Fundamentals of grammar. Grammatical categories

Seminar 1

FUNDAMENTALS OF GRAMMAR. GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES

Sources:

1. Блох, М.Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка / М.Я. Блох. - М.: Высшая школа, 2003. – С. 7-19, 30-41.

2. Блох, М.Я. Теоретические основы грамматики / М.Я. Блох. - М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 7-72, 120-142.

3. Блох, М.Я. Практикум по теоретической грамматике английского языка / М.Я. Блох, Т.Н. Семенова, С.В. Тимофеева. – М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 7-44, 65-78.

Additional:

4. Смирницкий, А. И. Синтаксис английского языка / А.И. Смирницкий. - 2-е изд., испр. - М.: Изд-во ЛКИ, 2007. - С. 5-47.

5. Хлебникова, И.Б. Основы английской морфологии: учебное пособие / И.Б. Хлебникова. – 3-е изд., испр. - М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 13-19, 54-57, 31-36, 38-53.

6. Худяков, А.А. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка: учебное пособие / А.А. Худяков. – М.: Академия, 2005. – С. 5-14, 15-25.

TASKS

Get ready to answer the questions below.

1. What is language? What is the distinction between language and speech?

2. What kind of relations do the elements of the language system exist in?

3. What is a lingual sign? What are the form, meaning and referent of a sign?

4. What is the difference between segmental and supra-segmental lingual units?

5. What language levels are identified in the language system?

6. What is the difference between paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations between lingual units?

7. What is the difference between lexical and gra mmatical meaning of the word?

8. What means are used to build synthetic / analytical grammatical forms?

9. What differentiates analytical grammatical forms from free word-combinations?

SELF-STUDY

10. What is a " grammatical category "? How is it connected with the notion of " opposition "? What are the differential features of privative, gradual, and equipollent oppositions?

11. What is oppositional reduction? What is the difference between neutralization and transposition?

12. Explain the differences of the following types of categories: immanent (including transgressive and closed), reflective, variable and constant feature categories.

Find Russian equivalents for the following terms; give definitions.

Language, speech, synchronic relations, diachronic relations, segmental lingual units, supra-segmental lingual unit, hierarchy, paradigmatic relations, syntagmatic relations

grammatical category, outer inflection, inner inflection, suppletivity, opposition, binary and supra-binary oppositions, privative opposition, equipollent opposition, gradual opposition, oppositional reduction, neutralization, transposition, immanent category, transgressive category, closed category, reflective category, constant feature category, variable feature category

Seminar 2

MORPHEMES AND WORDS

Sources:

1. Блох, М.Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка. Любое издание.

2. Блох, М.Я. Практикум по теоретической грамматике английского языка / М.Я. Блох, Т.Н. Семенова, С.В. Тимофеева. – М.: Высшая школа, 2004.

Additional:

3. Хлебникова, И.Б. Основы английской морфологии: учебное пособие / И.Б. Хлебникова. – 3-е изд., испр. - М.: Высшая школа, 2004.

TASKS

Get ready to answer the questions below.

1. What is the difference between a morpheme, a word and an intermediary morpheme-like functional word? What is a morph? What kind of morphs are called allomorphs?

2. What is the difference between lexical and grammatical affixes? Which of the two, suffixes or prefixes, can be only lexical in the English language?

3. What are outer and inner inflexions? What is the difference between full and partial suppletivity?

4. What does IC-analysis stand for? What does distributional analysis aim at?

5. When are the morphs said to be in contrastive, non-contrastive and complementary distribution?

6. What are the distributional classes of morphemes?

7. What is a part of speech? Why is this term non-explanatory?

8. What are grammatically relevant properties to differentiate parts of speech?

9. What kind of classifications are called monodifferential / polydifferential?

10. What property(ties) was(were) used for parts of speech classification by prescriptive grammarians? What property(ties) was(were) used for parts of speech classification by H.Sweet?

11. What property(ties) was(were) used for parts of speech classification by Ch.Fries?

12. What property(ties) was(were) used for parts of speech classification by the representatives of complex approach? What are the shortcomings of this approach? What differs Blokh’s classification from the complex approach?

 

Seminar 3

TASKS

The new tendency in the English language known as “Inclusive language” implies the use of the special language tactics to avoid emphasising the gender of the noun in order to be politcorrect. Explain how it works in the examples below.

а) hostess, stewardess à flight attendant; statesman à politician, leader; fireman à fire fighter; businessman, business-woman à executive; policeman à police officer; sportsman, sportswoman à athlete

b) 1) …no one can embarrass a young person in public so much as an adult to whom he or she is related (Angelou). 2 ) As is the rule with Chopra’s books, the proceedings finish with clearly laid-out instructions to help the reader find the magic lying at the heart of his or her own world (Time). 3) A tourist, browsing in a Paris shop, eating in an Italian ristorante, or idling along a Hong Kong street, will encounter three or four languages as she negotiates the buying of a blouse, the paying of a check, or the choosing of a trinket (Angelou). 4) These programs and services can make a big difference in helping a child reach her full potential (Woman’s Day). 5) Every student who turns in their paper late will lose half of their grade. 6) One gets into the way of imagining a person when one hears them talked about (Christie). 7) I don’t want to spend an hour listening to someone blame their mother (Ladies’ Home Journal).

Seminar 4

TASKS

Seminar 1

FUNDAMENTALS OF GRAMMAR. GRAMMATICAL CATEGORIES

Sources:

1. Блох, М.Я. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка / М.Я. Блох. - М.: Высшая школа, 2003. – С. 7-19, 30-41.

2. Блох, М.Я. Теоретические основы грамматики / М.Я. Блох. - М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 7-72, 120-142.

3. Блох, М.Я. Практикум по теоретической грамматике английского языка / М.Я. Блох, Т.Н. Семенова, С.В. Тимофеева. – М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 7-44, 65-78.

Additional:

4. Смирницкий, А. И. Синтаксис английского языка / А.И. Смирницкий. - 2-е изд., испр. - М.: Изд-во ЛКИ, 2007. - С. 5-47.

5. Хлебникова, И.Б. Основы английской морфологии: учебное пособие / И.Б. Хлебникова. – 3-е изд., испр. - М.: Высшая школа, 2004. – С. 13-19, 54-57, 31-36, 38-53.

6. Худяков, А.А. Теоретическая грамматика английского языка: учебное пособие / А.А. Худяков. – М.: Академия, 2005. – С. 5-14, 15-25.

TASKS