lecture 5 Syntax 3

1. Lecture 8: “Syntax as a branch of Grammar”

LECTURE 8: “SYNTAX AS A
BRANCH OF GRAMMAR”
1

2. Lecture 8: “Syntax as a branch of Grammar

LECTURE 8: “SYNTAX AS A BRANCH OF
GRAMMAR
1.
2.
3.
4.
Syntax and its categories
Syntax of the phrase. Definition.
Types of phrases. Kernel and adjunct of the
phrase.
Types of connection of words.
2

3. What is Syntax?

WHAT IS SYNTAX?
What does it study?
Why is it necessary for the Language?
3

4. 1. The definition of the ‘Syntax’

1. THE DEFINITION OF THE ‘SYNTAX’
Syntax is "the study of the principles and
processes by which sentences are constructed in
particular languages”. (Noam Chomsky)
Syntax is the study of the rules and principles
that govern the phrase and sentence structure of
any individual language. (Derek Bickerton)
4

5. Main Branches of Grammar that deal with the sentence or phrase (N. Chomsky)

MAIN BRANCHES OF GRAMMAR THAT DEAL
WITH THE SENTENCE OR PHRASE (N. CHOMSKY)
Transformational
grammar
Government and binding
theory
is based upon the
Is based on
constituent structure
of sentences
communicative role of
the utterance, its
relations
5

6. Syntax deals with the sentence, clause and phrase

SYNTAX DEALS WITH THE SENTENCE,
CLAUSE AND PHRASE
sentence
clause
phrase
word
morpheme
6

7. Main Notions of syntax:

MAIN NOTIONS OF SYNTAX:
Sentence
Clause
7
Phrase

8. What is the sentence?

WHAT IS THE SENTENCE?
Traditional view
(M.Blokh)
Alternative view
(L.Bloomfield)
a syntactic structure,
a sentence is an
which is used in
communication to
form and render
complete thought
about situation of
reality
independent linguistic
form, not included by
virtue of any
grammatical
construction in any
larger linguistic form
What is the longest sentence
in the world
(number of words)?
8

9. Answer:

ANSWER:
Nigel Tomm's one-sentenced novel, which does
not have a proper subject-verb interaction, "The
Blah Story".
This sentence contains
469, 375 words.
9

10. What is the Clause?

WHAT IS THE CLAUSE?
The clause is the smallest
grammatical unit that can express a
complete proposition/predication.
Simple
sentence = 1
clause
10
She is
dancing.
Complex
sentence = 1-2
etc. clauses
Compound
sentence = 1-2 etc.
clauses
[She is dancing]
(the way she
likes).
[ ] – main clause
( ) – subordinate
cause
[She is dancing]
[and she is
happy].
[ ] – main clause
[ ] – main clause

11. What is the phrase? How is it different from the sentence?

WHAT IS THE PHRASE? HOW IS IT
DIFFERENT FROM THE
SENTENCE?
11
The phrase is a group of
words or a single word with
functional words that form
a constituent. (traditional
view)

12. Differences between phrases and sentences (distribute into two groups – Phrase and Sentence)

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHRASES AND SENTENCES
(DISTRIBUTE INTO TWO GROUPS – PHRASE AND
SENTENCE)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Has full predication
Is the part of the clause/sentence
Expresses complete thought
Has intonation
Does not express the complete thought
Is the part of the text/ is isolated
Does not have any intonation
Has incomplete predication
12

13. Differences between phrases and sentences

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PHRASES AND
SENTENCES
Sentence
Phrase
1 Has full predication
3 Expresses complete
thought
4 Has intonation
6 Is the part of the
text/isolated.
8 Has incomplete
predication
5 Does not express the
complete thought
7 Does not have any
intonation
2 Is the part of the
clause/sentence
13

14. Practical task: Identify the phrases/clauses/sentences (at least 2)

PRACTICAL TASK: IDENTIFY THE
PHRASES/CLAUSES/SENTENCES (AT LEAST
2)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
I enjoy the party.
They insisted on my staying home.
Harry is a wonderful singer who is famous in
his land.
I don’t hear the sound which you have just
pronounced.
The day is getting shorter, the night is getting
colder.
14

15. 2. Syntax of the phrase. Definition.

2. SYNTAX OF THE PHRASE. DEFINITION.
Syntax of
phrase
(minor syntax)
Syntax of
sentence
(major syntax)
15

16. The phrase

THE PHRASE
is the syntactic unit used as a notional part of a
sentence.
Sentence
Phrase
Word
16

17. Peculiarities of a phrase

PECULIARITIES OF A PHRASE
Like a word
• Like a sentence
the phrase is a
• it consists of
several (at least
two) nominative
components
• does not enter
speech as a
ready-made unit
nominative unit
cannot express
full predication
17

18. Different approaches to the phrase definition:

DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO THE PHRASE
DEFINITION:
V.V. Vinogradov:
only a combination of two
notional words, one of which
dominates the other, is
considered a word-combination.
18

19. Leonard Bloomfield

LEONARD BLOOMFIELD
word-combination
is any syntactically
organized group of syntagmatically
connected
words;
this
includes
combinations of functional and notional
words, and predicative and coordinative
combinations of words.
19

20. Overall classification of phrases

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION OF PHRASES
Phrases
Dominational
Notional
Equipotent
Functional
Syndatic
Asyndatic
Formative
Agreement
Cumulative
Government
Adjoining
Progressive
Regressive
Parts of speech
classification
Qualifying
connection
Objective
connection
20

21. Types of phrases (L.Bloomfield)

TYPES OF PHRASES (L.BLOOMFIELD)
Notional phrase
Formative
phrase
Functional
phrase
21

22. Notional phrase

NOTIONAL PHRASE
semantically independent (“autosemantic”)
combinations of notional words, as the basic type
of phrasemes.
Ex:
A beautiful girl
Very nice
Three flowers
N+N
22

23. The formative phrase

THE FORMATIVE PHRASE
is a combination of a notional word with a
functional word, which is contextually dependent
(“synsemantic”) and functionally similar to
separate notional words used in various
grammatical forms.
Ex:
of Peter (= Peter’s);
in a moment,
without doubt
N+F
23

24. Functional phrases

FUNCTIONAL PHRASES
are combinations of functional words similar to
regular functional words.
Ex:
apart from,
as soon as,
with reference to,
must be able.
F+F
24

25.

Phrases are subdivided into:
dominational
(Hypotactic)
equipotent
(Paratactic)
25

26. Equipotent (Paratactic) phrases

EQUIPOTENT
(PARATACTIC) PHRASES
The constituents of equipotent phrases are of
equal syntactic rank; none of them modifies
another.
Ex:
poor but honest;
mad, bad and dangerous.
26

27. Two ways of connection within an equipotent phrase:

TWO WAYS OF CONNECTION
WITHIN AN EQUIPOTENT
PHRASE:
Syndatic way
• Asyndatic way
with the help of a
• without any
coordinative
connecting
conjunction
element involved
• Ex: (good, kind,
Ex:(safe and
calm)
alive)
27

28. Cumulative connection – the type of coordinative phrase

CUMULATIVE CONNECTION –
THE TYPE OF COORDINATIVE
PHRASE
when the sequential element is unequal
to the proceeding one in the character of
nomination.
Ex: came, but late;
agreed, or nearly so, etc.
28

29. How can we recognise a cumulative connection?

HOW CAN WE RECOGNISE A CUMULATIVE
CONNECTION?
comma or a hyphen
(, or -)
29

30. Subordination

SUBORDINATION
In dominational phrases, one word modifies
another.
Modifier
Modified
the kernel,
the key-word,
the head word
the adjunct,
the adjunct-word,
the expansion.
30

31. For example

FOR EXAMPLE
In the word-combination a
beautiful girl
the word ‘a girl’ is the
kernel,
and ‘beautiful’ is the adjunct.
31

32. Domination is achieved by:

DOMINATION IS ACHIEVED BY:
Grammatical
agreement
• Government
• Adjoining
32

33. Agreement

AGREEMENT
Agreement takes place when the subordinate word
assumes a form similar to the form of the kernel,
Ex: this boy, these boys;
the child plays, the children play;
!!!! in English, words agree only in number in
some grammatical contexts.
33

34. Government

GOVERNMENT
Government takes place when a certain form of
adjunct is required by its head-word, but it does
not coincide with the form of the head word,
Ex: to see him;
to talk to him.
34

35. Adjoining

ADJOINING
Adjoining involves no special formal mark of
dependence between constituents; words are
combined by sheer contact,
Ex:
to go home,
to thoroughly think over,
the then government,
an interesting question.
35

36. Predication

PREDICATION
The main subordination of Subject over
Predicate.
Ex:
she goes,
he is.
36

37. Summary Types of phrases

SUMMARY
TYPES OF PHRASES
dominational
(Hypotactic)
Subordination
equipotent
(Paratactic)
Coordination
37

38. Parts of speech classification (on the part of speech of the kernel in dominational phrases):

PARTS OF SPEECH
CLASSIFICATION (ON THE PART OF
SPEECH OF THE KERNEL IN
DOMINATIONAL PHRASES):
noun phrases (NP), e.g.: a beautiful girl; men,
women and children;
verbal phrases (VP), e.g.: went home; came and
went;
adjective phrases (AP), e.g.: quite unexpected; nice
and quiet;
adverbial phrases (DP), e.g.: quite unexpectedly.
38

39. On the base of adjunct, subordinative phrases can be divided into those with

ON THE BASE OF ADJUNCT,
SUBORDINATIVE PHRASES CAN
BE DIVIDED INTO THOSE WITH
objective connections (direct objective and indirect
objective)
qualifying connections (attributive and adverbial ),
Ex:
to see a child (direct objective);
put on the table (indirect objective);
a beautiful girl (attributive);
came soon (adverbial).
39

40. On the base of the position of the adjunct in relation to the kernel

ON THE BASE OF THE POSITION
OF THE ADJUNCT IN RELATION
TO THE KERNEL
subordinative phrases are characterized as
regressive or progressive: in regressive phrases,
the adjunct precedes the kernel, e.g.: a beautiful
girl; in progressive phrases, the adjunct follows
the kernel, e.g.: came home.
40

41. Overall classification of phrases

OVERALL CLASSIFICATION OF PHRASES
Phrases
Dominational
Notional
Equipotent
Functional
Syndatic
Asyndatic
Formative
Agreement
Cumulative
Government
Adjoining
Progressive
Regressive
Parts of speech
classification
Qualifying
connection
Objective
connection
41

42. Practical assignment:

PRACTICAL ASSIGNMENT:
1. Identify the type of connection (coordinative,
subordinative):
to build new houses,
pretty late,
a book of stories,
letters to the editor,
holidays abroad,
to go to the south in summer,
to see her for the first time that day
42

43. 2. Characterize the following phrases, find the kernel and adjunct:

2. CHARACTERIZE THE
FOLLOWING PHRASES, FIND THE
KERNEL AND ADJUNCT:
these questions,
to resemble them,
he yawns,
to see a figure,
the many gestures,
better days
On the table
Great, nice
43