Ch 9
Syntax
Definition: the study of how words are combined to create phrases and clauses in the sentences of a language
Example: all languages have grammatical function words to show relationships among the content words and to indicate the shades of meaning of the content words
Non-example: Not using the grammatical structure of sentences to study or develop language
Characteristics: all languages have content words for name people, places, and things. All languages also have content words to indicate actions, states of being, and words that describe both things and actions.
Deep Structure
Definition: Below the surface structure, is a deeper level of language. Chomsky 's claim was that a few simple rules can generate all the deep structure sentences, and that people produce variations on these deep structures using a second set of rules to transform the deep structures into different surface structures .
Example: A statement is considered to represent the deep structure.
Non-example: Is today Tuesday?--A question created by transforming a deep-structure statement
Characteristics: A few simple rules can generate all the deep structure sentences, according to Chomsky
Transformation
Definition: the process of changing a deep structure into a surface structure
Example: DS: "Her favorite teacher gave her an A."
"She was given an A by her favorite teacher."
The statement could be turned into, "Did her favorite teacher give her an A?"
Non-example: The structure of a sentence remaining the same.
Characteristics: Transformations can involve moving parts of the sentence or adding or deleting parts.
Phrase Structure Rules
Definition: Phrase structure rules are a type of rewrite rule used to describe a given language's syntax and are closely associated with the early stages of transformational grammar
Characteristics: Attempt to specify how the phrases in a clause are structured and ordered. Phrase structure rules, like other scientific notations, are writing following certain conventions.
Example: The rule for the structure of a simple sentence is: S-->NP--AUX--VP
Non-example: Not following a specific order or structure in a given phrase or clause
Tree Diagrams
Definition: Linguists use tree diagrams, sometimes called phrase makers, to represent visually the structure of sentences and the functions of phrases, such as NPs, within a sentence
Characteristics: These visual representations are called tree diagrams because they look somewhat like upside down trees. They branch out as they move from the level of the sentence to the phrases and down to the words.
Example: At the top level, every diagram begins with S for simple sentence. The next level has the three components of the sentence, an NP, an AUX, and a VP.
Non-example: Reed Kellog diagrams taught in traditional grammar classes