Syntax Chapter 8

Study Notes

Syntax is the branch of linguistics focusing on arranging words and phrases to create grammatically correct sentences.
In English, a basic sentence structure is Subject-Verb-Object (SVO).
Examples of well-formed sentences in SVO order:
- He is running very fast.
- I went to the store.
Examples of poorly formed sentences:
- Running is he fast very.
- Store I to went the.

Sentences are created by combining words into phrases and then creating a complete sentence.
English declarative sentences (statements) follow the SVO order.
Example: Bill drove the car.
The word order in a sentence is essential to its meaning.
Incorrect word order can lead to an ungrammatical or illogical sentence, as seen in the following example: drove Bill the car.

A fundamental sentence consists of a subject and a verb.
An object may or may not be present, depending on the type of verb (transitive or intransitive).
Transitive verbs necessitate an object to complete their meaning.

Verbs can be categorized as either transitive or intransitive based on whether they require an object.

Transitive verbs require an object to express a complete thought.
They can be:
- Monotransitive: taking one object. Example: bring, catch.
  - Example sentence: I brought the book.
- Ditransitive: requiring two objects. Example: give, put.
  - Example sentence: I gave my mother a flower.

In generative grammar, a set of rules defines all possible sentences in a language.

Deep structure is the underlying meaning of a sentence.
Surface structure is how you express that meaning.
The underlying meaning of a sentence can be expressed in different grammatical structures (surface structure).

Ambiguity occurs when an item (word or sentence) has more than one meaning, leading to confusion or misinterpretation.
Ambiguity can be:
- Lexical: a word has multiple meanings. Example: bat (animal or baseball item); bank (financial institution or a river bank).
  - Example sentence: There is a bat in the house. (The animal or the baseball item?)
- Structural: a sentence has multiple interpretations due to its grammatical structure. Example: The police officer fined the driver from Zarqa. (Was the driver fined in Zarqa or by someone from Zarqa?)

Using symbols to represent parts of speech (nouns, verbs, articles, adjectives, adverbs, etc.) and phrases helps analyze sentences.
These symbols are: N: noun, V: verb, Art: article, Adj: adjective, Adv: adverb, Pro: pronoun, PP: prepositonal phrase, NP; noun phrase, VP: verb phrase, PN: proper noun