No prior knowledge of linguistics or of languages other than English is assumed. Accordingly, this course concentrates on syntactic argumentation. We learn how to organize data, form logical hypotheses, argue for the best hypothesis, and test the predictions of our hypotheses. There are frequent problem sets and the students are strongly encouraged to meet in groups outside class to discuss the problem sets. There are no exams, papers, or regular readings.
Class progresses by discussion, with student participation being crucial.
This course demands consistent, hard work. The payoff is that you learn a new way of looking at problems and solving them. The scientific methods used in this class encourage you to think critically and take yourself seriously. Grammatical Categories and Linguistic Analysis. This course is an introduction to the methods and analysis of grammatical categories and construction in natural languages.