230260 Acquiring and Teaching English Syntax (S) (WiSe 2015/2016)

Just imagine: A limited number of linguistic units enables us to come up with an infinity of English sentences. In this course, we will explore some of the models that have been proposed to explain this highly astonishing competence. We will focus on an approach developed by Noel Burton Roberts in his work "Analysing English Sentences" in greater detail in order to get a feeling for how such a complex model works. Finally, we will give an outlook into educational issues. For instance, to what extent are the linguistic models we investigated reflected in English textbooks for L2 learners? Can we develop ideas for teaching syntactic phenomena from the theoretical insights we gained?

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

Having passed BM3 would be highly recommendable. Without at least the basic grasp of English syntax you gained from Intro I, this course will probably too challenging for you.