AJ12102 Introduction to Functional Syntax

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2008
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 2 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Jeffrey Alan Vanderziel, B.A.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ12102/A: Thu 16:40–18:15 G31, J. Chamonikolasová
AJ12102/B: Thu 18:20–19:55 G31, J. Chamonikolasová
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJ09999 Qualifying Examination
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 70 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/70, only registered: 0/70, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/70
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 8 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course denotes the position of functional syntax in linguistic theory. It analyzes the function of language units in the act of communication. The course presents the Brno theory of Functional Sentence Perspective (FSP) and outlines other approaches to the analysis of the information structure of language. Most seminars include exercises in text analysis. Final assessment is based on the results of a test in syntactic analysis focusing on the FSP interpretation, and the final course assignment, i.e. a summary of a paper presenting some aspect of the information structure theories in focus.
Syllabus
  • Week 1 Approaches to the study of Information Structure The position of functional syntax in linguistic theory Week 2 Syntactic analysis of a sentence Sentence types Text analysis - Exercise 1 Week 3 Basic sentence elements Text analysis - Exercise 2 Week 4 The theory of functional sentence perspective FSP and translation Text analysis - Exercise 3 Week 5 The distribution of communicative dynamism Week 6 Factors of FSP The linear modification factor Week7 The contextual factor Text analysis - Exercise 4 Week 8 The semantic factor Text analysis - Exercise 5 Week 9 Foundation and core of a message Week 10 FSP functions Text analysis - Exercise 6 Week 11 The FSP of questions, negative sentences and commands Text analysis - Exercise 7 Week 12 Course test Week 13 Test analysis Final assignment guidelines
Literature
  • FIRBAS, Jan. Functional Sentence Perspective in Written and Spoken Communications. Reprint. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995, 239 pp. ISBN 0-521-37308-5. info
  • SGALL, Petr, Eva HAJIČOVÁ and Jarmila PANEVOVÁ. The meaning of the sentence in its semantic and pragmatic aspects. 1. vyd. Prague: Academia, 1986, ix, 353 s. info
  • CHAFE, Wallace L. Discourse, consciousness, and time : the flow and displacement of conscious experience in speaking and writing. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994, xiii, 327. ISBN 0226100545. info
  • QUIRK, Randolph. A comprehensive grammar of the English language. Edited by David Crystal. 1st pub. London: Longman, 1985, x, 1779. ISBN 9780582517349. info
  • Příruční mluvnice češtiny. Edited by Miroslav Grepl - Petr Karlík - Marek Nekula - Zdenka Rusínová. Vyd. 2., opr. Praha: Lidové noviny, 1996, 799 s. ISBN 8071061344. info
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Základem hodnocení je test ze syntaktické analýzy, zaměřený na interpretaci z hlediska FSP, a seminární práce - souhrn článku, který představuje některý z přístupů k informační struktuře jazyka. Final assessment is based on the results of a test in syntactic analysis focusing on the FSP interpretation, and the final course assignment, i.e. a summary of a paper presenting some aspect of the information structure theories in focus.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
http://www.phil.muni.cz/elf/course/category.php?id=5
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2003, Autumn 2004, Autumn 2005, Autumn 2006, Autumn 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Spring 2011, Autumn 2011, Spring 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2008, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2008/AJ12102