Syntax and Linguistics: Constituency, Categories, and Phrase Structure Rules - Prof. Rajes, Study notes of Linguistics

Download Syntax and Linguistics: Constituency, Categories, and Phrase Structure Rules - Prof. Rajes and more Study notes Linguistics in PDF only on Docsity! Introduction to Syntax, LINGUIST 401 Feb 1, 2005 Constituency, Categories, and Phrase Structure Rules 1 Constituency Beyond knowing that certain sequences of words ‘are English’: (1) The astronomer frequently gave some very long books about comets to her student. and that certain others aren’t: * Astronomer her the frequently books very comets about student to long gave. we have an intuition that certain sequences of words go together: (2) a. the astronomer b. some very long books about comets c. to her student but others don’t: (3) a. astronomer frequently b. comets to her c. gave some very This grouping of words that syntax imposes is called constituency. (4) Constituent: A group of words that functions together as a unit. 2 Categories Another kind of knowledge that we have about sentences is that words can be grouped together according to ‘what kinds of words they are’. (5) Traditional Parts of Speech a. Nouns b. Verbs c. Adjectives d. Prepositions Other categories that we might need: (6) a. Determiners b. Adverbs c. Degree d. Complementizers (maybe also pronouns) (7) Meaning versus Form a. The eradication of malaria was an important landmark. b. Sincerity seems to have become uncool. (8) Multiple uses a. That man will man the watchtower. b. The rich are different. c. Verbing weirds language. (Calvin & Hobbes) (9) New words: The yinkish dripner blorked quastofically into the nindin with the pidibs. 2