AJ22071 Reading Chomsky

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2001
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
PhDr. Milan Růžička (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Michaela Hrazdílková
Prerequisites
The students should acquaint themselves (e.g. in a linguistic glossary or encyclopedia) with the following notions: generative grammar, transformational theory, language acquisition, mental grammar, rules, principles and parameters. They also should know the name of at least one book written by Chomsky. No other knowledge is presupposed.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Chomsky's theoretical contribution to linguistics. His five main ideas: competence, I-language, generativism, universal grammar, innateness. Chomsky's predecessors in American and worlds linguistics. Chomsky's major opponents and their objections. Chomsky's anticapitalist dissident role in the US political discourse. The historic impact of "Syntactic Structures" (1957). Basics of generative theory. Constituency rules. The Standard Theory. Transformations.The idea of Deep Structure. Justification of UG: Poverty-of-Stimulus Argument. Platonism. "Sound Pattern of English" (1968) - the foundation of generative phonology.
Syllabus
  • Chomsky's theoretical contribution to linguistics. His five main ideas: competence, I-language, generativism, universal grammar, innateness. Chomsky's predecessors in American and worlds linguistics. Chomsky's major opponents and their objections. Chomsky's anticapitalist dissident role in the US political discourse. The historic impact of "Syntactic Structures" (1957). Basics of generative theory. Constituency rules. The Standard Theory. Transformations.The idea of Deep Structure. Justification of UG: Poverty-of-Stimulus Argument. Platonism. "Sound Pattern of English" (1968) - the foundation of generative phonology. T-model of language competence. Theory of Modules: Binding Theory, Locality, Movement, Case, Control Rethinking of the 90ties. The Minimalist Program. Chomsky - challenge and assessment.
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Two tests: a) the first in midterm to check the progress of technical knowledge (30 points). b) the second and final test at the end of the term to assess the ability to produce coherent argument (40 points). The remaining points can be obtained by active participation in the seminars and the closing colloquium.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: every week.
Credit evaluation note: 2 původní kredity.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 1999, Autumn 2000, Spring 2001.
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