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Syntax: The Sentence Patterns of Language

The document discusses syntax and phrase structure rules in language. It defines syntax as the set of rules that govern sentence structure, including word order. It then provides examples of word order in English sentences using subject-verb-object structure. The document also notes that other languages may have different grammatical rules, like postpositions in Japanese. Finally, it introduces several phrase structure rules, like Noun Phrases that can include determiners, adjectives, nouns, and prepositional phrases, to capture patterns in sentences.

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Ash Lee Ma
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279 views34 pages

Syntax: The Sentence Patterns of Language

The document discusses syntax and phrase structure rules in language. It defines syntax as the set of rules that govern sentence structure, including word order. It then provides examples of word order in English sentences using subject-verb-object structure. The document also notes that other languages may have different grammatical rules, like postpositions in Japanese. Finally, it introduces several phrase structure rules, like Noun Phrases that can include determiners, adjectives, nouns, and prepositional phrases, to capture patterns in sentences.

Uploaded by

Ash Lee Ma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 4

Syntax: The Sentence


Patterns of Language
 Syntax is the set of rules, principles, and
processes that govern the structure of sentences
in a given language, usually including word order.

"Syntax is the part of grammar that represents a


speaker's knowledge of sentences and their
structures.“
WORD ORDER
S V O
NP V,VP NP
Det+N V, VP Det+N
The boy Found A dog

The rules of syntax are the combination between


phrases and phrases into the same sentence; indicating
the correct order of the sentence, for example in English
language the correct order for a sentence is
SUBJECT+VERB+OBJECT, if you change the order, the
sentences will no have sense, and it will be grammatically
incorrect.
 
GRAMMATICAL OR
UNGRAMMATICAL?
Chief swore President the
Justice the in new

Well-formed/ Grammatical
 sequences of words that conform to the rules of syntax.

Ill-formed/ Ungrammatical
 violate the rules of syntax.
The boy found the ball
The boy found the ball
The girl laughed at the monkey
The girl laughed at the monkey
Rules in other Languages
In Swedish, the Determiner may follow the Noun in some NPs,
for example in “mannen” (the man) mann “man + en “the”.
The ungrammatical tree in English, is a grammatical tree
structure in Swedish.

NP

N Det

mann en
There are languages that have “postpositions” that function like
prepositions of English but come after the Noun Phrase instead
of preceding it. In Japanese Tokyo kara means “from Tokyo”.
The following tree, which does not occur in English is found in
Japanese.
The grammar of
Japanese contains the
PP
phrase structure rule
PP NP P
but not the rule
PP P NP NP P

Tokyo kara

Despite in differences in detail, all grammars of all languages have


the type of rule we are calling a phrase structure rule, which
characterizes the structure of phrases, sentences and syntactic
categories of the language.
More Phrase Structure Rules
a. Pretty girls whispered softly
b. The man with the hat.
c. The teacher believes that the student knows the answer.

NP VP

Adj N V Adv

Pretty girls whispered


softly
The man with the hat.

NP

The NP rule can be


Det N PP
modified once more
to include the option
of a Prepositional the man P NP
Phrase:
NP (Det) (Adj) N
(PP) with
Det N

the hat
The teacher believes that the student knows the answer.

S
Another NP
structure rule NP VP
is NP that
S
Det N V NP

The teacher believes that S

the student knows the


answer
One final NP rule:
NP Pronoun

NP VP

Pronoun V

I
knew
Thank you!

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