James Madison University
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Modern Grammar James Madison University |
| Professor: EMAIL: Office: |
Dr. Sharon A. Cote cotesa@jmu.edu Keezell 221, Ext. 6100 |
Hours: | W 4:00-5:00 TTH 10:30-12:00 (and by appointment) |
Description: In this course, we will examine the English language from a modern,
linguistic perspective. We will discover what it means to be a native speaker of a language and
develop a conscious awareness of the subconscious principles and rules that underlie our everyday
use of English.
Required Text: Kaplan, Jeffrey P. (1995). English Grammar: Principles
and Facts, 2nd Edition.
Work and Grading: Class Attendance and Participation (10%), Midterm (30%), Final
(30%), Quizzes (20%), Other Assignments (10%). As a general rule, all work must be turned
in on time. (If you think you will have to turn an assignment in late, ask me for
permission beforehand if at all possible.)
Daily Schedule: (Note: This is a tentative schedule of what will
be discussed in each class period.) You should have readings done before
the first class date on which they will be discussed.
| Date | Topic | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| 1/13 | "Will there be a final exam?" - An introduction to the course | |
| 1/15 | "That ain't what my teacher told me..." -- Defining modern grammar | Chap. 1, pp. 1-30 |
| 1/20 | The sounds of English -- phonetics and phonology | Chap. 2 |
| 1/22 | Phonology | |
| 1/27 | Phonology | |
| 1/29 | "Antidisestablishmentarianism" -- morphemes and morphology | Chap. 3, pp. 72-82 |
| 2/3 | Morphology | Chap. 3, pp. 83-105 |
| 2/5 | Morphology and review | |
| 2/10 | [QUIZ] Baby Morphology | |
| 2/12 | A noun is a noun is a noun -- Grammatical categories | Chap. 4, pp. 108-131 |
| 2/17 | More grammatical categories | Chap. 4, pp. 132-143,148-150 |
| 2/19 | Pronouns, prepositions and other peculiar words | Chap. 4, pp. 150-161 |
| 2/24 | STUDENT ASSESSMENT DAY -- NO CLASS | |
| 2/26 | The 'case' for nouns -- Noun subclasses and features | Chap. 1, p. 31; Chap. 5, pp. 163-175 |
| 3/3 | Getting aggressive with passive verbs -- Verb subclasses and features | Chap. 5, 175-185 |
| 3/5 | MIDTERM EXAM | |
| 3/10 | SPRING BREAK -- NO CLASS | |
| 3/12 | SPRING BREAK -- NO CLASS | |
| 3/17 | Mood, tense, and aspect | Chap. 5, pp. 185-205 |
| 3/19 | The forest and the trees -- An introduction to phrase structure | Chap. 6, pp. 207-216 |
| 3/24 | Phrase structure | Chap. 6, pp. 217-242 |
| 3/26 | Phrase Structure | Chap. 6, 243-254 |
| 3/31 | Phrase Structure | Chap. 6, pp. 255-267 |
| 4/2 | [QUIZ *note date change*] Idioms | |
| 4/7 | Phrase Structure | end of Chapter 6 |
| 4/9 | Unmarked sentences and transformations | Chap. 8, 306-326 |
| 4/14 | More transformations | Chap. 8, 326-355 |
| 4/16 | It's all relative -- relative clauses | Chap. 9, TBA |
| 4/21 | Relative clauses and participles | Chap. 9, TBA |
| 4/23 | Going 'Pro' -- Pro-expressions | Chap. 10, TBA |
| 4/28 | The last word | Chap. 10, TBA |
| 4/30 | Review | |
| MAY | FINAL EXAM (Sec. 1: 5/5 from 4pm to 6pm, Sec. 2: 5/7 from 1:30pm to 3:30pm) | |
"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." Ludwig Wittgenstein
Assignments: Here is a list of homework assignments:
