For the beginning non-native learner of English, the syntax of this
language seems rather easy to comprehend and learn, mostly because most
simplex sentences have a rigid subject-verb-object word order. With
regard to more complex sentences, this impression must certainly be
revised, since we can find many constructions that are no longer that
straightforward. For example, there are sentences in which subjects or
objects are not expressed at all, do not appear in the standard
position, or behave strangely in other respects. The following sentences
briefly illustrate this point: The man I saw yesterday (A relative clause without relative pronoun?), Avoiding linguistics, she exclusively studied literature (Who avoids linguistics here and how do we know?), Jane expected Tarzan to write a term paper
(What does Jane expect? Who is supposed to write the term paper? And if
it is Tarzan, why can Tarzan only be replaced by an object pronoun,
i.e. 'him', although it is the subject of 'write'?). In this course we
will look at the structure of sentences in English, and try to find
answers to these (and other) questions. We will develop basic skills
that are needed for the analysis of sentences and get to know major
concepts that are necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the
principles of English syntax.
- Dozent/in: Sabine Jautz