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Catalan Syntax

Code: 105830
Credits: 6
2026/2027
Degree programme Type Course
Catalan Philology: Literary Studies and Linguistics OB 2
English and Catalan Studies OB 3
Catalan and Spanish Studies OB 3

Contact lecturer

Name :
Cristina Real Puigdollers
Email :
cristina.real.puigdollers@uab.cat

Group languages

You can consult this information at the end of the document.

Prerequisites

Students must have completed the courses in the Catalan Language area of the first year. In addition, they must have a good instrumental command of the Catalan language, both spoken and written, and must have a solid grasp of the rules in standard Catalan.

Objectives

This course deals with some of the basic aspects of the syntax of complex sentences and modality in Catalan, primarily from a descriptive standpoint.

The goal of the course is to enable students to master basic syntactic concepts, make explicit the combinatorial relations between syntactic categories, and construct arguments for linguistic analyses.

They should also be able to recognize in Catalan some of the manifestations of universal grammatical properties.

Learning outcomes

  1. Write text commentaries from a critical standpoint.
  2. Identify principal and secondary ideas and express them using correct language.
  3. Analyse the syntactic structures of simple, complex, modalised and discursively marked clauses.
  4. Analyse linguistic structures.
  5. Produce normatively correct written and oral texts.
  6. Apply the principles of correctness required in the standard language and the different registers and variants.
  7. Use technological resources (digital and audiovisual) to acquire knowledge and apply it in language and literature.
  8. Interpret texts in depth and provide standpoints from which to analyse them critically.
  9. Produce written work and oral presentations that are effective and framed in the appropriate register.
  10. Gain a greater capacity for reading, interpreting and critically analysing literary and linguistic texts.
  11. Make appropriate use of the knowledge acquired in order to collect data and handle documentary sources in the study of Catalan language and literature.
  12. Work self-sufficiently on the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
  13. Respect the opinions, values, behaviour and customs of others.
  14. Distinguish between grammatical gender and natural gender.
  15. Identify the main and secondary ideas and express them with linguistic correctness.
  16. Strengthen the capacity of reading, interpretation and critical analysis of literary texts and language.
  17. Properly apply the knowledge gained to data collection and management of documentary sources application to the study of Catalan language and literature.
  18. Work independently in the synchronic and diachronic study of Catalan language and literature.
  19. Produce written and oral texts with correction rules.
  20. Analyze properties phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic language that current problems arise.
  21. Correctly identify linguistic units.
  22. Describe the process of creating combinatorial linguistic units.
  23. Analyze linguistic structures.
  24. Maintain an attitude of respect for the opinions, values, behaviors and practices of others.
  25. Characterise linguistic phenomena taking into account the different levels of analysis.
  26. Identifying the main and secondary ideas and expressing them with linguistic correctness.
  27. Analyse the most problematic phonetic, phonological, morphological, syntactic, lexical and semantic properties of the present-day language.
  28. Analyse various types of linguistic data.
  29. Describe the combinatory processes for creating linguistic units.
  30. Analyzing linguistic structures.
  31. Identify pragmatic factors that influence the use of various linguistic structures.
  32. Plan work effectively, individually or in groups, in order to fulfil the planned objectives.
  33. Locate specialised and academic information and select this according to its relevance.
  34. Incorporate ideas and concepts from published sources into work, citing and referencing appropriately.

Contents

  1. Introduction and review of basic concepts. Categories. Functions. Theta roles. Recursivity. Endocentricity.
  2. Sentence and modality. Types of sentences according to modality. Interrogatives, exclamatives, imperatives, cleft and pseudo-cleft sentences.
  3. Aspectual and modal periphrases.
  4. Complex sentences. General principles.
  5. Coordination. Types of coordinated sentences.
  6. Subordination. General issues.
  7. Nominal subordinate clauses. Syntactic function. Internal structure.
  8. Relative clauses. Synthetic and analytic relatives. Free relatives. Pseudo-relatives.
  9. Adverbial subordinate clauses. Issues and challenges.
  10. Small clauses. Sentential adjuncts. Free adjuncts.


Learning activities and methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Exercises and individual supervision 31 1.24 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23
Lectures and discussion 45 1.8 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23
Homework, literature reading, and exercises 41 1.64 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 12, 15, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23

Directed activities follow a problem-based learning methodology, focusing on the formulation and resolution of problems. These activities are basically of two types:


a) Theoretical presentations of the subject matter with group discussion of related problems.

b) Practice in syntactic argumentation in the classroom and individual exercises to develop analytical skills and problem-solving ability.


Supervised and autonomous activities are based on problem-solving, the comparison of structures, analysis, and the reading of the recommended bibliography.


Annotation: within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Assessment

Continuous assessment activities

Title Weight Hours ECTS Learning outcomes
Written exam 1 30% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Written exam 2 30% 1.5 0.06 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
In-class participation 10 0 0 2, 3, 4, 7, 11, 12, 13, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 34
Exercise and problem-solving activities 30% 30 1.2 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34

Continuous assessment

Assessment will be based on four assessment activities, as follows:

  • In-class participation (attendance, discussion of the readings, active participation in seminars): 10%
  • Exercises and problem sets: 30%
  • Written test 1: 30%
  • Written test 2: 30%

The final grade for the subject will be the (weighted) sum of the scores obtained in each activity, which must be at least 5. After each test, there will always be a procedure for reviewing the results.

Students will obtain a "Not assessed/Not submitted" course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.

Exchange students who request to take an exam early must provide the lecturer with a written document from their home university justifying their request.


Single assessment

Assessment will be based on three assessment activities, to be submitted together on the date indicated by the lecturer, as follows:

  1. Written test (40%)
  2. Exercise (30%)
  3. Oral test (30%)


Review and reassessment

At the time of each assessment activity, the lecturer will inform students (via Moodle) of the procedure and date for the review of grades.

Only students who have obtained a minimum overall grade of 3.5 and have been assessed on activities accounting for at least two thirds of the total grade for the subject will be eligible for reassessment. Only the grades of the written tests may be reassessed. In the case of single assessment, students must have submitted all three pieces of assessment, and the same reassessment system as for continuous assessment will apply.


Errors in language norm will be penalised as established for each activity.


The detailed calendar with the content of the different sessions will be presented on the first day of class. It will also be posted on the Virtual Campus, where students will find the detailed description of the exercises and practical activities, the various teaching materials, and any information needed to follow the subject properly. The content and format of the various exercises and tests will also be indicated there. In the event of a change in teaching mode for public health reasons, the teaching staff will inform students of any changes to the subject schedule and teaching methodologies.


In the event that tests cannot be taken on site, their format will be adapted (maintaining the same weighting) to the possibilities offered by the UAB's virtual tools. Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or exercise discussions via Teams, ensuring that all students have access to them.


Plagiarism and irregularities

In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject. Activities in which fraud or misuse of AI has been detected cannot be reassessed.


Use of artificial intelligence

This subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in the activity being graded with a zero, without the possibility of reassessment, or in more serious sanctions in cases of greater severity.

Bibliography

Bosque, Ignacio and Javier Gutiérrez Rexach (2009), Fundamentos de sintaxis formal, Madrid, AKAL.

Carnie, Andrew (2021). Syntax: A generative introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

Fortuny, Jordi (2019), Elements de sintaxi generativa, Barcelona, Manuals de la UOC.

Haegeman, Liliane (2005). Thinking syntactically: A guide to argumentation and analysis. John Wiley & Sons.

Institut d'Estudis Catalans (2016), Gramàtica de la llengua catalana, Barcelona, IEC. https://giec.iec.cat/

Roberts, Ian (2023). Beginning syntax: An introduction to syntactic analysis. Cambridge University Press.

Roberts, Ian (2023). Continuing syntax: Hierarchy and locality. Cambridge University Press.

Solà, Joan; Maria Rosa Lloret; Joan Mascaró and Manuel Pérez Saldanya (eds.) (2002/2008), Gramàtica del català contemporani. Barcelona, Ed. Empúries.


N.B. Specific monographies and papers will be added to address specific topics.

Software

Syntax tree generators:

https://mshang.ca/syntree/

https://ironcreek.net/syntaxtree/

Course groups and languages

The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE

Type of teaching Group Language Semester Shift
(TE) Theory 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 1 Catalan second semester morning-mixed