Download Syntax: Part II

Syntax: Part II
More Structures
Overview
• Syntax
– Diagramming complex sentences
– Sentence Relatedness
- Transformations
-Structure Dependent
-Syntactic Dependent
Adverbs
• Adverbs are modifiers that specify how
or when an event happens: quickly,
slowly, yesterday, tomorrow, often
Adverbs
• Sister to the VP
•
This chapter totally rocked!
S
NP
This chapter
VP
Adv
I
totally
VP
rocked
Adverbs
• Sister to the VP
•
The boy cried yesterday.
S
NP
The boy
VP
VP
cried
Adv
I
yesterday
Adverbs
• Sister to S
•
Hopefully, this is right.
S
Adv
I
Hopefully
S
NP
this
VP
I
is right
Coordinate Structure
• Two constituents of the same category
are joined with a conjunction such as
and or or.
• “Move as a unit” constituency test
Coordinate Structure
• Two NPs joined by and.
•
Tom and Jerry are lovers.
NP
NP1
Tom
CoordP
Coord
NP2
and
Jerry
Infinitives
• Some embedded sentences can be in
the infinitive:
– Hilary is waiting for you to sing.
– The host believes the president to be
punctual.
• The chapter touched on this as an FYI,
but basically said not to worry about it.
So, don’t.
Sentence Relatedness
• The presentation is boring everyone.
• Is the presentation boring everyone?
Sentence Relatedness
• Declarative vs. Interrogative
• Created by the “Move Aux” rule:
S
NP
The presentation
VP
Aux
VP
is
boring everyone
Sentence Relatedness
• Move Aux - Move the highest Aux to
adjoin S
S
S
Aux
is
NP
the presentation
VP
_
VP
boring everyone
Chomsky on Transformations
•
'A grammatical transformation [...] operates on a given string [...] with a
given constituent structure and converts it into a new string with a new
derived constituent structure. To show exactly how this operation is
performed requires a rather elaborate study which would go far beyond
the scope of these remarks, but we can in fact develop a certain fairly
complex but reasonably natural algebra of transformations having the
properties that we apparently require for grammatical description.'
(Studies on Semantics in Generative Grammar.1972: 44)
•
http://www.anti-thesis.net/texts/notes/syntax-chomsky.txt
More Transformations
• Active-Passive:
– Tom chased Jerry. -> Jerry was chased by Tom.
• There sentences:
– There is a storm coming. -> A storm is coming.
• PP Prepsoing:
– Harry killed Hermoine with his wand. -> With his
wand, Harry killed Hermoine.
Structure Dependant Rules
• Adding to the Aux:
– The pop star loves to party.
– The pop stars love to party.
S
VP
NP
Aux
Present
Third person
Singular
VP
The pop star ======= loves to party
Syntactic Dependency
• WH Questions:
– Move WH Rule
• Wh phrase acts as the object
– What will Charlie buy?
• Wh phrase acts as prepositional phrase object
– Where has your mother gone?
• Wh phrase acts at the embedded subject
– Which team do you think will win?
Syntactic Dependency
• Wh Questions: D-structure
CP
C
S
NP
Charlie
VP
Aux
will
VP
V
buy
NP
what
Syntactic Dependency
• Wh Questions: S-structure
CP
S
C
What
S
Aux
will
NP
Charlie
VP
Aux
VP
V
buy
NP
Linguistic Exercise
• 16. All wh phrases can move to the left
periphery of the sentence:
– a. Invent three sentences beginning with what,
which, and where, in which the wh word is not in
its d-structure position in the sentence. Give both
versions of your sentence. Here is an example
with the wh word when: When could Marcy catch
a flight out of here? From Marcy could catch a
flight out of here when?
– b. Draw the phrase structure tree for one of these
sentences using the phrase structure and
movement rules provided in the chapter.
Works Cited and Consulted
•
“Linguistics: Methods of synchronic linguistic analysis:
TRANSFORMATIONAL-GENERATIVE GRAMMAR: Chomsky's grammar.”
http://www.ifi.unizh.ch/groups/CL/volk/SyntaxVorl/Chomsky.html Britannica
Online, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1995.
•
“Noam Chomsky, Syntactic Structures.” http://www.antithesis.net/texts/notes/syntax-chomsky.txt (31 July 2007)