Syntax
study of sentence structure deals with the organization of words into larger sequences
Properties of generative grammar
- gives a set of rules to correctly predict which word combinations will form grammatical sentences
- human brain can create a language if it has a given set of rules
Surface structure
final result of grammar, determines sound
Deep structure
underlying structure based on grmmatical catgeories and constructed by syntatic rules, determined meaning
TRUE or FALSE: Different surface structures can have the same deep structure.
True.
Meaning
semantic interpretation, determined by deep structure
Pronunciation
phonetic interpretation, determined by surface structure
What is the role of transformation?
It converts the semantically relevant level of linguistic description into a phonetic one.
Structural ambiguity
when one surface structure, presents different deep structures (HOLMES PICTURE)
Tree grams
a way to present the hierarchal nature of sentence structure
Phase structure rules state that…
- a phrase of a specific type will consist of one or more elements in a particular order;
- they are a presentation of a structure of a given phrase;
- can be categorical or lexical
Recursion
the ability to put smaller sentences into bigger sentences
Transformation rules
take a specific part of a structure and attach it to a different part, producing a different sense and form. We need to specify what we are moving, form where and to where
