Bachelor
2023/2024
Experimental Studies of the Grammar
Category 'Best Course for Broadening Horizons and Diversity of Knowledge and Skills'
Category 'Best Course for New Knowledge and Skills'
Type:
Elective course (Fundamental and Computational Linguistics)
Area of studies:
Fundamental and Applied Linguistics
Delivered by:
School of Linguistics
Where:
Faculty of Humanities
When:
4 year, 3 module
Mode of studies:
offline
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
3
Contact hours:
36
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course is dedicated to experimental studies of syntax and morphology. It will cover the most important models of language production and processing and will show how experimental data can be used in theoretical linguistics to tease different theories apart. We will also consider several discussions that play an important role not only in linguistics, but also in other cognitive sciences, including the problem of modularity, innateness, the competence-performance distinction and the psycholinguistic adequacy of linguistic models. Several lectures will be dedicated to first and second language acquisition and clinical studies. The course will cover a variaty of behavioral and neuroimaging methods (including lexical decision task, cross-modal priming, self-paced reading, eye-tracking while reading, visual world paradigm, EEG and fMRI experiments). The students will conduct one experiment, paying attention to all crucial steps: selecting the design and creating materials, learning how to use experimental software, analyzing the results and interpreting them.
Learning Objectives
- to introduce students to most prominent models of language production and comprehension;
- to show experimental methods used in the psycho- and neurolinguistic studies of syntax and morphology;
- to introduce students to ideas how experimental materials can be used to evaluate different hypotheses formulated in theoretical linguistics.
Expected Learning Outcomes
- students should be able to apply their knowledge when planning his or her own experimental studies and evaluating other studies.
- to know experimental studies in several linguistic domains (long-distance dependencies, anaphora, agreement etc.)
- to know most prominent models of language production and comprehension
- to understand experimental methods used in the psycho- and neurolinguistics
- to understand special features of experimental studies of the grammar in ontolinguistics and clinical linguistics
Course Contents
- Major theoretical questions in the experimental study of language.
- An overview of behavioral and neurolinguistic experimental methods.
- Mental grammar in comprehension: major parsing models.
- Mental grammar in production: major generation models.
- Mental lexicon.
- Case studies: long-distance dependencies.
- Case studies: agreement (number, gender, case).
- One experiment from the beginning to the end: running a self-paced reading study.
- Specialized methods to assess children's syntax and morphology
- Comprehension and production in Broca's aphasia: an interaction of theory and experiment.
Assessment Elements
- Описание экспериментаСтуденты собирают данные для какого-нибудь эксперимента, дальше их анализируют, и каждый описывает, что получилось (т.е. описывает дизайн эксперимента, почему сделано так, как сделано, какие гипотезы, тренируется извлекать нужные данные из выдачи R, правильно всё это представлять в тексте, чтобы была вся нужная информация нужными словами, и интерпретировать).
- Доклад по статье
- Сбор данных для экспериментаСтуденты собирают данные для какого-нибудь эксперимента, дальше их анализируют, и каждый описывает, что получилось (т.е. описывает дизайн эксперимента, почему сделано так, как сделано, какие гипотезы, тренируется извлекать нужные данные из выдачи R, правильно всё это представлять в тексте, чтобы была вся нужная информация нужными словами, и интерпретировать).
Interim Assessment
- 2023/2024 3rd module0.4 * Доклад по статье + 0.4 * Описание эксперимента + 0.2 * Сбор данных для эксперимента
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Gernsbacher, M. A., & Traxler, M. J. (2006). Handbook of Psycholinguistics (Vol. 2nd ed). Amsterdam: Academic Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=187294
- Herbst, T., & Walter de Gruyter & Co. (2010). English Linguistics : A Coursebook for Students of English. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=390973
- Traxler, M. J. (2012). Introduction to Psycholinguistics : Understanding Language Science. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=398618
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Ahlsén, E. (2006). Introduction to Neurolinguistics. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Co. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=229803