TGG Trasnformational Generative Grammar

Question 1

What is TGG

•General statement

•What is generative grammar
-features

* What is the reason for TGG
* What is TGG 
* TGG rules.

Answer 1

According to Chomsky
•Goal of linguistic expression➡️ provide a theory for the infinite sentences of a natural language.

Generative grammar in general

• the generative grammar theory
Contains a set of finite rules that generate infinite set of sentences, providing descriptions about the grammatical structures.

• the goal of generative grammar is to dig up speaker’s knowledge of producing and understanding grammar.
• grammar is called generative, as it projects the creative aspect of language.

•generative grammar constructs all possible sentences of a language
Ex: i go home not I goes home

•grammar is recursive
{Finite number ➡️ infinite sentences } applies x n

The phrase structure rules that normally analyze grammatical structure of sentences are not adequate to describe certain syntactic phenomena.

This inadequacy requires the usage of transformational generative grammar.

Grammar is said to be Transformational Generative Grammar
When it transforms one sentence to another by keeping the meaning intact.
Ex: active voice senteces➡️ passive voice sentence.

This is done through the operation of transformational rules.

transformational rules operate on phrase markers and convert them into others.

4 types of transformation
Transformation 
In terms of changing the elements of a sentence
In terms of substituting elements
In terms of deleting 
In terms of adding.

Question 2

Surface structure and deep structure

Answer 2

According to Chomsky every sentence has 2 structures

Deep structure and the sentence structure

Surface structure - determines the phonetic form
Deep structure - determines the semantic interpretation

Deep structure is created by applying XP rules (phrase structure rules)
Surface structure is created by applying transformations to the deep structure

                         XP rules 
                           ⬇️
                  Deep structure 
                           ⬇️
             Transformational rules
                           ⬇️
                  Surface structure 
XP rules generate underlying deep structure to which transformed by transformational rules to produce a final surface structure

At time, One surface structure may have more deep structures

Surface structure, contributes little to the semantic interpretation of the sentence as the SS does not explain grammatical relation needed

1) surface structure doesn’t reveal ambiguity of a sentence
The love of god is good
Through the dee structure ambiguity is acknowledged.

2) phrase structure doesn’t reveal two sentences having the same meaning
They denied god’s existence
They denied god exists
Deep structure ✅

3) surface structure fails to show different meanings if the same structure
John is easy to please
John is eager to please
Deep structure ✅

4) surface structure doesn’t reveal submerged constituents of a sentence,
Help the man
(You) help the man
Deep structure ✅

Question 3

Phrase structure and ps tules

Answer 3

Phrase structure
Sentences are not created by simply stringing words together

They are arranged in hierarchical structure in which words are group together to make larger units

Phrase structure acts as a hook to which words are attached

The word around which the phrase is made is head

Some phrases only have one word some have more

In addition to the head there are other words performing special semantic/ syntactic roles
They are called specifiers

Specifier - make the meaning of the head more precise
Occur left to the head

Other than specifiers and head phrase include other entities - complement

Provides extra info about the head.
Attached to the right of the head.

Phrase structure rules
The arrangement of the components of a phrase is regulated by a special grammatical mechanism ➡️phrase structure rules

Ensure if the position of head,specifiers, complements are appropriate in various phrases.

Phrase structure rules generally follow this pattern
A- B C. Tree structure
S- np + vp. Xp
NP - art+ N. Specifier. Head. Complement
Vp - V + np

A sentence to which ps rules are added is called a string.
Ps rules generate terminal strings.

However,
ps rules tend to be complex
Ex passive voice sentences

Limited
Some syntactic phenomena can not be analyzed in a satisfactory way according to ps rules

Will the boy leave? ( inversion)

Cant explain intuitive interpretations in sentences.
Ex: can’t explain ambiguities, underlying similarities and differences in meanings.