Lecture5-Syntax-phrase category

Complements
• ---- Complements themselves can be a phrase, they provide information abut entities and locations whose existence is implied by the meaning of the head, • a story about a sentimental girl; • no complement a story, • one complement put on the desk, • more than one show from behind the curtain • a sentence-like construction function as a complement • I believed that she was innocent. I doubt if she will come. They are keen for you to show up.”
Phrase structure rules
• The grammatical mechanism that regulates the arrangement of elements that make up a phrase is called a phrase structure rule, such as: • NP (Det) + N +(PP)……e.g. those people, the fish on the plate, pretty girls. • VP (Qual) + V + (NP)……e.g. always play games, finish assignments. • AP (Deg) + A + (PP)……very handsome, very pessimistic, familiar with, very close to • PP (Deg) + P + (NP)……on the shelf, in the boat, quite near the station.
More examples: (a) report (on child abuse) (an) (interesting) book (about English)
I like (it) NP I went I went (alone)-adv. He send me an Email.
CP/C clause
He subject (NP) likes predicate (VP) English object (NP)
How to judge the category of a phrase consisting of more than one word? NP—A+N Det+N VP---V+N V+Adv AP---Adv+A PP---P+N Adv+P NP= (Det) N (PP) VP= (Qual) V (NP) AP=(Deg) A (PP) PP=(Deg) P (NP)
Phrase categories and their structures
• Major lexical categories: N. V. A. P. • Phrase categories:, such as NP(N), VP(V), AP(A), PP(P).
Phrase can consist of just one word.
The phrase structure specifier + head + complement
Head中心语- the word around which a phrase is formed NVAP Specifier标志语- the words on the left side of the heads Complement补语-the words on the right side of the heads
The XP rule
XP
Specifier
X
Head
Complement
XP→(Specifier) X (Complement)
XP→(Specifier) (Modifier) X (Complement) (Modifier)
The Xˉ Theory
NP
Specifier
the
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Head
X’ Theory
• XP (Specifier)X’ • X’ X(complement)
XP(Phrase level) X’ specifier X(head) complement
Specifiers标志语
• Semantically, specifiers make more precise the meaning of the head; • syntactically, they typically mark a phrase boundary. • Specifiers can be determiners as in NP, qulifiers as in VP and degree words as in AP. • Category of a specifier is determined by Head Det+N+Complement: a book about English Qual+V+Complement: always went alone Deg+A+Complement: quite disappointed at his words
The XP rule
XP
Specifier
X
Head
Complement
Note: The phrase structure rules can be summed up as XP rule shown in the diagram, in which X stands for N, V, A or P.
story
Complement
of Tom
The Xˉ Theory
NP
Specifier
the
Head
story
Complement(PP)Xˉ
of Tom’s son
P
NP
of
Tom’s son
Coordination rule
• Coordination structures-----the structures that are formed by joining two or more elements of the same type with the help of a conjunction such as and, or, etc. ----four important properties: • no limit on the number of coordinated categories before the conjunction; • a category at any level can be coordinated; • the categories must be of the same type; • the category type of the coordinate phrase is identical to the category type of the elements being conjoined. • came in and sat down
• • • • (a) book (that I like most) I know (where he is) I see (what he means) I don’t know (what I shall do) (next) *I don’t know (what to do)*
that, what, where, which, when, whether
Chapter 4 Syntax (2)
Word—phrase—sentence
Word category determines phrase category eg. Girls (n.)— many girls (NP.) beautiful girls (NP.)
many beautiful girls (NP.)
Modifiers
• Modifiers (A/Adv, P) specify optionally expressible properties of heads. • Modifier≠specifier • Modifier for nouns:
A (before Head) a nice boy *a baby with lovely face* (CP) Adv (before or after Head) clearly see/see clearly see P (after Head) handle with care look at me with a smile