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Questions of Comparative Grammar

Code: 100688 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OT 4
2504211 Spanish Language and Literature OT 3
2504211 Spanish Language and Literature OT 4
2504212 English Studies OT 3
2504212 English Studies OT 4
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 3
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OT 4
2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies OT 3
2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies OT 4

Contact

Name:
Jaume Mateu Fontanals
Email:
jaume.mateu@uab.cat

Teachers

Cristina Real Puigdollers

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

It is required that students be able to read bibliography in English. 


Objectives and Contextualisation

A selection of issues in comparative grammar will be made from the study of several languages (Romance and non-Romance; Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages) and some of the analyses that have been posited to account for them will be reviewed. 

 


Competences

    Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics
  • Critically apply the different instruments of analysis to different types of linguistic data.
  • Critically read and interpret texts.
  • Demonstrate a mastery of the rules of the Catalan language, its linguistic bases and all its application in the academic and professional fields.
  • Display teamwork skills.
  • Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
  • Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  • Students must be capable of applying their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and they should have building arguments and problem resolution skills within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
    Spanish Language and Literature
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams in order to achieve the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Develop arguments applicable to the fields of Hispanic literature, literary theory, Spanish language and linguistics, and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Typologically identify the main phenomena of the Spanish language and relate them to similar phenomena in other languages.
    English Studies
  • Critically evaluate linguistic, literary and cultural production in English.
  • Describe and analyse—synchronically and comparatively—the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties of English and its historical development.
  • Distinguish and contrast the distinct paradigms and methodologies applied to the study of English.
  • Produce effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in distinct languages (except English).
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Critically apply the different instruments of analysis to different types of linguistic data.
  • Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
    Catalan and Spanish Studies
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Critically apply different analytical instruments to different types of linguistic data, whether in synchronic or diachronic.
  • Identify the foundations of human language and the principles, methods and results of structural analysis of languages.
  • Students can apply the knowledge to their own work or vocation in a professional manner and have the powers generally demonstrated by preparing and defending arguments and solving problems within their area of study.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Accurately drawing up normative texts.
  2. Analyse various types of linguistic data.
  3. Apply findings presented in specialist papers to the analysis of similar or related phenomena.
  4. Applying the results presented in specialised articles to the analysis of similar or related phenomena.
  5. Appropriately use the different available formal and technical resources.
  6. Construct normatively correct texts.
  7. Establish typological generalisations.
  8. Establishing typological generalizations.
  9. Identify main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  10. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  11. Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  12. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  13. Plan, organise and carry out work in a team.
  14. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  15. Resolving problems independently.
  16. Solve complex problems of linguistic analysis at any level and using the appropriate tools.
  17. Solve problems autonomously.
  18. Solve problems of grammatical analysis.
  19. Solve problems self-sufficiently.
  20. Solving complex problems of linguistic analysis in any level with the appropriate tools.
  21. Solving problems autonomously.
  22. Solving problems of grammatical analysis.
  23. Summarise the knowledge acquired about the origin of the various fields within the discipline and the transformations they have undergone.
  24. Summarising acquired knowledge about the origin and transformations experienced in its several fields of study.
  25. Synthesise the knowledge acquired on the origin and transformations undergone by the different fields of study of the discipline.
  26. Use the different formal and technical resources available appropriately.
  27. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

1. Introduction. Parameters and linguistic variation.

2. Selection of issues in comparative grammar:

2.1. The parametric variation involved in the typological distinction between verb-framed languages and satellite-framed languages. Phrasal verbs and resultative constructions

2.2. The syntactic expression of predication. Argument structure alternations

2.3. The grammatical expression of unaccusativity in different languages. Unaccusative verbs and deponent verbs

2.4. Passive constructions. Verbal passives and adjectival passives. Participial structures. Absolute constructions

2.5. Word order and information structure. Discourse configurationality


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures and discussion sessions 52 2.08
Type: Supervised      
Programmed mentoring 15 0.6
Type: Autonomous      
Autonomous work 70 2.8

There will be a combination of lectures with some exercises, discussion, and analyses of grammatical phenomena.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Comparative grammar exercises 25% 5 0.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
Essay 25% 5 0.2 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27
Final exam 50% 3 0.12 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27

The continuous assessment of the course will be based on the following activities:

(a) comparative grammar exercises: 25%

(b)  home written essay: 25%

(c)  final exam: 50%

In the unique/non-continuous assessment modality, the assessment activities to be carried out on a single date by the end of the course will be the following ones:

(a) home written essay (25%)

(b) oral test (25%)

(c) final exam (50%)

To pass the course (both in the continuous assessment modality and in the unique/non-continuous assessment modality), it will be necessary to obtain a weighted average grade of 5 and obtain a 4 in each of the activities.

To access resitting students must have been previously graded in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to two thirds of the total mark and must have obtained a mark between 3.5 and 4.9. With resitting, the global maximum mark that can be obtained is 5. Only the final exam will be apt for resitting. A ‘No avaluable’ will be awarded if a student fails to hand in more than 30% of the assessed work.

In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (Teams, etc.). 

In the event of committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.


Bibliography

References

Alexiadou, Artemis, Heidi Harley i Gillian C. Ramchand (2020). Argument Structure for the 21st century. Vídeos i materials en pdf disponibles a https://aovivo.abralin.org/lives/argument-structure/   

Cinque, G., i L. Rizzi (eds.) (2010). Mapping spatial PPs: The cartography of syntactic structures, volume 6. Oxford / New York: Oxford University Press.

Demonte, Violeta (2016). “Parámetros y variación en la interfaz léxico-sintaxis”. Dins Á. J. Gallego (ed.). Perspectivas de sintaxis formal. 391-425. Madrid: Akal.

Fábregas, A., J. Mateu i M. Putnam (eds.). (2015). Contemporary Linguistic Parameters. New York: Bloomsbury.

Francez, I. i A. Koontz-Garboden (2015). “Semantic variation and the grammar of property concepts”. Language 91.3: 533-563.

Francez, I. i A. Koontz-Garboden (2017). Semantics and morphosyntactic variation: Qualities and the grammar of property concepts. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.

Myler, N. (2016). Building and interpreting possession sentences. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Picallo, Carme (ed.). (2015). Linguistic Variation in the Minimalist Framework. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press.

Roberts, I. (ed.). (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Universal Grammar. [Part IV Comparative Syntax]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Stassen, L. (2009). Predicative possession. Oxford / New York: Oxford University Press.


Software

None. 


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed