs and arguments concerning the morphosyntax of languages.

Required Resources

Preliminary reading:

Dalrymple, Mary. 2006. Lexical functional grammar. In Keith Brown (editor), Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics. Elsevier. URL http://users.ox.ac.uk/~cpgl0015/lfg.pdf

Prescribed texts:

Börjars, Kersti , Rachel Nordlinger, and Louisa Sadler. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

We will also use reading from the following sources:

Bresnan, Joan, Ash Asudeh, Ida Toivonen, and Stephen Wechler. 2016. Lexical-Functional Syntax (second edition). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell

Dalrymple, Mary, John J Lowe, and Louise Mycock. 2019. The Oxford Reference Guide to Lexical Functional Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar. Stanford: CSLI.

Kroeger, Paul, 2004. Analyzing Syntax. Cambridge: CUP

Reading for each session; see the full syllabus in Wattle.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Referencing should follow the Harvard system, which is standard for Linguistics.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	I. LINGUISTIC THEORY AND LFG FORMALISMWEEK 1 (22-26 Jul):Introduction(i) Plan throughout the semester(ii) A brief overview of modern syntactic theories: description & analysis(iii) Phrase structures in LFG	Reading: Chaps. 1-2 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP. Chap. 1 of Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction to Parallel Constraint-Based Syntax. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications. Kroeger, Paul. 2007. LFG as a Framework for Descriptive Grammar. In Proceedings of LFG07,edited by M. Butt and T. H. King. Stanford: CSLI, http://cslipublications.stanford.edu/LFG/12/lfg07.html
2	WEEK 2 (29 Jul-02 Aug):Dimensions of information and LFG formalism(i) Grammatical functions (GFs) and their representations(ii) f-str and c-str correspondences	Reading:Chaps 2-3 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Chaps. 2-3 of Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction to Parallel Constraint-Based Syntax. Stanford, CA: CSLI Publications.
3	WEEK 3 (05-09 Aug):Derivational morphology, argument structure & mapping theories-Marking and typology of GR alignment systems: accusativity and ergativity-The conception of a-str-Linking/mapping/correspondence	Reading:Chap 4 (section 4.1-4.2) and chap. 8 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Bresnan, Joan, and L. Moshi. 1990. "Object asymmetries in comparative Bantu Syntax." Linguistic Inquiry no. 21 (2):147-185.Extra optional reading:Chap. 5 of Arka, I Wayan. 2003. Balinese morphosyntax: a lexical-functional approach. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.(Topics handed out)(Problem set 1 given out)
4	Derivational morphology: alternative argument realisation & extended voice systems-voice alternations: passive, antipassive, middles in Austronesian languages and beyond-applicativisation and causativisation	Reading:Chap 8 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Chaps. 2, 6 [section 6.4] and 7 [section 7.4] of Arka, I Wayan. 2003. Balinese morphosyntax: a lexical-functional approach. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.Extra optional reading:Austin, P. 2005 [1996]. "Causatives and applicatives in Australian Aboriginal languages." In, edited by Kazuto Matsumura. Tokyo: Hitsuji Shobo.
5	WEEKS 5 (19-23 Aug):Inflectional morphology and LFG Theory of Agreement-Types of agreement-LFG treatment of agreement	Reading:Chap 4 (section 4.3-4.7) of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Bresnan, Joan, and Sam Mchombo. 1987. Topic, Pronoun, and Agreement in Chichewa. Language 63: 741–782.(Problem set 1 due)
6	WEEK 6 (26-30 Aug):Complementation and Control Theory	Reading:Chap 5 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Chap. 5 of Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar. Stanford: CSLI.Extra optional reading:Sag, Ivan, and Carl Pollard. 1991. "An integrated theory of complement control." Language no. 67:63-113.
7	Week 7 (16-20 Sept):Complementation and Control Theory (continued)	Reading:Chap 5 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Dalrymple, Mary, Helge Dyvik, and Tracy Holloway King. 2004. Copular complements: Closed or open? In Miriam Butt and Tracy Holloway King (editors), The Proceedings of the LFG '04 Conference. University of Canterbury. URL http://cslipublications.stanford.edu/LFG/9/lfg04.html.(Chosen topic due)(Problem set 2 given out)
8	Filler-gap and long-distance dependencies:Topicalisation, interrogatives and relative clauses	Reading:Chap. 6 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Chap. 6 of Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar. Stanford: CSLI.(Paper plan due)
9	WEEK 9 (30 Sep -04 Oct):Binding Theory: reflexives	ReadingChap. 7 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.Chap. 7 of Falk, Yehuda N. 2001. Lexical-Functional Grammar. Stanford: CSLI.Extra reading (optional)Chap. 6 [sections 6.1-6.3] of Arka, I Wayan. 2003. Balinese morphosyntax: a lexicalfunctional approach. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.(Problem set 2 due)
10	Week 10 (07-11 Oct):Complex predicates & Serial Verb Constructions in LFG	Reading:Chap 1 of Alsina, A., J. Bresnan, and P. Sells, eds. 1997. Complex predicates. Stanford: CSLI.Foley, William A. 2010. Events and serial verb constructions. In Complex predicates: crosslinguistic perspectives on event structure, edited by M. Amberber, B. Baker and M. Harvey, 79-109. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.(Critical Summary due)
11	Week 11 (14-18 Oct)Information structure and other contextual information	Reading:Dalrymple, M and L Mycock, 2011. The prosody-semantics interface. In Butt and King (eds.) Proceedings of the LFG11 Conference.Arka, I Wayan. 2005. Speech levels, social predicates, and pragmatic structure in Balinese: a lexical approach. Pragmatics 15 (2/3):169-203
12	Week 12 (21-25 Oct):Wrap-up: LFG, its implementation, and beyond	Reading:Butt, Miriam, King. Tracy, Maria Eugenia Nino, and Frédérique Segond. 1999. A grammar writer's cookbook. Stanford: CSLI.Chap. 9 of Börjars et al. 2019. Lexical-Functional Grammar: An Introduction. Cambridge: CUP.The final version of the paper due 01 Nov 2024

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
2 Problem sets	45 %	23/08/2024	LOs 1, 2, 3
Critical summary	10 %	11/10/2024	LO 4
Research essay	45 %	01/11/2024	LOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Extenuating Circumstances Application
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

The students will be expected to do all home assignments and the weekly readings (articles). They spend at least 5 hours for these two regular activities. In addition, they will need to dedicate at least 4 hours per week to prepare for their research report.

Since the course focuses on interactive problem solving, all students are encouraged to attend the tutorials.

Assessment Task 1

2 Problem sets

The assignments will test your ability to apply syntactic concepts to data, and analyse syntactic phenomena.

Problems will be assessed primarily (about 70%) on the accuracy and insightfulness of analysis. For example, missing a case-marking morpheme where there clearly is one would count as a failure of accuracy, while failing to notice an opportunity to use a simple syntactic rule would count as a failure of analytic insight. Organisation and coherence of expression will account for the remainder, approximately 15% each. Of course, poor organisation or expression might result in my failing to notice a significant insight! (Although you can certainly point it out if you think this has happened.)

Assessment Task 1: Agreement and Linking

Details of task: Based on the data set, the students have to

a. state the (basic) principles and constraints for an agreement system in a given language;

b. apply and discuss Linking Theory in relation to more complex data on agreement.

c. write up annotated PS rules and PS trees in LFG to capture the constraints/principles formulated in (a) and (b).

Word limit (where applicable): around pages of solutions

Due date: week 6; feedback/assessment returned end of week 8

Assessment Task 2: Voice, reflexive binding and argument structure in complex structures

Details of task: Given a set of data, the students have to:

1) discuss the voice system and reflexives in a given language, addressing issues of marking and observed alternations in simple and complex sentences;

2) write a full grammar in LFG format to capture grammatical and ungrammatical structures on the basis of the answers in (1);

3) provide a typological and theoretical discussion on the nature voice/alignment system;

4) write up c-str and f-str representations with reference to particular sentences in the data.

Word limit (where applicable): around pages of solutions

Due date: week 9; feedback/assessment returned week 11

Length: 800 words each

Total weight: 45%

Assessment Task 2

Critical summary

The critical summary will test your ability to read and explore the literature relevant to your research topic critically. It must be related to the chosen topic of the essay.

The research papers will be assessed according to these criteria:

• Mechanics 10%
• Referencing 15%
• Structure 15% 
• Content 60%

Due date: week 10; weight: 10%

Length: 1000 words

Assessment Task 3

Research essay

The research essay is a report on a syntactic description (details on separate handout), which will test your ability to read and understand syntactic descriptions from the literature.

The research papers will be assessed according to these criteria:

• Mechanics 10%
• Referencing 15%
• Structure 15% 
• Content 60%

Chosen topic due week 7

1-page plan for essay due week 8

Paper due 1 November 2024; weight: 45%

Length: 2000 words

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material. Any use of artificial intelligence must be properly referenced. Failure to properly cite use of Generative AI will be considered a breach of academic integrity.

Returning Assignments

The students will be notified that their assignments/essays have been marked through the course Wattle, one or two weeks after the due date.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

No resubmission of some or all assignments is allowed.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Accessibility for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents all ANU students