SYNTAX ( I Bimestre Abril Agosto 2011)
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Transcript of SYNTAX ( I Bimestre Abril Agosto 2011)
English Syntax
ESCUELA:
NOMBRES:
Ciencias de la Educación, Mención Inglés
Dra. Rosario María Burneo
BIMESTRE: First bimester
TEXTO GUIA:
AN INTRODUCTION TO ENGLISH SYNTAXBy Jim Miller
Pay attention
Por favor, prepare sus preguntas con anticipación. Estas serán respondidas al
final de la presentación
Linguistics
Phonology
Syntax Semantics
Morphology
Syntax deals with how words are put together to form phrases; how phases are joined to form clauses; and how clauses form sentences.
Syntax enables speakers to compose complex messages in order to communicate effectively.
UNIT ONE: HEADS AND MODIFIERS
The head of a phrase is the word that carries the most meaning.A modifier provides extra information about the head word.
Houses These old houses
The houses in my town
Modification
According to Generative Grammar, Modification is the use of a word
or structure to tell more about the person, thing, action or quality
being modified.
****************Heads and modifiers build different types of phrases
Noun phrase: the large houseAd. phrase: very sadPrep. Phrase: in the gardenVerb Phrase: work hard
The head word is the one that controls all other words in the
phrase.The beautiful painting on the wall
‘painting’ is the head word‘beautiful’ and ‘on the wall’ are modifiers which draw attention to a particular item.
Types of Modifiers Modifiers are of two types:Complements are obligatoryAdjuncts are optional
Martha bought a book for Mike last week C (DO) Ad (PP
Phrases and ClausesA phrase is a unit of meaning, which enables speakers to refer to persons, things, actions, events , places, times and other situations.A clause is a larger structure formed basically by two main constituents: noun phrase (subject) and verb phrase (predicate).
UNIT TWO: Constituent StructureThe way words form larger structures showing meaning. A constituent is a word or string of words expressing meaning.
Ecuadorian tropical forest has a rich variety of animals
NP: Ecuadorian tropical forest VP: has a rich variety of animals
Tests to identify phrases1. Transposition.
Constituents can be moved from one
position in the clause to another without altering meaning.
Last Sunday, I went to the churchI went to the church last Sunday
2. Substitution
It shows that a single word can substitute for a string of words hanging together as a constituent. We put the books on the deskWe put the books there
2. SubstitutionA single word can substitute for a string of words hanging together as a constituent.
We put the books on the tableWe put the books there
3. Ellipsis
It deletes the second occurrence of the same constituent when two clauses are joined by the conjunction ‘and’.
•My dog killed a rat•My dog ate the rat
•My dog killed a rat and ate it
Unit three: ConstructionsPhrases, clauses and sentences are built out of smaller units according to particular patterns:The player jumped into the field NP VP player = play + er The player = det + nounJumped into the field = verb + PPInto de field = P + NP
Criteria regarding constructions:
Different constructions enable speakers to signal what they are doing with a particular structure to perform different speech acts as assertions, questions, or commands. Speakers and writers need a variety of constructions with different functions to use the language effectively in speaking and writing.
CopulaVerb BE, look,
seem, etc.
Non-copulaOther ordinary
verbs
Types of constructions
Both, copula and non-copula constructions cn be declarative,
interrogaive and imperativeMartha bought a new car
Did Martha buy a new car?Buy a new car
Non-copula clauses including transitive verbs can be transformed into passives.
A new car was bought by Martha
Active and Passive Constructions
Active constructions focus on the doer of the action. They can be transitive or intransitive.
Martha bought a carPassive constructions focus on the object and
they can be built only around transitive verbs.A new car was bought by Martha
4. Imperative constructions do not
have an overt subject listen to me 5. The existential construction is
used to introduce new entities in discourse and has the ‘explective there’ in subject position. There is a boy in the yard
The various types of constructions are interrelated among them. For example,
starting with a declarative clause:
Mike bought a present for Elizabeth It can be transformed into a question:
Did Mike buy a present for Elizabeth? And so on…………..
Word Classes:
Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, etc
Denotation is the relationship between a given word and the set of entities to which it can be applied.
Then we can distinguish between words that have denotation (express meaning) and words that do not.
Word Classes:
Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, etc
Denotation is the relationship between a given word and the set of entities to which it can be applied.
Then we can distinguish between words that have denotation (express meaning) and words that do not.
Content words
They have denotation; it is to say, that they express meaning; They apply to people things, places, actions, states, properties and situations (noun, verbs, adjectives, adverbs).
Grammatical words They are also called “function words”. They are used as links to join content words. The definite and indefinite articles, demonstrative adjectives, auxiliaries, among others belong to this group.
CRITERIA TO RECOGNIZE PHRASES
• MORPHO-SYNTACTIC CRITERION
• SYNTACTIC CRITERION
• SEMANTIC CRITERION
1.Morpho-syntactic criterion
Derivational suffixes create new lexical
items as in
Child (noun) Childish (adjective)
Inflectional suffixes
express grammatical information, such as ‘plural’ or –ing forms
Dog dogs
Syntactic criterion A noun can occur in different positions (left and right) in relation to the verb Nouns allow an article to their left; but adjectives do not. Some nouns can be pluralized, but Adjectives cannot.
Semantic criterion
- It deals with meaning (dictionary and speaker´s meaning)
- What speakers do with words; it refers to the principle that ‘when speakers perform speech acts, they also perform actions.
E.G: speakers ask, assert, issue commands, describe, narrate, etc.
A speech act is any word or string of words that expresses meaning
Speakers use ‘speech acts:
to assertto refer
to predicateto issue a command
Speech Acts
The LexiconThe lexicon is the set of all words in a language that are registered in a
dictionary.
- Content Words- Function words
Verbs• Each individual verb might take different
words as complements or adjuncts. I lost my book in the park last
night Complements are obligatory modifiers,
which typically occur next to the verb: my book (direct object, complement)
• Adjuncts are optional. • They provide extra information.• They do not occur immediately after
the verb I lost my book in the park last night in the park and ‘last night’ (adverbials
functioning as adjuncts)
Subcategorization
• Intransitive verbs I walk (every morning)• Transitive verbs Mark likes potatoes• Ditransitive verbs Mike gave Elizabeth a present
Transitive directional verbs We gave some advice to Peter
Copula and linking verbs) Betty is a doctor Betty seems sad
Selectional Restrictions on verbs
Lexical verbs impose restrictions on the type of structure that can occur to their left or right:
Mike killed a tiger Sam walks fast You put the book on the table He looks tired
Selectional Restrictions on Nouns
They refer to the roles assigned to nouns in a clause.
• Subject = Agent• Direct object = patient
Mr. Jones built this house
ClausesA clause contains basically a noun
phrase and a verb phrase.
Each clause:1. Has a finite (marked for person and
number) or non-finite verb (unmarked)
2. The verb takes one or more complements;
3. Each clause might show aspect;
4. Each clause expresses mood (indicative, interrogative, imperative);
Main and Subordinate Clauses
- Main clauses express full meaning.
- Subordinate clauses must be attached to a main clause to express full meaning.
Sentences contain more than one clause
Compound Mary cooks lunch and Sam sets the
table Complex
Sam believes that his house is haunted
Types of subordinate clauses
1. As complements of verbs: He regretted that he has visited Paula
As complements of nouns:
They have accepted the theory that our country is very poor.
Relative ClausesThey modify nouns
The book which you gave Laura is interesting.
The boy who is at the door is
very smart
Adverbial clauses They modify other clauses; they are
treated as adjuncts:Reason: I went home because I was tired
Time: She was in Rome when the accident happened.
Condition: I can help you if you need it
Concession: Even though Sam was very sad, he did not cried.
Relative and complement clauses
• In relative clauses, the complementizer THAT can be replaced by WHICH.
This is the car that you gave me This is the car which you gave me
In complement clauses, the word THAT can not be replaced
by a WH-word:
Liz likes the idea that I will quit smoking
* Liz likes the idea which I will quit smoking
Thank youGod Bless
You
Questions?
Mgs. Rosario María [email protected]: 2570275 Ext.2326Tutoring: 13:00 to 15:00, Monday - Friday