Along the course students will delve into the study of the formal properties of languages, by analyzing both the morphological and the syntactic components. On the one hand, morphology seeks to understand how words are internally built, and the mechanisms which determine which morphemes combine with others to build words. On the other hand, syntax aims to analyze the internal structure of sentences, assuming also that it is a combinatorial mechanism, by which two meaningful units are combined to form a major unit, and so on and so forth, until a sentence is built.

Given these assumptions, an important issue of discussion during the course is where we should locate the morphological component in the overall architecture of grammar, as well its relation with syntax. It should be pointed out that we adopt the theoretical framework of generative grammar.

The course adopts a comparative perspective to study particular linguistic phenomena, hence students will work with data from Spanish, Basque, English and other languages, with the aim of being aware of the fact that, despite apparent formal differences, all languages share the same basic structures and they all use the same strategies to build major linguistic units.

At the end of the course students will be able to describe and analyze many of the most usual morphosyntactic phenomena which arise across languages, as well as those which occur in the interface between morphology and syntax.

2/ Competences

2.1 General and transversal competences

1.- Responsibility for one’s learning-process.

2.- Develop the student’s capacity to planning and managing his/her work, as well as to his/her autonomous study.

3.- Develop the skill for synthesising else’s proposals, assimilate them, and evaluate them with critical spirit.

4.- Have a good command of oral and written expression in the language, necessary and appropriate to the academic standards the degree requires.



2.2 Specific competences

1. Know how to apply theoretical concepts in morphology and syntax by solving exercises and problem sets drawn from different languages.

2. Draw a morphological and/or syntactic analysis of a particular phenomenon in a language, following the methodology learnt during the course, and using the appropriate terminology.

3. Departing from the existence of linguistic diversity, and from a comparative perspective, abstract away from that variation and demarcate those properties of languages which can account for the similar behaviour of certain morphosyntactic phenomena across languages.

4. Evaluate, by using critical argumentation, recent discussions and theoretical debates which arise in the literature in relation to morphological and syntactic issues addressed throughout the course.

1. Introduction to morphology and syntax.

1.1. The architecture of grammar

1.1.1. Morphology: aims and methods of study.

The word. The morpheme. Morphological features

1.1.2. Syntax: aims and methods of study. A combinatorial system

1.2. The placement of morphology in the architecture of grammar

1.2.1.The lexicalist hypothesis

1.2.2. The constructionist hypothesis: Distributed Morphology. Nanosyntax.

2. Combining morphemes: the internal structure of words

2.1. Derivation and composition

2.1.1. The combining properties of affixes. Case-studies of various affixes (in different languages)

2.1.1.1. The selectional restrictions of affixes (morphosyntactic and semantic properties of their base). Some problematic analyses

2.1.2. Delimiting between compounds and phrases.



3. Combining words: phrases

3.1.Phrase structure: heads, complements, adjuncts and specifiers.

3.2. Word order: canonical (neutral) order and movement.

3.3. Comparing among languages: several proposals: a) the head parameter; b) a universal order; c) surface order is a PF (non-syntactic) issue



4. Inflection (Infl) or Tense (T), between morphology and syntax

4.1. Tense: the status of “subjects”. Case and the syntactic functions of subject and object. Null arguments.

4.2. Comparing within and among languages: case marking of subjects, correlation between semantic roles and syntactic positions

4.3. Predicate valency: valency-alternations. Strategies of (In)transitivization

Teaching Morphology and Syntax implies both classroom instruction, practical classes and tasks to be worked on out of classroom. Regarding face-to-face teaching, theoretical classes will be combined with practical activities, and the students will also be required to make additional readings and extra exercises which will eventually help them to acquire and master the competences ascribed to this part of their learning process.



Teaching method:

In-person classes.

• Master classes (40 hours)

• Classroom practice (20 hours)



Teaching-learning activities:

• Theoretical expositions

• Discussion and critical remarks of hypotheses

• Making a proposal and solving linguistic problems

• Oral presentations (optional)



REMARKS:

1. It is highly recommended that the students have a good command of English, at least at the level of written English, given that most of the specific literature on linguistics is written in English.

2. According to the logic behind the learning process, it is expected that the students improve as they work on the different tasks. Therefore, it would be an unexpected (and undesirable) result that they succeed in the tasks and fail the final written exam. Accordingly, it is a prerequisite to pass the exam in order to pass the course.

Teaching method: In-person classes.

• Master classes (40 hours);

• Classroom practice (20 hours)



Teaching-learning activities:

Theoretical expositions

Guided reading

Making a proposal and solving linguistic problems

Discussion and critical remarks of others’ hypotheses

Oral presentations (optional)



TOOLS AND PERCENTAGES FOR GRADING



- Written test, open questions: 40%

- Exercises, cases or problem sets (groupal): 25%

- Individual assignments: 25%

- Active participation in classes 10%

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Written test to be taken (%): 40
  • Realization of Practical Work (exercises, cases or problems) (%): 25
  • Individual works (%): 25
  • Eskoletan parte hartze aktiboa izatea (%): 10

Assesment or Evaluation system

There will be two evaluation systems which the student must select: a continuous evaluation system, and a final one, the latter primarily intended for those students who cannot attend classes on a regular basis.

Preferentially a continuous evaluation system will be followed, according to which both the teacher and the students themselves will be aware of how far they are achieving the general and specific competences associated with the subject, by doing the readings and practical exercises which will have to be delivered in due time. Notwithstanding, those students who prefer to be evaluated only through a final test, they will be allowed to do so.

Three main evaluation tools will be employed in the continuous evaluation system: 1) on the one hand, active participation in classes will be evaluated (10%), as much in the dynamics of the classes as in the realization of classroom exercises, 2) secondly, there will be two tasks to be realized out of class hours, one individually (25%), and the other in group (25%), and 3) finally, there will be a final written test (40%), to be realized at the end of the semester.



TOOLS AND PERCENTAGES FOR GRADING



- Final written exam 40%

- Practical exercises (exercises or problems to be solved) 25%

- Group work (exercises or problems to be solved) 25%

- Active participation in classes 10%



- Specific competences 1, 2, 3 and 4 and transversal competences 1, 3 and 4 will be evaluated through the classroom tasks; seemingly, those tasks to be realized out of class hours will evaluate the specific competences 1, 2, 3 and 4, and transversal 1, 2, 3 and 4. Likewise, the final exam will evaluate the specific competences 1, 2 and 4, and transversal 2, 3 and 4.



NOTICE:

- If a student doesn’t hand over a task on time, the calification obtained in that task will be 0.

- The student doesn’t need to pass all evaluation tasks; but it is a requirement to pass the final written exam, so that the achievement of all the competences can be evaluated in a positive manner.

- In case the students decide to be evaluated by just taking a final exam, this will be the only measuring test, and will count 100% of the final grade.

Assesment Criteria



• The general criteria which will be operative for assesment are the following (they may be adapted to the specific task designed for evaluation):

o Appropriateness in the answers

o Correctness in spelling and grammar

o Coherence and clearity in presenting a proposal and its argumentation, as well as in problem resolution

o Adequate use of the specific register and terminology employed in linguistics

o Due reference to bibliographical sources



****IMPORTANT NOTE: This evaluation method assumes a face-to-face teaching system: nonetheless, if events of force majeure, such as a pandemic resurgence, prevent a classroom-based modality, the professor will accordingly make the necessary adjustments in the evaluation system and will immediately make it accessible to any student enrolled at the subject by means of eGela.

RESIGNATION

- Under a continuous evaluation system, students will be allowed to resign to take an exam in the ordinary call if they hand in the resignation up to one month (the latest) before the end of classes. The student must hand in this document to the teacher responsable of the subject.

- As for the extraordinary call, by not sitting for the exam will be a sufficient condition for considering the student has resigned. (cf. BOPV, núm.68, de 10/04/18, 1857).



5.3. EXTRA CALL (EXAMINATION)

Those students who will not pass the exam in the ordinary call, or those who resigned to pass the ordinary test, will be allowed to take an exam in an extra call. In that case, the continuous evaluation will be suspended and the only test to assess the student will be a final exam, which will count 100% of the final grade.

The bibliographical material necessary to study this subject is made up of different chapters of the handbooks listed in the basic readings. It will be complemented with other papers selected from more specific titles. The students will have easy access to all bibliographical material, also implemented by the virtual platform egela.

Basic bibliography

Carnie, A. 2002, 2007, 2012. Syntax. A generative introduction. Blackwell Publishers: Cornwall.

Eguren, L. & O. Fernández Soriano. 2004. Introducción a una sintaxis minimista. Madrid: Gredos.

Fábregas, A. 2013. La morfología. Madrid: Síntesis.

Lardiere, D. 2006. “Words and their parts”, in Fasold & Connor-Linton (ed.), An

Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lightfoot, D. eta R. Fasold, 2006. “The structure of sentences”, in Fasold & Connor-

Linton (ed.), An Introduction to Language and Linguistics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Rodríguez Ramalle, M. Teresa. 2015. Las relaciones sintácticas. Madrid: Síntesis.

Varela Ortega, S. 1999.”Sobre las relaciones de la morfología con la sintaxis“ RSEL, 29-2, 257-81.

In-depth bibliography

Adger, D. 2003. Core syntax. A Minimalist Approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Aronoff, M. and K. Fuderman (2005). What is Morphology? Oxford: Blackwell.
Artiagoitia, X. 2000. Hatsarreak eta parametroak lantzen. Gasteiz: Arabako Foru Aldundia eta EHU. [Euskararako bereziki, eta batez ere sintaxi sortzailearen oinarri teorikoetarako].
Booij, G. 2005. The Grammar of Words. New York: OUP.
Bosque, I. & V. Demonte. 1999. Gramática descriptiva de la lengua española, [Batez ere v. 3: Entre la oración y el discurso. Morfología], Madrid, Espasa-Calpe, 5ª parte.
Bosque, I. eta J. Gutiérrez-Rexach. 2008. Fundamentos de sintaxis formal. Madrid: Edit. Akal.
Gràcia Solé, Ll., Mª T. Cabré Castellví, S. Varela Ortega, M. Azkarate Villar, et alii. 2000. Configuración morfológica y estructura argumental: léxico y diccionario. Leioa: UPV/EHUko Argitalpen Zerbitzua.
Haegeman, L. 2006. Thinking syntactically. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing.
Lieber, R. 2010. Introducing Morphology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Muñoz-Basols, Moreno, Lacorte, Taboada. 2017. Introducción a la lingüística
Hispánica actual: teoría y práctica. London-New York: Routledge.
Spencer, A. & A. M. Zwicky (eds.) 2001. The handbook of morphology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sportiche, D., H. Koopman & E. Stabler (eds.), 2014. An Introduction to Syntactic
Analysis and Theory. Wiley Blackwell.
Starke, Michal (2009) Nanosyntax: A short primer to a new approach to language.
Starke, Michal (2010) Towards elegant parameters.

Journals

Fontes Linguae Vasconum.
Lingua. Publisher: Elsevier.
Linguistic Inquiry. Publisher: MIT Press Journals.
Morphology. Publisher: Springer Netherlands.
Syntax. A Journal of Theoretical, Experimental and Interdisciplinary Research. Suzanne
Flynn and David Adger (eds.). Publisher: Wiley.
Verba. Publisher: Univ. de Santiago de Compostela, Serv. de Publicacions.
ASJU. Anuario del Seminario de Filología Vasca Julio de Urquijo. Edit: UPV/EHU.
The Linguistic Review.

Web addresses

1. Hizkuntzalaritzako esteka orokorra
http://www.sil.org/linguistics/topical.html
2. Hizkuntzalaritzari buruzko hitzaldi, kongresu eta liburu berrien gaineko informazio zabala :
http://www.linguistlist.org
3. Hizkuntzalaritza formalari buruzko hainbat dokumentu (artikuluak, eskuizkribuak, tesiak, etab.)
http://ling.auf.net/lingbuzz
4. The World Atlas of Linguistic Structures
http://wals.info