英语语言学Chapter10syntax.pptVIP

Syntax Structure and ordering of components within a sentence of a L Syntax came originally from Greek, ‘a setting out together or arrangement’ Generative Grammar Since 1950s, Noam Chomsky A particular type of grammar which would have a very explicit system of rules specifying what combinations of basic elements would result in well-formed sentences “Attempts” since no fully worked-out grammar of this type exists Generative Grammar Properties All and Only: all well-formed syntactic structures, only the grammatical sentences Productivity: finite rules, infinite number of well-formed structures Recursion: capacity to be applied more than once in generating a structure. (Example on P102) Generative Grammar Properties Capture the fact: a sentence can have another sentence inside it, a phrase can have another phrase inside it How superficially distinct sentences are closely related How superfically similar sentences are in fact distinct Surface Structure Surface structure: the syntactic form they take as actual Eng sentences Charlie broke the window. The window was broken by Charlie Very closely related, identical in fact Deep Structure An abstract level of structural organization in which all the elements determining structural interpretation are represented ‘underlying level’: basic components shared by the two sentences Charlie broke the window. The window was broken by Charlie. Structural Ambiguity Annie whacked a man with an umbrella. I shot an elephant in my pajamas. Phrases can be ambiguous: old men and women old men and women of all ages? old men and old women? Symbols used in Syntactic Description Arrow: ‘consists of’ Parentheses: ( ) optional constituent inside Braces (curly brackets): { } only one of the elements enclosed withinthe brackets must be selected Complete list of symbols on Page 105 Labeled Tree Diagrams Tree diagram representation contains all the grammatical information found in the other analysies, but also shows more explicitly