English Philology
Semantic Syntax
Faculty of Philology, Department of English Philology
Lect. Dr. Eglė Petronienė
Room 209, Department of English Philology, Lithuanian
University of Educational Sciences, 39 Studentų St., Vilnius
LT-08106, Lithuania, tel. +370 5 2757258, e-mail:
egle.petrone@gmail.com
English
Language of Instruction
BA in English Philology
Required Prerequisites
Suggested Academic Cycle MA studies (from 1st year of studies)
or Year of Studies
Autumn
Semester
4
ECTS Credits
2
Contact Hours per Week
Elective
Compulsory/ Elective
Lectures and individual consultations
Methods of Teaching
Accumulative mark
Form of Assessment
Title of the Study Program
Title of the Module
Faculty, Department
Instructor
Address
Course Description
This course introduces students to the basic concepts and principles of Semantic Syntax. It
overviews the development of the communicative studies of the sentence and focuses on the
inception of Semantic Syntax in 1966; it then describes how the original ideas of a deep
structure level were elaborated by different scholars. A three-level approach to syntax is also
introduced but specific attention is given to the semantic structure of the sentence: nature and
types of semantic functions, classifications of processes, semantic transformations.
Topics of the course:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Structural Syntax. Case Grammar. Transformational-Generative Grammar.
A three-level approach to syntax.
The semantic structure of the sentence: inherent and non-inherent semantic functions.
Classifications of processes.
Semantic transformations: grammatical metaphor.
Readings
1. Downing, A. & Ph. Locke. 2006. English Grammar: a university course. London:
Routledge.
2. Halliday, M.A.K. 1990. Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
3. Valeika, L. 2000. An Introductory Course in Communicative Syntax. Vilnius: Publishing
House of Vilnius Pedagogical University.
4. Valeika, L. and J. Buitkienė. 2006. Functional English Syntax. Vilnius: VPU leidykla.
5. Van Valin, R.D., Jr. 2005. Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.