Introduction to Syntax and Semantics Course Outline
Second Semester 2011
Tutor:
Dr. Walid Amer
1. Course description
The aim of this course is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of generative syntax, the
Government and Binding framework. In the course, we will emphasize the comparative aspect of generative research, paying close attention to the nature of cross-linguistic variation.
The course will also cover semantics. It will touch meaning, semantic constraints, reference and referential expressions, denotations and connotations, lexemes
Introductory reading materials will be taken from the following books (specified in each class):
Adger (2003): Core Syntax. Oxford University Press.
Carnie: Syntax (2002). A generative introduction. Blackwell Publishers.
Liliane Haegeman (
5
5
5
6
Charles W.Kreidler (1998) Introducing Semantics, London
WEEK TOPIC
1
2
3
Foundations and Methods
Phrase Structure
Case, Binding & Agreement
4 VP configurationality, Argument Structure,
Head movement
7
8
Theta theory
Wh-constructions & A-bar mvt.
Control theory
Discussion Midterm Assignment,
DP Structure, Predication, Copular
Structures
FURTHER
READING
Chomsky 1988, Ch1
Stowell 1983
Den Dikken 1995, Ch1,
Menuzzi 1999, Ch1
Larson 1988
Pollock 1989
Hale & Keyser 1993
Ian Roberts 1996
Cinque 1991, Ch1
Ian Roberts 1996
Longobardi 1994

10
11
9
Semantics Constraints
4. References
Bailyn, John Frederick (2002): Scrambling to reduce scrambling, Part 1 & II. In Glot
International 6-4 & 6-5.
Baker, M. 1985. The mirror principle and morphosyntactic explanation. Linguistic Inquiry
16.3, 373-416.
Baker, M., K. Johnson, and I. Roberts. 1989. Passive arguments raised. LI 20, 219-251.
Belletti, Adriana (2001): Agreement Projections. In M. Baltin & C. Collins (eds) The handbook of Contemporary Syntactic Theory . Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, p. 483-510.
Besten, den. H. 1985. The ergative hypothesis and free word order in Dutch and German. In J.
Tom‡n (ed) Studies in German grammar .
Bobaljik, J. 1998. Floating Quantifiers: handle with care. Glot International 3, 6 3- 9.
Burzio, L. 1986. Italian Syntax , a Government-Binding approach, Kluwer Academic
Publishers. Chomsky, N. 1959. "Review of B.F. Skinner, Verbal Behavior ." Language
35.1:26-58.
Charles W.Kreidler (1998) Introducing Semantics, London
Chomsky, N. 1988. Language and problems of knowledge . MIT Press.
Chomsky, N. 1995. The minimalist program.
Cambridge, MA.
Chomsky, N. 2001a. Derivation by phase. In Ken Hale: A Life in Linguistics , ed. Michael
Kenstowicz. Current studies in linguistics 36. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1-52.
Chomsky, N. 2001b. Beyond Explanatory Adequacy. Ms. MIT.
Cinque, G. 1991. Types of A-bar-dependencie s. MIT Press.

Dikken, M. den. 1995. Particles , on the Syntax of verb-particle triadic, and causative constructions, Oxford University Press.
Dobrovie-Sorin, C. 1990. Clitic Doubling, WH movement and Quantification in Romanian.
Linguistic Inquiry 21, 351-397.
Fox, Danny (1999) Reconstruction, Binding Theory and the Interpretation of Chains, LI 30,
157-196.
Haegeman, L. 1995. The syntax of negation, Cambridge University Press.
Hale, K. and S.J. Keyser (1993) ‘On argument structure and the lexical expressions of syntactic relations’, in: K. Hale and S.J. Keyser (eds.)
The View from building 20 : essays in linguistics in honor of Sylvain Bromberger, Cambridge (Mass), 53-109.
Hoekstra, T. 1988. Small Clause results. Lingua 74. 101-139.
Hornstein, N. 1995. Logical Form, from GB to Minimalism , Blackwell Publishers.
Iatridou 1990. About Agr(P). Linguistic Inquiry 21. 551-577
Kayne, R. 1994. The antisymmetry of syntax , MIT Press.
Kayne, R. 1999. Overt vs. covert movement. SYNTAX 1.2: 128-191.
Larson, R., 1988. On the double object construction, Linguistic Inquiry 19, 335-391.
Lasnik, H. and M. Saito. 1984. "On the nature of proper government," Linguistic Inquiry 15,
235-289.
Levin, B. and M. Rappaport Horav (1995). Unaccusativity At the Syntax-Lexical Semantics
Interface . Linguistic Inquiry Monographs 26, Cambridge (Mass.): MIT Press.
Liliane Haegeman (
Longobardi, G. (1994). Proper names and the theory of N-movement in syntax and logical form. Linguistic Inquiry 25.
Menuzzi, S. 1999. Binding theory and pronominal anaphora in Brazilian Portuguese , PhD
Dissertation, Leiden University.
Moro, A. 1997. The raising of Predicates. MIT Press.
Platzack, C. & A. Holmberg. 1989. The role of Agr and Finitenes. Working papers in
Scandinavian Syntax 43, p. 51-76.
Pollock, J.-Y. 1989. Verb movement, Universal Grammar, and the structure of IP. Linguistic
Inquiry 20, 365-424.
Reinhart, T. & E. Reuland. 1993. Reflexivity. Linguistic Inquiry 24, 657-720.
Rizzi, L. 1982. Issues in Italian Syntax. Foris Publications.

Roberts, Ian (2001): Head Movement. In M. Baltin & C. Collins (eds) The handbook of
Contemporary Syntactic Theory . Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, p. 113-147.
Sportiche, D. 1995. "Clitic Constructions," in Rooryck, J. and L. Zaring (eds.) Phrase structure and the lexicon , Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Stowell, T. 1983. Subjects across categories. The Linguistic Review 2, 285-312.
Zanuttini, Rafaella (2001): Sentential Negation. In M. Baltin & C. Collins (eds) The handbook of Contemporary Syntactic Theory . Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, p. 511-535.
Zwart, J.-W. 1997. Morphosyntax of verb movement , Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Walid Amer (1996) On double object construction, Unpublished Ph.D dissertation, Essex university, UK.
Watanabe, Akira (2001): Wh-in-situ Languages. In M. Baltin & C. Collins (eds) The handbook of Contemporary Syntactic Theory . Oxford/Malden: Blackwell, p. 226-254.