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Introduction To Syntax

1. Syntax is the study of sentence structure and grammar. It examines the rules for combining words and phrases into sentences. 2. Immediate constituent analysis breaks down sentences into their smallest meaningful parts through sequential, hierarchical, and transformational breaking up. Labels are then assigned to constituents. 3. Transformational generative grammar can generate and explain all grammatical sentences in a language through the use of phrase structure rules and transformations. It is able to resolve ambiguities that other methods cannot.

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586 views13 pages

Introduction To Syntax

1. Syntax is the study of sentence structure and grammar. It examines the rules for combining words and phrases into sentences. 2. Immediate constituent analysis breaks down sentences into their smallest meaningful parts through sequential, hierarchical, and transformational breaking up. Labels are then assigned to constituents. 3. Transformational generative grammar can generate and explain all grammatical sentences in a language through the use of phrase structure rules and transformations. It is able to resolve ambiguities that other methods cannot.

Uploaded by

Icka Veronika
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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INTRODUCTION TO SYNTAX

1. Devi Aula Zakiya N. (14


2. Faaza Achmad S. (153221
3. Icka Veronika (153221204)
Syntax
Syntax originates from the Greek word
ouv/syn meaning co or together and taxis
meaning order , sequence , arrangement
Syntax is the sentence pattern of language. It
is the study of the structure of sentences in
terms of its constituent elements. Syntax deals
with the rules of sentence building i.e. the
combination, organization and arrangement of
components within the sentence
Immediate Constituent Analysis:

It is the modern process of grouping together words and phrases in such a manner as to
help us to remove ambiguity of construction. It therefore helps us to understand
the real meaning of a sentence in a systematic manner. IC Analysis uses precise
rules as in mathematics.
- Technique of IC Analysis
The methodology involves two steps:
i) Breaking up of the given sentence or phrase
ii) Labelling the constituents.

There are three kinds of breaking up


a) Sequential, b) Hierarchical, c) transformational

Likewise, there are three kind of labeling


a) Morphological, b) Categorical, c) Functional
Sequential Breaking Up
1. Sequential breaking up and morphological labeling
Here, first, the given sentence is broken up into a series of the smallest
meaningful words or parts of a word.

a) We can fish is broken up like this:-


We + can + fish

Word word word

b) He is dishonest is broken up like this:-


He + is + dis + honest

Word word part of word word

Unfortunately, this technique does not give the corresponding structural


descriptions to remove the ambiguity, so it is not considered sufficient.
2. Sequential Breaking Up + Categorical labeling
Categorical labels refer to the grammatical class or category to which the
word belongs. Ex. nouns, pronouns, articles, verbs, adjectives etc.
a) We can fish

Pronoun Auxiliary Main Verb

b) We can fish

Pronoun Main Verb Noun

Clearly (a) gives the meaning We have the ability to fish and (b) gives
the meaning We put fish in cans, that is, sealed containers.
Though sequential breaking up + categorical labeling is effective, it
cannot explain ambiguities in certain other sentence.
3. Sequential breaking up + Functional Labelling

Consider the sentence We called Mercy a taxi. What does it mean? Is


there ambiguity? Now let us split it up in two ways?
a) We called Mercy a taxi

Subject verb indirect object Direct object

b) We called Mercy a taxi



Subject verb Direct object Object Complement

Clearly, (a) gives the meaning We called a taxi for Mercy and (b) gives
the meaning We said Mercy was a taxi or We called Mercy the
name a Taxi. This is more effective than the previous ones. But this
technique cannot resolve ambiguities in certain other sentences
4. Hierarchical Breaking Up
Consider the phrase Young men and women There is
ambiguity indeed and it can be explained by the
method of hierarchical breaking up or bracketing.
a) (young) (men and women), Means that both the men
and the women are young.
b) (young men) (and women), Means women and young
men, that is, only the men are young.

This kind of breaking up is known as hierarchical breaking


up because it breaks up a sentence or phrase into its
parts at different levels or hierarchies.
breaking up can be represented
diagrammatically
a. (young) (men and women)

young young and women

young and women

b. (young men) (and women)

Young men and women

Young men

This device also cannot explain some other kinds of ambiguities.


5. Transformational breaking up
the expression love of mother is derived from
the two expressions given below.
a) Children love their mother - love of mother.
b) Mother loves her children - love of children.

This device explains the ambiguity in the phrase


love of mother. It is a more effective device
than the previous ones.
Transformational Generative Grammar
The generative grammar which makes use of all the three devices which
we have discussed so far is called Transformational Generative
Grammar. Just as there is no limit to the number of words in a
sentence, there is no limit to the number of sentences that can be
generated in a language. Naturally all sorts of ambiguities are likely
to arise. Transformational Generative Grammar generates or clearly
labels or classifies all the grammatical sentences in the language.

- Transformation may do three things:


i. It may add new items
ii. It may delete items
iii. It may alter the order of words.

example: (active - passive)


The doctor has cured the patient ->the patient has been cured by
the doctor.
GENERATIVE
The term which is used as the identifying label in
the new approach to language as a whole is
generative. Generative means to produce,
develop or predict. It summarizes the two main
properties of grammar: its ability to account by
its rules for the infinite sentences of a language
and its ability to be absolutely explicit about the
grammaticality of sentences by precisely defining
the characteristics of their internal structure. To
generate means to predict all and only the
grammatical sentences of a language.
The Phrase Structure Grammar
(constituent structure grammar)
Phrase structure grammar is more sophisticated model of grammar
evolved as a further development of IC analysis. Phrase structure
grammars contain a set of rules called phrase structure rules or
rewrite rules. A rewrite rule is a replacement rule in which the
symbol to the left of the arrow is replaced by the expanded form to
the right of the arrow.
The arrow signifies to be rewritten as
1. S NP + VP
This means that the sentence is to be rewritten as NP (noun phrase)
2. NP Det + N
(Det is Determiner and N is noun.)
3. VP Aux + V + NP
(Aux is Auxiliary,V is main verb, NP is noun phrase)
The boy saw an elephant
S

The boy Saw an elephant


NP VP

The child saw an elephant


Det Noun V NP

An elephant
Det Noun

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