Fall 2003

SPN 383N • ENGLISH/SPANISH CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS

Course Description

Objective: This course examines how the English and the Spanish languages critically differ in the way sentences are structured. One important goal of this course is to help Spanish teachers understand what constitutes the areas of difficulty for English speakers learning Spanish. The topics to be covered are the following:

Unit ONE: Basic Structure of Sentences Different types of verbs (intransitive, transitive, ditransitive, copulative, etc.) Syntactic Functions, subject and object, and their realizations. Thematic/Semantic Roles (agent, theme, goal, etc.) and syntactic functions Unit TWO: Behaviors of Unstressed Pronouns (me, te, lo, etc.) Clitic Climbing (Quiero leerlo vs. Lo quiero leer) Different Functions of se Unit THREE: Mood/Tense/Aspect Tense and Aspect (Aspectual Classes and Perfectivity) with special attention to the preterite/imperfect contrast Subordination (Complementation) and Mood Selection -Indicative vs. Subjunctive -Infinitive vs. Subjunctive Subjunctive and Tense/Aspect (Me alegró que vinieras vs. Me alegró que hubieras venido) Unit FOUR: Interface (Syntax/Semantics/Discourse) Word Order (Subject and Complements) Overt and Null Arguments

Grading Policy

The final grade will be based on the following breakdown: 1. Participation 10% 2. Mid-term Exam (2) 50% 3. Occasional Review Quizzes 15% 4. Project 20% 5. Homework 5% Total 100%

Texts

1. There is no required textbook for this course. The reading materials will come from different sources, and a course packet will be prepared by the instructor. 2. Hand-outs prepared by the instructor, containing explanations, problem-solving analyses and exercises.

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