Chapter 8 Flashcards
Syntax
the structure and order of components within a sentence
Generative grammar
the way that sentences are put together and words are arranged which differ from language to language.
syntactic structure
the arrangement of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence. The grammatical function or meaning of a sentence is dependent on this structural organization,
Deep and surface structure
Deep is the semantic representation of sentences
Surface is the phonetic representation of a sentence
Structural ambiguity
when a sentence has multiple possible interpretations and it is unclear which the speaker is trying to convey
Recursion
when a grammatical sentence, which includes a noun or noun phrase and a verb, might or might not contain another sentence.
ex: great great grandparents
Symbols used in Syntactic descriptions
S sentence
NP noun phrase
PN proper noun
N noun
VP verb phrase
Adv adverb
V verb
Adj adjective
Prep preposition
Art article
Pro pronoun
PP prepositional phrase
∗ ‘ungrammatical sentence’
→ ‘consists of’ or ‘rewrites as’
() ‘optional constituent’
{} ‘one and only one of these constituents must be selected’
What was the original literal meaning of syntax in Greek?
putting together or arrangement
What is wrong with the following rule of English syntactic structure? “A prepositional phrase rewrites as a preposition followed by a noun.”
This rule will produce both grammatical structures (with Mary), but also
ungrammatical structures (*with woman), which is undesirable in terms of the “all and only” criterion. The rule can be improved by replacing “noun” with “noun phrase” to be able to generate both with Mary and with a woman.
What is the main difference between a generative grammar and a traditional grammar?
A generative grammar is used to produce sentence structures. It is a grammar for
production. A traditional grammar simply describes sentence structures. It is a
grammar for analysis.
What is meant by the “all and only” criterion?
This criterion requires that our analysis must account for all the correct grammatical phrases and only those correct grammatical phrases.
Which of the following expressions are structurally ambiguous and in what way?
(a) These are designed for small boys and girls.
(b) The parents of the bride and groom were waiting outside.
(c) How come a bed has four legs, but only one foot?
(d) We met an English history teacher.
(e) Flying planes can be dangerous.
(f) The students complained to everyone that they couldn’t understand.
(a) This sentence can mean “for small boys and (all) girls”
or “for small boys and small girls.”
(b) “The parents of the bride and (the parents of the) groom”
or “The parents of the bride and (the) groom (without his parents).”
(d) “a teacher of English history” or “a person from England who teaches
history”
(e) “planes that are flying” or “being the person who flies planes”
(f) “The students complained that they couldn’t understand to everyone”
or “The students complained to everyone whom they couldn’t understand.”
What part of speech is lovely in the following sentence?
We saw a lovely rainbow yesterday.
adjective
Which of the following sentences contains both a “Pro” and a “PN”?
(a) The old woman brought a snake from Brazil.
(b) She kept it in a cage.
(c) The small dog followed the boy.
(d) The word syntax means “a putting together.”
None contain both
Which part of the following sentence is the VP? None of the people in the building supported the proposed rent increase.
supported the proposed rent increase.
