5 Chapter 5 Syntax---main campus.ppt

Chapter Five Syntax 1. Defining Syntax Syntax is the study of the internal structure of sentences, that is, how words are put together to make a sensible utterance. Patterns of Predicate SP Wheels turn. SPC Milk turn sour. SPO Men turn wheels. SPOO Cows give us milk. SPOC Thunder turns milk sour. The linear and hierarchical structures of sentences The sequential order of words in a sentence suggests that the structure is linear as in the following examples: The student likes the new linguistics professor. John, Mary and Susan went to the linguistics lecture. John suggested that Mary take the linguistics class. Hierarchical structures The / student likes / the new / linguistics / professor. John, Mary / and Susan went to /the linguistics lecture. John suggested / that Mary take / the linguistics class. Hierarchical structures Sentences are organized with words of the same syntactic category, such as noun phrase (NP) or verb phrase (VP), grouped together. The student // likes / the new linguistics professor. John, Mary and Susan // went / to the linguistics lecture. John //suggested / that Mary take the linguistics class. Endocentric and exocentric construction Endocentric construction is also known as a headed construction. Subordinate construction: only one head Coordinate construction: more than one head The three small children Boys and grils Coffee or tea Endocentric and exocentric construction Endocentric construction is defined negatively as a construction whose distribution is not functionally equivalent to any of it constituent. on the shelf If he is going The girl smiles E-language and I-language A language L can be regarded as a set of sentences a native speaker could use, Chomskey calls such a set E-language, where E suggested the external. The goal of generative linguistics is not the description of languages but explanation of language. I-language is interested in the cognitve system internalized within human bra