Linguistic Seminar

The primary goal of this course is for the student to develop skills necessary for conducting independent linguistic research on a pre-prepared work plan. Subgoals include the preparation of the student for identifying relevant research questions and incorporation one’s work in the context of previous findings, for critical thinking and critical assessment of reported research, for data organization and linguistic reasoning and argument construction, for coherent written and oral research reporting and for presenting intermediate and final results according to the formal standards of the discipline of linguistics.

Successful completion of this course requires familiarity with the contents of all mandatory linguistic courses of the first five semesters of the Slovenian Studies program (or equivalent).

This course is an introduction to the skills necessary for independent research in linguistics. Aspects covered include: identification of relevant research topics, choosing appropriate methods, preparing a research work plan, critically assessing previous literature, structuring linguistic argumentation, data presentation, searching for literature, citing conventions and copyright issues, preparing written research reports, preparing oral research presentations.

On the basis of guided work on an original research question, each student prepares a term paper for which they have collected data in the context of previous literature

Under guidance of the instructor, each student prepares a term paper for which they have, in the context of previous literature, investigated an original research question, collected data, and analyzed the results. The student makes a formal presentation of the project in class. As individual projects can come from the subfields of any of the courses in the Slovenian Studies program, this course is related with all linguistic courses in the Slovenian Studies program.

The student will master contemporary form-and-contents research standards in the field of linguistics as well as the skills necessary for conducting all stages of an independent linguistic research project, from the identification of a relevant topic, the preparation of a work plan, the conducting of the research itself and the reporting on the research in the form of both a written report (term paper) and an oral presentation in front of classmates.

• Macaulay, M. 2011. Surviving Linguistics: A Guide for Graduate Students (2. izdaja). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press. Catalogue
• Wray, A., K. Trott, A. Bloomer. 1998. Projects in Linguistics. A Practical Guide to Researching Language. London: Arnold. Catalogue E-version
• Materials handed out during the course
• All readings from linguistic courses of the Slovenian Studies program and additional readings assigned on the basis of the student's topic of term paper

Active participation in the course, home assignments, final term paper and in-class presentation of own work. To obtain a passing grade for the course, the student must receive a passing grade on all individual components of the grade (60% term paper, 20% term-paper oral presentation, 20% home assignments).

Rok Žaucer is associate professor of linguistics at the School of Humanities and the School of Graduate Studies of the University of Nova Gorica. His research topics include morphology and syntax (especially on the basis of Slovenian data) as well as language policy and language consulting.

Selected articles:
MARUŠIČ, Franc, MIŠMAŠ, Petra, ŽAUCER, Rok. Zakaj velika okrogla rdeča čestitka in ne rdeča velika okrogla čestitka? : poskus razlage nezaznamovane stave pridevnikov. V: KRAJNC IVIČ, Mira (ur.), ŽELE, Andreja (ur.). Pogled v jezik in iz jezika : Adi Vidovič Muha ob jubileju, (Mednarodna knjižna zbirka Zora, 133). Maribor: Univerzitetna založba: = University Press. 2020, str. 103-115. [COBISS.SI-ID 21145603]
MARUŠIČ, Franc, ŽAUCER, Rok. On the nature of prenumeral adjectives. V: STANKOVIĆ, Branimir (ur.), JANIĆ, Aleksandra (ur.). SinFonIJA 6 proceedings, (Library Scientific Conferences). Niš: Faculty of Philosophy University. 2019, str. 39-61, ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 5477371]
MARUŠIČ, Franc, ŽAUCER, Rok. Coordinate structure constraint : A-/A'- movement vs. clitic movement. Linguistica Brunensia, ISSN 1803-7410, 2018, vol. 65, iss. 2, str. 69-85, ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 5133051]
MIŠMAŠ, Petra, POPOVIĆ, Tjaša, ŽAUCER, Rok. Kaj nam usvajanje nejezikovnih prvin pove o ustroju jezika. V: BIZJAK KONČAR, Aleksandra (ur.), DOBROVOLJC, Helena (ur.). Zbornik prispevkov s simpozija 2017. V Novi Gorici: Založba Univerze. 2018, str. 125-136, ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 5276411]
MARUŠIČ, Franc, ŽAUCER, Rok. The modal cycle vs. negation in Slovenian. V: MARUŠIČ, Franc (ur.), ŽAUCER, Rok (ur.). Formal studies in Slovenian syntax : in honor of Janez Orešnik, (Linguistik aktuell, ISSN 0166-0829, vol. 236). Amsterdam; Philadelphia: J. Benjamins Publishing Company. cop. 2016, str. 167-191, ilustr. [COBISS.SI-ID 4602363]