Approaching Islands |
Linguistics/General
225: Topics in Syntax Spring 2011
UCSD Prof. Grant Goodall | |
Overview |
Work in syntax over the last 50 years has revealed a class of phenomena in which an element at the left periphery of the clause is related to a gap within the clause. This relation is of interest because on the one hand, it is remarkably free (there sometimes appears to be no principled limit on the possible distance between the two elements), while on the other hand, it is subject to certain restrictions (not all configurations for the two elements appear to be possible). Much of this research has been discussed in terms of islands: areas of the sentence in which gaps are not possible, or at least degraded. In this course we will explore how best to analyze island phenomena, with an emphasis on the various approaches that you are likely to encounter in the literature. As time permits, we will also touch upon some non-island constraints, such as the that-trace effect, for additional perspective. |
Goals |
The main goals of the course are to give you: - An overview of major current approaches to island
phenomena.
- Experience in creating and evaluating arguments for an analysis, especially in the context of competing analyses from different components within or outside of the grammar. - An opportunity to develop a research project related to the themes of the course. |
Requirements |
Attendance and participation (20%): Most
of this class will be devoted to reading articles from the recent literature
and discussing them, so it is essential that you do the reading, attend class,
and participate in discussions. Discussion of reading (30%): You will lead the class discussion for one article during the quarter. To do this, you will prepare an overview of the paper’s main claims and arguments (in the form of a handout or slides) and you will review these for us in class. You will also guide the discussion as we evaluate the paper, compare it to others that we have read, and discuss its implications for future research. Research project (50%): You will write a short research paper or research proposal that is related to the themes of this course. This paper/proposal should fit comfortably within your broader research trajectory (i.e. it should move you along towards developing a comps paper, qualifying, or completing your dissertation). You will present a preview of your project to the class in Week 10. |
Week |
Date |
Reading | Discussion leader | Handouts/Slides |
1 |
March 29 |
Ross 1967 | ||
March 31 |
Goodluck & Rochemont 1992 | |||
2 |
April 5 |
Szabolcsi,
A. and M. den Dikken 2002 | ||
April 7 |
No class. Will need to be rescheduled. | |||
3 |
April 12 |
Stepanov, A. (2007) | handout |
|
April 14 |
Jurka, Nakao & Omaki 2011 | handout |
||
4 |
April 19 |
Sturgeon, A, Polinsky M, Gallo C G, Kravtchenko E, Koula V, Medova L. In
Press. | Tara | |
April 21 |
Chomsky, Noam (2008)
| interim summary |
||
5 |
April 26 |
Erteschik-Shir, N. 2007 (excerpts) | Bethany | handout |
April 28 |
Culicover, P. and R. Jackendoff (2005) (excerpts: pp. 301-338, 473-491) | Ryan | handout |
|
6 |
May 3 |
Goldberg, A. 2007 (excerpts) | Gary | handout |
May 5 |
Truswell,
R. 2007 | Dave | handout |
|
7 |
May 10 |
Kluender 2004 | interim summary handout |
|
May 12 |
Phillips 2006 | Dan | handout |
|
8 |
May 17 |
Hofmeister & Sag 2010 | Boyoung | slides |
May 19 |
Sprouse, Wagers & Phillips 2010 | handout |
||
9 |
May 24 |
Kush, Omaki & Hornstein, in press | Emily | |
May 26 |
that-trace
effect | |||
10 |
May 31 |
student presentations April 7 session will be made up in this week | ||
June 2 |
student presentations |