Ling D: An Introduction to Lexical-Functional Grammar

This course provides an introduction to Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG), a constraint-based theoretical framework for syntactic analysis. We will begin with the fundamentals of the constituent structure (c-structure) and functional structure (f-structure)—two core components of LFG—along with the mapping principles that connect them. Next, we will explore how LFG accounts for key syntactic phenomena such as control and raising and long-distance dependencies, using data from English and typologically diverse languages to develop cross-linguistic analytical skills. Towards the end of the course, students will be introduced to some computational tools that have been used for implementing LFG, including a treebanking platform.