Universität Wien

160128 SE Null pronouns (and other empty categories) (2023S)

10.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 16 - Musikwissenschaft und Sprachwissenschaft
Continuous assessment of course work
Moodle

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: German, English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

No class on 24.3. 2023.

  • Friday 10.03. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 17.03. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 24.03. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 31.03. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 21.04. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 28.04. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 05.05. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 12.05. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 19.05. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 26.05. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 02.06. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 09.06. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 16.06. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 23.06. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG
  • Friday 30.06. 09:00 - 10:30 Seminarraum 3 Sensengasse 3a 1.OG

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The topic of the BA seminar will be null elements in the grammar, focusing primarily on the morphosyntax of null pronominals. I will present classical and more recent accounts of so-called 'pro drop'. We will dissect Taraldsen's generalisation, according to which the richness of the subject agreement paradigm determines the availability of pro drop, discuss partial pro drop, radical pro drop, the acquisition of pro drop and how language change affects pro drop, i.e. how languages sometimes drop pro drop. Depending on interest, we will include a discussion on topic drop, nominal ellipsis, or the discourse pragmatic conditions on pro drop and how this interacts with the pronominal inventory of a given language. For your BA thesis, you will be encouraged to pick a topic relating to null pronouns or null nominals from a morphosyntactic perspective, but you can also expand the topic to encompass the semantics and discourse characteristics (e.g. anaphora) of null pronouns or null elements in phonology.

Assessment and permitted materials

Attendance, participation and presentation: 15%, Short written pieces: 30%
Final written work: 55%
Overall, 50% of success in each component merits a pass grade.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students are expected to regularly attend class and actively participate in the discussion. There is also a reading for every week to facilitate the discussion, which students are expected to read in advance. Students must give an ungraded presentation on a research paper. They will be expected to write short written pieces during the teaching period working towards the final essay due at the end of term. Final essay will be marked according to pre-published marking criteria to be made available on Moodle.

Examination topics

topics discussed in class, readings

Reading list

To be announced on Moodle.

Association in the course directory

BA-M11

Last modified: We 01.03.2023 10:29