This document provides the course syllabus for SPAN 418 Spanish Syntax at Arizona State University for Fall 2016. The course will introduce students to the formal analysis of Spanish syntactic structures, including nominal phrases, verbal phrases, and simple and compound sentences. Students will learn technical terms and analyze sentence structures using tools like syntactic trees and thematic roles. The class meets Tuesday and Thursday from 1:30-2:45PM and requires prerequisites in linguistic analysis. Students will be evaluated through participation, quizzes, exams, homework assignments, and a final paper. The course calendar outlines topics to be covered each week.

1. ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL LETTERS AND CULTURES
FALL 2016
COURSE SYLLABUS
Class: Spanish Syntax (SPAN 418)
Section: 81017
Class schedule: TuTh 1:30-2:45PM, class meets at Tempe LL 265
Instructor: Prof. Omar Beas
Office: LL 402 B, Office hours are TuTh 3.30PM-4:30PM and by appointment
Email: obeas@asu.edu
DESCRIPTION
This course is an introduction to the formal analysis of syntactic structures, in which students will familiarize with
the main sentence patterns of the Spanish language. In this class, we will describe the nominal phrase, the verbal
phrase and simple/compound sentences. This descriptive aspect is combined with the rationale of formal/generative
analysis within a mentalistic approach to language.
PREREQUISITES/RECOMMENDED BACKGROUND
Students must be familiar with some basic notions of linguistic analysis as presented in previous classes, in particular
in SPAN 413. If you have not yet taken this class, please see the professor immediately. As the content of the lectures
and assignments will be given in Spanish, students must be able to follow the class in this language and must be able
to read and write in Spanish.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon successful completion of this course, students are expected to:
1. Be familiar with the basic sentence and phrasal patterns of Spanish.
2. Be able to use simple technical terms used in syntactic analysis.
3. Be familiar with the logic of a formal analysis of language.
4. Analyze simple and compound sentences in Spanish using s minimum of theoretical tools: syntactic
trees, thematic roles, movement
5. Identify the similarities and differences between the syntactic structures of Spanish, English and other
languages.

2. CLASS MATERIALS
Readings, exercises and class materials will be provided by the instructor through Blackboard.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
King, Larry and Margarita Suñer: Gramática española – Análisis y práctica. 3rd edition. McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Gutiérrez Araus, María Luz. Problemas fundamentales de la gramática del español como 2/L. Madrid:
Arco/Libros, 2011
Schmitt, Conrad. Schaum's Outline of Spanish Grammar. McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Vining Lunn, Patricia and Janet DeCesaris. Investigación de gramática. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers,
1992.
Whitley, Stanley. Spanish-English Contrasts. Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2002
COURSE GRADE
Attendance and Participation 10%
Quizzes (5 out of 6) 20%
Midterm 25%
Final Exam 25%
Homework (10 out of 12) 15%
Squib 5%
COURSE WORK/EXPECTATIONS
Class Behavior. In order to create an adequate learning environment, please do not engage in disruptive behavior
during class such as constantly arriving late, eating or drinking, answering your cell phone, sending text messages,
posting Facebook updates, checking your personal email, passing notes, leaving the classroom early or distracting
your classmates. If our class is set to use a laptop or a computer, students should be engaged in the activities indicated
by the instructor. Students are to follow the standards of conduct outlined in http://students.asu.edu/srr/students
Email and Blackboard. Students must have access to their university email account and Blackboard. You will need
to have an ASU account to access Blackboard. Class announcements and additional instructions will be posted in
Blackboard, as necessary. Please, make sure you can use these communications tools during the first week of classes.
Attendance. Class attendance is crucial for our class. You should to be present and active in each of our sessions. If
you miss an evaluation, you will have to contact your instructor as soon as possible if you have a valid excuse. A valid
excuse includes cases of documented sickness, or you are representing ASU in an event, or if there is a personal
emergency such as the death of an immediate family member. If you must miss a class, please submit the
appropriate documentation to the instructor; otherwise you will not be allowed to make up the work. The only
exception for this policy is your class participation grade, which you cannot make up by definition even if you have
a valid excuse.

3. Participation. You will receive a grade for your contribution in each session, which will be posted in Blackboard.
After this, you are welcome to meet with your instructor to discuss your participation grade within a period of one
week. Participation in every session will be graded as follows:
90-100 Student is very well prepared for the class and uses Spanish during class activities. The
student shows interest in the class, asks questions in Spanish and answers questions or
intervenes in the class activities voluntarily. Occasionally, the student contributes with extra
information in benefit of the class. Participates well when working in small groups and
respects other’s views.
80-89 The student shows preparation for the class. Makes contributions that are not completely
developed but are relevant for the topic under discussion. Works well in small groups and
may occasionally use English when Spanish is expected.
70-79 The student was marginally prepared or not prepared for the class. He mostly uses English
even when Spanish is expected. Makes constant digressive questions that show lack of
preparation. Does not volunteer to answer questions or constantly requests for English
translations. Might have arrived late.
60-69 The student does not pay attention and does not engage in class activities. Speaks only English
in the class even when Spanish is expected. Student is engaged in unproductive behaviors
(texting, interrupting the class to go to the restroom, etc) and can be disruptive, rude or
inattentive with classmates and the instructor.
0 Student did not demonstrate sufficient preparation for evaluation. There was no
participation in the class or the student may have been absent or may have left class
early.
Quizzes. There will be short quizzes (20-25 minutes) on the readings assigned for this class. Alternatively, there
might be some questions related to the lectures too. Quizzes will be delivered through Blackboard in specific days
following the Calendar and must be solved individually. Students will have two attempts to solve these evaluations.
There will be six quizzes during the semester from which students will be able to drop the lowest score at the end of
the semester.
Exams. There will be two exams. The midterm will be delivered through Blackboard on a date assigned by your
instructor and the final exam will be administered in class at the end of the semester as scheduled by the university.
Typically, the exams will follow the tone and content of the homework assignments but they are expected to be
longer. Turn in an electronic copy in the appropriate dropbox in Blackboard by the due date. No email submissions
will be accepted.
Homework. There will be a total of twelve (12) short assignments from which students must complete ten (10) of
them. Assignments include checking your reading comprehension of the texts assigned by the instructor, exercises
to identify the structures of Spanish and some simple problems of analysis. The typical homework assignment
consists of one or two questions to be completed within a one page limit. Unless indicated otherwise, you should
follow the following rules to complete your homework: 1) You must use a computer to write your homework 2) No
submissions by email will be accepted 3) You must turn in a hard copy of your homework at the beginning of each
class.
Squib. As a final piece of evaluation, students will be asked to write a squib describing one set of data or focusing on
a particular phenomenon. The squib must be written in Spanish and must include examples, a discussion of the data
and at least three academic references. It would also be desirable to discuss some alternatives to analyze the data.
Format: Margins: Normal, one and a half space, font type: Times New Roman, minimum extension five pages

4. excluding quotations, references, footnotes, etc. A hard copy of your article is due in class during our last session and
also due electronically in the class dropbox (Blackboard).
WITHDRAWALS: You may remove a class from your current schedule by dropping/withdrawing
from it up until the appropriate deadline for that class. You can request a drop/withdrawal from a
class by signing into My ASU, clicking on the “Registration” link in your My Classes box, and selecting
“Drop/Withdrawal.” Please refer to the Tuition Refund Policy to determine if
dropping/withdrawing from class(es) will generate a tuition refund. The timing of when you make
your request determines whether it is a drop or a withdrawal:
Before the drop/add deadline: A drop/withdrawal request made prior to the drop/add
deadline for your class will be considered a drop. A drop will remove the class from your
current schedule with no record of your enrollment in the class on your official transcript.
After the drop/add deadline: A drop/withdrawal request made after the drop/add
deadline for your class will be considered a withdrawal. A withdrawal will remove the
class from your current schedule and will result in a grade of ‘W’ on your official
transcript. The grade of ‘W’ has no impact on your grade point average (GPA).
The last day to register or to drop/add without college approval is August 19th, 2015
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Students must act with honesty and integrity. Written work that you hand
in is assumed to be original unless your source material is not documented appropriately. Using the
ideas or words of another person, even a peer, or a website, as if it were your own, is plagiarism.
Cheating and plagiarism are serious academic offenses. Students should read the section on
Academic Integrity.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities who need assistance or modification to
the University’s programs and/or activities should inform their instructor immediately. You should
discuss your request for reasonable accommodation in academic courses with the instructor and
with the Disabillity resource Center (DRC). For details, consult DRC’s policies here.

5. Calendario de clases
(Fall session: August 18-December 02)
Agosto 25
Características generales de
la sintaxis del español
30
La forma de la teoría
lingüística. Gramática
universal y gramática
particular
Septiembre
18-23
Introducción al curso
Lenguaje y sintaxis
01
Elementos básicos de
análisis I: Análisis
categorial, funcional y
temático
06
Elementos básicos de
análisis II: Repaso de
categorías y funciones
08
Teoría temática I
Argumentos y predicados
13
Teoría temática II
Roles temáticos
15
Teoría temática III
Análisis temático y tipología
de predicados
20
Construyendo estructura I
La teoría de X-barra
22
Construyendo estructura II
Relaciones geométricas
27
La frase nominal y la
referencia
29
Morfología del núcleo
nominal: Género y número
Complementos y adjuntos
del núcleo nominal
Octubre 06
Análisis: Núcleos nominales
deverbales DESCANSO DE OTOÑO
13
La frase verbal y la oración
simple
Sujeto y predicado
Tipología del sujeto nulo
04
Determinantes y la
identificación de referentes
Pronombres personales
18
Complementos y adjuntos
del núcleo verbal
20
Expresión de temporalidad
Análisis: Frase verbal e
inflexión
25
Expresión de anterioridad
Análisis: Frase verbal y
aspecto
27
La oración compuesta:
Clasificación
Coordinación y
yuxtaposición
Noviembre 03
Complementos afirmativos e
interrogativos
08
Uso del subjuntivo en las
subordinadas sustantivas
10
Uso del subjuntivo en las
subordinadas sustantivas
01
Clasificación de oraciones
subordinadas
Frase complementizante.
Subordinadas sustantivas.
15
Subordinadas relativas
Relativas restrictivas y no
restrictivas
Selección de los pronombres
relativos
17
Distribución de las cláusulas
de relativo restrictivas:
antecedente sujeto
22
Distribución de las cláusulas
de relativo restrictivas:
antecedente objeto
24
No hay clases
29
El modo indicativo y
subjuntivo en las cláusulas
relativas restrictivas.
Diciembre
01
Conclusiones
Película: The Human Spark

6. Calendario de evaluaciones
y tareas
Agosto 25 30 Septiembre
18-23 01
Entregar Tarea 1
06
Completar Prueba 1
08
Entregar Tarea 2
13 15
Entregar Tarea 3
20
Completar Prueba 2
22
Entregar Tarea 4
27 29
Entregar Tarea 5
Octubre 06
Entregar Tarea 6
DESCANSO DE
OTOÑO
13
04
Completar Prueba 3 Entregar Examen
Parcial
18 20
Entregar Tarea 7
25
Completar Prueba 4
27
Entregar Tarea 8
Noviembre 03
Entregar Tarea 9
08
Completar Prueba 5
10
Entregar Tarea 1001
15 17
Entregar Tarea 11
22
Completar Prueba 6
24
29
Entregar Tarea 12
Diciembre
01
Squib due
Examen Final Jueves 8 de diciembre de 12:10-2:00PM