Ling1000 Syntax 2 PDF

Syntax: Key Grammatical Terminology & Theory Olena Gordiyenko, Dr.Sc. (Germanic Languages), Assoc. Prof. of Foreign Languages; Visiting Scholar, Department of Linguistics, Department of German and Slavic Studies Word Order ? What is the basic word order in English sentences? ? Is English Subject...

Syntax: Key Grammatical Terminology & Theory Olena Gordiyenko, Dr.Sc. (Germanic Languages), Assoc. Prof. of Foreign Languages; Visiting Scholar, Department of Linguistics, Department of German and Slavic Studies Word Order ? What is the basic word order in English sentences? ? Is English Subject-Verb-Object (SVO). ? What is the basic word order in other languages? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtIq1l4y_rQ Key Grammatical Terminology A sentence is a string of words that expresses a complete statement, question, or command. For statements (as opposed to questions or commands), a sentence expresses a proposition, something that can be true or false. A sentence is a clause that stands on its own as an utterance. A clause is a constituent that includes a subject and a predicate. Some clauses occur inside other clauses (see complex sentence below), and so not all clauses are independent sentences. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word-order/ fl Key Grammatical Terminology A predicate is the state, event, or activity that the sentence attributes to its subject. The word “predicate” is used in two ways. Sometimes it is used to refer to a single head or word (usually a verb or an adjective), but other times its used to describe everything in the sentence other than the subject (for example, a whole verb phrase). https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word- order/ fl Key Grammatical Terminology Arguments are phrases that correspond to the participants or actors involved in a sentence’s predicate. They are typically noun phrases, but it’s possible to have arguments of other types (usually prepositional phrases or whole clauses). In the sentences the arguments are in bold and the predicate is italicized. a. Vanja loves chocolate. b. The children gave [the kitten] [a toy]. c. Everyone is excited. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word-order/ fl Key Grammatical Terminology An intransitive predicate takes one argument (the subject); no object. A transitive predicate takes two arguments (subject and direct object); one object. A ditransitive predicate takes three arguments (subject, direct object, and indirect object); two objects. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word- order/ fl Arguments - Subjects and Objects Subjects almost always appear before the predicate in English, and control agreement on the verb. If the subject is a pronoun, it is in nominative case (I, we, you, he, she, it, they). Direct objects usually appear after the verb in English. If the direct object is a pronoun, it is in accusative case (me, us, you, him, her, it, them). Indirect objects appear with ditransitive verbs, the indirect object is often the recipient of the direct object. The indirect object is often (but not always) marked by “to” or another preposition; in English, if the indirect object is a pronoun, it is in accusative case (but in languages that have dative case, indirect objects are often in dative case). https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word-order/ fl Types of Sentences (function) Declarative clauses are statements, things that can be true or false. Interrogative clauses are questions. Questions come in two general types: Yes-No questions, like: Did Romil watch a movie? Content questions, like: What did Romil watch? Imperative clauses express requests or commands. For example: Open the door (please)! https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word-order/ fl Type of Sentences (structure) A sentence is simple if it contains only one clause. A compound sentence has at least two clauses, linked by a conjunction like and, or, or but. For example: [ Danai laughed ] and [ Seo-yeon cried ]. A complex sentence is one that contains a subordinate embedded clause—a clause inside a clause. For example: Seo-yeon knows [ that Danai laughed ]. https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/essentialso inguistics2/chapter/a-starting-point-word-order/ fl  Grammar Prescriptive VS Generative a set of rules about “a system of rules that in some language based on how explicit and well-de ned way people think language assigns structural descriptions to should be used sentences” (Chomsky 1965: 8) fi Noam Chomsky and Theory of Syntax https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQW3zC5QaY4 In Noam Chomsky: Principles and parameters …in the “standard theory” of Aspects of the Theory of Syntax and the subsequent “extended standard theory,” which was developed and revised through the late 1970s. These theories proposed that the mind of the human infant is endowed with a “format” of a possible grammar (a theory of linguistic data),… https://www.britannica.com/topic/Aspects-of-the-Theory-of-Syntax Generative grammar is a theory rst put forth by Noam Chomsky. It seeks to explain how humans develop language and how all humans have a capacity for language even if the speci c languages differ from person to person. fi fi  What is Universal Grammar Does it exist? https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=vbKO-9n5qmc THANK YOU!