Duration
30h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This course concentrates on verb argument structure in English. It first introduces the traditional classification of basic verb classes and clause types, which is largely based on syntactic argument structure. The course will then home in on several analytical problems associated with transitivity:
- Argument structure: Is it a verbal property or a constructional property?
- Degrees of transitivity; transitivity as a scalar notion, and valency-changing mechanisms
- Tension between semantic argument structure and grammatical relations, e.g. notion of subject (Syntactic function only? Semantic import? Information-structural properties? Expletive subjects?)
- Syntactic 'alternations', e.g. dative alternation, locative alternation: How to account for the distribution of the member constructions? How to conceive of the member constructions (derived by syntactic operations or constructions in their own right)?
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Introduction into the methods of corpus linguistics; analysis of corpus data; deeper insights into the domain of verb argument structure and the analytical problems related to transitivity.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Very good knowledge of English; English Language 1 & 2; English linguistics 1 & 2
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course involves interactive seminars in which students will discuss corpus data, read scientific articles, and eventually carry out a corpus study themselves.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face seminars.
Organisational adjustments related to the current health context
Classes are taught online through Collaborate.
Should the sanitary crisis require it, the oral presentation will be organised online on eCampus, and the research paper will only have to be submitted in electronic format (no paper version).
Recommended or required readings
All teaching materials will be made available on eCampus.
Assessment methods and criteria
Below you will find information on the evaluation methods planned for in-person and remote exams as well as those planned for hybrid sessions. Depending on how the health crisis evolves, the chosen method will be communicated to you no later than one month before the start of the exam session.
Students will have to carry out a corpus study on a topic related to verb argument structure in English. They will have to report on their findings in both an oral presentation and a research paper. This paper integrates feedback from teacher and peers, and relates its findings to the existing literature. Expected length: 5,000-8,000 words, including references. More precisely, grades will be given as follows:
- oral presentation: 5/20
- research article: 15/20
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Teacher in charge of the course :
An Van linden
Département de Langues et littératures modernes
Place Cockerill, 3-5
B-4000 Liège
Tel. 04 366 53 60
E-mail: an.vanlinden@uliege.be
Office: A2/6/16