ENGL 312 General Linguistics Chapter 8 Syntax (Part 1)

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Questions and Answers

According to the definition provided by Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, what are the rules of grammar called?

Syntax

Syntactic rules aim to generate all the well-formed structures of a language while avoiding ill-formed ones.

True

What is the 'all and only' criterion in syntax?

Only grammatically correct sentences, in a particular language, are included.

Both A and B (correct)

It states that all grammatically correct sentences must be accounted for,

Neither A nor B

What is a prepositional phrase?

A prepositional phrase is formed by combining a preposition (e.g., near) with a noun phrase (e.g., London), resulting in a phrase such as "near London". Signup and view all the answers

What is a major goal of syntactic analysis?

Creating a set of rules that can generate an unlimited number of well-formed structures Signup and view all the answers

The term 'generative grammar' refers to:

Grammar that focuses on generating all types of sentences Signup and view all the answers

Deep structure and surface structure are the same for all sentences.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is structural ambiguity?

Structural ambiguity occurs when a sentence or phrase has more than one possible underlying interpretation, resulting in multiple meanings. Signup and view all the answers

Match the following examples with their corresponding ambiguity type:

Annie bumped into a man with an umbrella. = Structural ambiguity The word 'bank' can refer to a financial institution or the edge of a river. = Lexical ambiguity The boy saw the man with the telescope. = Structural ambiguity Signup and view all the answers

In syntactic analysis, ______ is used to indicate that a constituent is optional.

round brackets Signup and view all the answers

Curly brackets { } indicate that ______.

only one of the elements enclosed within the curly brackets must be selected Signup and view all the answers

Phrase structure rules determine the structure of phrases within a sentence.

True Signup and view all the answers

In the phrase structure rule S → NP VP, what does '→' symbol mean?

rewrites as Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Course Information

Course: ENGL 312 General Linguistics
Instructor: Dr Abdulqader Alyasin
Chapter: 8 Syntax (part 1)
Institution: Lusail University

Overview

Students should be able to understand syntactic rules
Identify differences between deep and surface structures
Recognize structural ambiguity
Demonstrate understanding of syntactic analysis, phrase structure rules, lexical rules, and tree diagrams

Discussion Questions

What is syntax?
How is syntax related to English language teaching?

Introduction

Syntax is the study of the structure and ordering of components within a sentence.
Syntax, originally in Greek, means "putting together" or "arrangement."

Syntactic Rules

When analyzing syntax, adherence to the "all and only" criterion is necessary.
The analysis should account for all grammatically correct phrases and sentences, and only those grammatically correct phrases and sentences related to the language under analysis.
Well-formed structures are generated by the rules.
Ill-formed structures are not generated by the rules.

Example: Prepositional Phrases

A preposition (e.g., near) + a noun (e.g., London) = a prepositional phrase (e.g., near London)
This example highlights the need for careful construction of the rule.
The preposition and the noun phrase form the rule. A noun alone is insufficient.

Generative Grammar

An effective rule (e.g., a prepositional phrase) generates a potentially unlimited number of English phrases.
Generative grammar uses a small, finite set of rules to generate a vast number of grammatical structures.
The goal of syntactic analysis is to have a limited set of rules that can create unlimited grammatical phrases.
Syntactic analysis is generative, not just descriptive

Two Phenomena of Generative Grammar

Explains how superficially different phrases/sentences that are closely related can be.
Explains how superficially similar phrases/sentences can be different.

Deep and Surface Structure

Different surface structures can have the same deep (underlying) structure. (e.g., Charlie broke the window. The window was broken by Charlie.)
The deep structure is an abstract level of organization detailing structural interpretations.
Deep structures can be the source of other surface structures.

Structural Ambiguity

Structural ambiguity is where a phrase or sentence has multiple underlying structures and interpretations. (e.g., Annie bumped into a man with an umbrella.)
Example: "The boy saw the man with the telescope."
This has two different underlying interpretations.

Distinguishing Structural and Lexical Ambiguity

Structural ambiguity is different from lexical ambiguity, which is when a word or phrase has multiple meanings.
Example: "Bank" has meanings like "financial institution" and "edge of river."
The word "foot" has multiple meanings.

Syntactic Analysis

Conventional abbreviations are used for parts of speech. (e.g., S=sentence, NP=noun phrase, N=noun, V=verb).
Formal notation is used in analysis (e.g, S → NP VP, NP -> Art (Adj)N), where each symbol, like an arrow, has specific meaning that denotes rewriting as another structure.

Verb Phrase (VP) Structure

The verb phrase consist of the verb and the following noun phrase (NP). For example, "John saw the big dog"

Symbols Used in Syntactic Analysis

Use of symbols like:
--> to indicate "consist of" ()— optional constituents {} — indicates that only one element can be selected

Phrase Structure Rules

These rules define the allowed constituents and their order in phrases of different types.
Examples:
- S → NP VP
- NP → {Art (Adj) N, Pro, PN}
- VP → V NP

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Description

This quiz covers the fundamental concepts of syntax as explored in Chapter 8 of ENGL 312. Students will delve into syntactic rules, the differences between deep and surface structures, and structural ambiguity. Understanding these concepts is essential for effective syntactic analysis and for teaching the English language.