Syntax and Morphology CH 6 Flashcards
Productivity/Generativity
Can produce and understand an infinite number of new sentences
Syntax
How to build phrases out of words, and sentences out of phrases
How to order words
Morphology
How to combine the smallest units of meaning into words
Chomskyan: Adult grammar
is rule based.
Cognitive-Functionalist view: Adult grammar (alternative)
Grammar is an inventory of constructions: Chunks of previously heard patterns.
Learning construction
generalize the pattern from specific instances
According to Chomsky, the reason that a person can say a totally new sentence is that:
: Abstract rules determine how categories of words, such as verbs and nouns, combine.
According to the Cog-Functionalist approach, the reason that a person can say a totally new sentence is that
: The person is following grammatical patterns that they have heard in many similar sentences.
Morpheme
Smallest unit of meaning
Nouns, verbs, adj
Book, cup, tall, he
Grammatical morphemes
Function words: -ed, -ing, a, the
Free morphemes
Stand alone words
Mean Length of Utterance (MLU)
Average length of utterance (in morphemes).
Stage 1: begin to combine words (telegraphic)
Stage 2: begin to add grammatical morphemes
Stage 3 and up: use advanced sentence forms (negatice, question) and complex sentences
Comprehension of Relational Meanings
When do children know that words together mean something more than each word individually
Principles and Parameters Theory
Grammar is set of:
Principles true for all languages and
Parameters that are language language-specific
Principle
Noun phrases and verb phrases contain a head and modifiers
