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Catalan Syntax

Code: 105830 ECTS Credits: 6
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
2503998 Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OB 2
2504380 English and Catalan Studies OB 3
2504388 Catalan and Spanish Studies OB 3

Contact

Name:
Cristina Real Puigdollers
Email:
cristina.real.puigdollers@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

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


Prerequisites

It is necessary to have attended the obligatory courses of Catalan Language on the first year. Moreover, a good oral and written level (C grade of the EU Frame for the Teaching and Learning of Languages) of Catalan language is needed. 

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Objectives and Contextualisation

This course deals with the basic aspects of the syntax of complex sentences and modality in Catalan, primarily from a descriptive perspective.

The objective of the course is to enable students to master the basic syntactic concepts of the topics covered, so that they can satisfactorily analyze different syntactic phenomena.

Additionally, they should be able to recognize how Catalan expresses universal grammatical properties.


Competences

    Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Catalan language, its evolution over time and its present structure.
  • Assess gender inequalities when acting in this field of knowledge.
  • 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.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  • Students must be capable of collecting and interpreting relevant data (usually within their area of study) in order to make statements that reflect social, scientific or ethical relevant issues.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
    English and Catalan Studies
  • Act in one's own field of knowledge evaluating inequalities based on sex/gender.
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Catalan and English languages, their evolution throughout history and their current structures.
  • Apply scientific ethical principles to information processing.
  • 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.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and mastery of its foundations and applications in the academic and professional fields.
  • Demonstrate the ability to work autonomously and in teams with the aim of attaining the planned objectives in multicultural and interdisciplinary contexts.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Use digital tools and specific documentary sources to gather and organise information.
    Catalan and Spanish Studies
  • Act with ethical responsibility and respect for fundamental rights and duties, diversity and democratic values.
  • Analyse the main phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the Catalan and Spanish languages, their historical evolution and their current structure.
  • Carry out effective written work or oral presentations adapted to the appropriate register in different languages.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of Catalan and Spanish and mastery of their applications in the academic and professional fields.
  • Innovate in the methods and processes of this area of knowledge in response to the needs and wishes of society.
  • Produce arguments applicable to the areas of Catalan and Spanish philology, literary theory and linguistics and evaluate their academic relevance.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills in order to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Take sex- or gender-based inequalities into consideration when operating within one's own area of knowledge.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse linguistic structures.
  2. Analyse the most problematic phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the present-day language.
  3. Analyse the syntactic structures of simple, complex, modalised and discursively marked clauses.
  4. Analyse various types of linguistic data.
  5. Analyze linguistic structures.
  6. Analyze properties phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic language that current problems arise.
  7. Analyzing linguistic structures.
  8. Apply the principles of correctness required in the standard language and the different registers and variants.
  9. Characterise linguistic phenomena taking into account the different levels of analysis.
  10. Correctly identify linguistic units.
  11. Describe the combinatory processes for creating linguistic units.
  12. Describe the process of creating combinatorial linguistic units.
  13. Distinguish between grammatical gender and natural gender.
  14. Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
  15. Identify pragmatic factors that influence the use of various linguistic structures.
  16. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  17. Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  18. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  19. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.
  20. Interpret texts in depth and provide standpoints from which to analyse them critically.
  21. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  22. Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
  23. Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
  24. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  25. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  26. Produce written and oral texts with correction rules.
  27. Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  28. Properly apply the knowledge gained to data collection and management of documentary sources application to the study of Catalan language and literature.
  29. Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
  30. Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
  31. Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
  32. Work independently in the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
  33. Work self-sufficiently on the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
  34. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.

Content

  1. Basic concepts revisited: categories, functions, theta roles. Recursivity and endocentricity.  
  2. Sentence types according to modality: interrogatives, exclamatives, imperatives, cleft and pseudocleft sentences.
  3. Aspectual and modal periphrases.  
  4. Complex sentences: an overview.
  5. Coordination. The typology of coordinate sentences. 
  6. Subordination: an overview.
  7. Subject, object and prepositional clauses.
  8. Relative clauses. Analytic and synthetic relative clauses. Free relatives. Pseudo-relatives. 
  9. The problem with adverbial clauses.
  10. Small clauses. Sentential adjuncts. Free adjuncts. 

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Lectures and discussion 45 1.8 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34
Type: Supervised      
Exercises and individual supervision 15 0.6 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34
Type: Autonomous      
Homework, literature reading, and exercises 25 1 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34

 Activities follow the problem-based learning model. Activities are basically of two types:

a) Lectures with time allotted for individual and group discussions.

b) Seminars to practice syntactic argumentation in the classroom and individual exercises to develop analytical skills and problem-solving abilities.

Supervised and autonomous activities are also structured around problem sets, the analysis, and comparison of structures, and the critical reading and discussion of selected readings.

 

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
Course activities 10% 20 0.8 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34
Written assignments 30% 30 1.2 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, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34
Written exam 1 30% 7.5 0.3 1, 3, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 34
Written exam 2 30% 7.5 0.3 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 23, 25, 26, 28

 Assessment will be carried out in the following way:

  • Course activities (submission of assignments, comments on readings, active participation in seminars): 10%

  • Exercises: 30%

  • Written exam 1:  30%
  • Written exam 2:  30%

The final grade of the course will be the sum (weighted) of the scores obtained in each activity, which should be at least 5. After each test, students will be allowed to review their results.

Students will obtain a Not-taken course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.

Unique evaluation

  1. Written test (40%)
  2. Exercise (30%)
  3. Oral test (30%)

When carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which the review will take place.

Only students who have obtained a minimum overall grade of 3.5 and have been evaluated in at least two-thirds of the course activities will be eligible for a make-up exam. Only the final exam can be retaken, and the maximum grade will be 5. Students who choose the single assessment modality must present the three pieces of evidence to be eligible for retaking the exam. Students enrolled in the single assessment modality will follow the same rules as those enrolled in the continuous assessment for the make-up exam.

Spelling mistakes and errors in writing will be penalized as established for each activity.

The calendar will be available on the first day of class. Students will find all information on the Campus Virtual (Moodle): the description of the activities, teaching materials, and any necessary information for the proper follow-up of the subject. In case of a change in teaching modality for health reasons, teachers will make readjustments to the schedule and methodologies.

If tests or exams cannot be taken on-site, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities, and in-class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis, and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students can access these virtual tools or will offer them feasible alternatives.

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded for 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

Badia i Margarit, Antoni M. (1994), Gramàtica de la llengua catalana, Barcelona, Enciclopèdia Catalana.

Bosque, Ignacio y Javier Gutiérrez Rexach (2009), Fundamentos de sintaxis formal, Madrid, AKAL.

Cuenca, Maria Josep (1991), L'oració composta II. La subordinació. València, Universitat de València.

Carnie, Andrew (2021). Syntax: A generative introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

Fabra, Pompeu (1956), Gramàtica catalana, Barcelona, Teide. http://ocpf.iec.cat/obres/34gramatica56.pdf

Fortuny, Jordi (2019), Elements de sintaxi generativa, Barcelona, Manuals de la UOC.

Haegeman, Liliane (2006), Thinking Syntactically: A Guide to Argumentation and Analysis, Oxford, Blackwell.

Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2016), Gramàtica de la llengua catalana, Barcelona, IEC. https://giec.iec.cat/

Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2018), Gramàtica essencial de la llengua catalana, Barcelona, IEC. https://geiec.iec.cat/

Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2019), Gramàtica bàsica i d'ús de la llengua catalana, Barcelona, IEC.

Solà, Joan et al. (eds.) (2002/2008), Gramàtica del català contemporani, vol. 3. Barcelona, Ed. Empúries

 

N.B. Specific monographies and papers will be added to address specific topics.


Software

No special software is needed


Language list

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