This module provides an introduction to recent work in English syntax. Its focus is the minimalist theory developed by Chomsky over the past fifteen years. It should be viewed as an extended segment of linguistics for those who have taken Introduction to Linguistics and/or for those who are preparing themselves for postgraduate entrance examinations with a special focus on linguistics or TESOL. The module will cover the following topics: 1. Grammar (What is grammar?); 2. Categories (lexical and functional Categories); 3. Structure (the formation of English sentences); 4. Principles and Parameters (similarities and differences in language design); 5. Empty Categories (zero subjects and complements); 6. Head Movement (syntactic movements of various categories); and 7. Subjects (subjects, predicate, and case).

By the end of the semester, students should: 1. have a grounding in contemporary work in English syntax; 2. be familiar with the grammatical structure of English; 3. be able to analyse samples of relevant data for themselves; 4. appreciate the relation between linguistic theory and data; 5. be confident enough to tackle courses (e.g. Applied linguistics, language acquisition, and psycholinguistics) which presuppose some background in syntax;

Radford, A. (2004). English Syntax: An Introduction. Cambridge:CUP