Learning outcomes

Students are expected to acquire analytical skills in the domains of complex sentence grammar, language change and the history of English. The exercises should also permit students to obtain at least level C1 for receptive skills, and B2 for productive skills, as defined by the Council of Europe in its Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Goals

To complete and further develop the study of English grammar started in the Linguistics course (LANGB101) via a study of complex sentences, and then, in a second part, to complement this overview with a study of the history of English and of linguistic change (how and why?) more generally.

In terms of linguistic skills, the goal is to attain (or exceed) proficiency levels C1 for receptive skills, and B2 for productive skills, as defined in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Content

The first module of the course studies a number of complex sentence types in present-day English, viz. coordinated structures, subordinated clauses of various subtypes (covering the area traditionally referred to as 'adverbial' clauses), and reported speech and thought complement clauses, adopting a usage-based and broadly functional-cognitive perspective.

The second module focuses on processes of language change in general, including grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification phenomena, and the history of English in particular, and includes case studies relating the second module to the first in looking at the diachrony of a number of complex sentence constructions.

Table of contents

Table of contents of the course notes:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MODULE 1. A SURVEY OF COMPLEX SENTENCE CONSTRUCTIONS IN ENGLISH      1

Part 1. Coordination and types of subordination                6

1.1 Parameters of interpersonal grammar relevant to clause combining 7

1.1.1 Modality: Construing a position      7

1.1.2 Speech function: Assigning responsibility   11

1.1.3 Focus and scope: Delineating a domain       12

1.1.4 Combining the parameters               13

1.2 Defining four types of clause combining on interpersonal grounds     14

1.2.1 Operationalizing the interpersonal parameters       14

1.2.2 Coordination and three types of subordination       16

1.2.3 Polysemous conjunctions  17

1.3 Grammatical reflexes of the interpersonal parameters           21

1.3.1 [- Speech function] & [- Scope]: Preposability of the secondary clause         21

1.3.2 [+ Scope]: Clefting and wh-questioning      22

1.3.3 [+ Modality]: Discursive main clause phenomena   23

1.4 The semantics of coordinating and subordinating constructions          24

1.4.1 The constructional polysemy of conjunctions           25

1.4.2 Argumentative vs. non-argumentative coordination             27

1.4.3 Temporal vs. non-temporal free/bound subordination        28

1.4.4 Content-related vs. speaker-related interpretations            29

1.5 Special cases               31

1.5.1 Narrative temporal clauses               31

1.5.2 Non-finite clauses 32

1.5.3 An odd one out: Insubordinated constructions        33

Part 2. Represented speech and thought constructions 37

2.1 Preliminary questions             38

2.1.1 Delineating the construction types considered        39

2.1.2 Terminology and basic concepts     40

2.1.3 Does represented speech or thought represent speech or thought?            41

2.1.4 ‘Quotation’ as demonstration         45

2.2 Direct and indirect speech or thought              47

2.2.1 The main features of direct speech or thought        48

2.2.2 The main features of indirect speech or thought    50

2.2.3 Mixed quotation   54

2.2.4 The structural integration of reporting and reported clauses             55

2.2.5 Some recent developments in the quotative system of English       58

2.3 Free indirect speech or thought         63

2.3.1 The structure of free indirect speech/thought         64

2.3.2 The deixis of free indirect speech/thought                65

2.3.3 The viewpoint expressed in free indirect speech/thought 66

2.4 Distancing indirect speech or thought              67

2.4.1 Distinguishing distancing from free indirect speech/thought             68

2.4.2 Current speaker attitudes expressed in DIST            72

2.4.3 A note on diachrony            76

2.5 Subjectified forms of speech and thought representation     77

2.6 Fact constructions    80

MODULE 2. LANGUAGE CHANGE AND THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH               85

Part 1. The history of English: Reading assignment            85

Part 2. Principles and typology of language change           89

2.1 Internal and external causes of change           91

2.1.1 Internal causes of change  92

2.1.2 External causes of change 95

2.2 Mechanisms of change          100

2.2.1 Where’s the evidence and where are the tools?    100

2.2.2 Phonological change            103

2.2.3 Morphosyntactic change   106

2.2.4 Semantic change   112

Part 3. Grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification     116

3.1 Towards a theory of grammaticalization and (inter)subjectification    116

3.1.1 Changing foci in grammaticalization research            117

3.1.2 Subjectification and intersubjectification    122

3.1.3 A note on ‘degrammaticalization’ and ‘lexicalization’            125

3.2 Two case studies of subjectification in grammaticalization      126

3.2.1 From free/bound to modal subordination: The case of while            127

3.2.2 Comment clauses: The case of (I) say and (let us) say           129

SLIDES   135

 

 

Exercices

The exercises explore further facets of topics explored in the two theoretical modules, as well as offering practice on language skills. Thus, the theory on complex sentences is complemented by exercises on connectives, paragraph and essay writing, the different strategies of speech vs. writing, and different verbal complementation patterns (-ing vs. to-infinitive). The part on language change and the history of English is complemented by listening and speaking exercises on language attitudes, youth language, and language change in various audio and video broadcasts (e.g. Grumpy old women, Fry's English Delight, Jean Aitchison's Reith lectures, etc.).

Assessment method

Written exam in January at the end of the theoretical course; and oral exam on the exercises dealing with attitudes towards linguistic change. Written and oral exam in June on the exercises which are organized across the whole year.

Weighting of the different course components:

Written exam on the lectures: 13/20

Oral exam on the exercises about attitudes to linguistic change: 1.05/20

Conversation exam: 1.05/20

Listening exam: 1.05/20

Written exam on vocabulary: 0.7/20

Written exam on normative grammar: 0.7/20

Writing exercises linked to the video programme: 0.7/20

Essay writing exercises and exam: 1.75/20

Sources, references and any support material

  • Barber, Charles, Joan C. Beal and Philip A. Shaw (2009) The English language: A historical introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • McCarthy, Michael and Felicity O’Dell (2017) English vocabulary in use: Upper-intermediate. 4th edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 
  • Vandelanotte, Lieven (2014) Topics in English linguistics: Complex sentence constructions and language change. University of Namur.

Language of instruction

Français