Analysis of Structure of Modification by Westlife Song

This paper is arranged to fulfill assignment of English Morphosyntax

Lecturer : Ossa Bodhi Tala Sumanto, M.A.

Arranged by :

Ahmad Eko Hadi 932215418

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

TARBIYAH FACULTY

STATE ISLAMIC INSTITUTE (IAIN) OF KEDIRI

2020
 Introduction

a. Background of The Research

English learning will not be detached from grammar-related learning,

word formation and meaning. Everything is related to each other. Likewise,
the English language forms that always change following the meaning and
usage in a grammatical position.

English is an unviersal language used by people all over the world.

English is included in the curriculum in every school because of the
importance of English as an international communication tool. Many songs,
film channels on television that use English as the delivery language.

Learning English can not only be done in schools but can also be done
in various ways. The increasingly easy facilities make it easier for us to learn
English from various media. Can be through film, music, radio or the internet.
We will determine through which platform we will start learning English.

One that can be used to learn English is through English-language

music lyrics. Through English lyrics we are able to analyze the meaning of
vocabulary, relationships between words, grammar and syntax relationships
word for word and sentence per sentence. A song that carries a theme and
contains lyrics and tones makes it easy for us to know the vocabulary and
meaning in sequence and flow.

One of the most memorable bands in the 90s was the Westlife band.
The songs are light and contain easy vocabulary makes it easy for us to learn
it. This song from westlife will be analyzed in such a way that its structure is
known from modification. Forming modification comes from the head and
modifier.

b. Research Problem
a. What is the definiton of structure of modification?
b. What are kinds of structure of modification?
 c. How to analyze structure of modification in “Westlife” song?

c. Objective of The Research

a. To know and understand definition structure of modification.
b. To know and understand kinds of structure of modification.
c. To understand how to analyze structure of modification in “Westlife”
song.
d. Literature Review

In this paper some resources are used. In Handbook of Word-Form by

Pavol Stekauer and Rochelle Lieber the writer get some priciple explanations
about the lexical derivation and inflectional derivation. The writer use the
morphology and morphological analysis from What is Morphology by Mark
Aronoff and Kirsten Fudeman

e. Research Method

This research used a descriptive qualitative because is descriptive

qualitative research. States that qualitative research is a type of research
visited results in descriptive data in the forms of written or oral from
observing people the behavior. In descriptive research, there are many steps of
qualitative research. There are selecting topics for the study by reading the
Morpheme and applied is song lyrics.
 Result and Discussion

A. The definiton and kinds of Lexical derivation

Francis states that structure of modification is the structure which has

two components named a head and modifier. 1 The modifier has meaning that
serves to broaden quality, select, change, describe, or in some other ways
affect the meaning of the head. In the examples are good people, home food,
both head and modifier are single words. In syntactic structure analysis,
structure of modification is represented by an arrow (→) that points from the
modifier toward the head. The position of modifier may interchangeably come
before or after head. In the following ilustration the bold words mean “The
head of structure of modification”:

Head ← Modifier and Modifier → Head

Example above uses chinese boxes method to analyze one by one word
and the class word in the sentences or phrase. If the head is located before
modifier as called Post modifier and If the Head is located after modifier as
called post modifier.

Our discussion of syntax begins with two central ideas. The first is that
certain relationships hold between words whereby one word, the head,
controls the other words, the modifiers. A given head may have more than one
modifier, and may have no modifier. The second idea is that words are
grouped into phrases and that groupings typically bring together heads and
their modifiers. In the large dog, the word dog is the head, and the and large
are its modifiers. In barked loudly, the word barked is the head and loudly the
modifier. (Criteria for recognising heads and modifiers will be given below.)
A phrase, then, is a group of interrelated words. As we will see in Chapter 2,

1
Francis, W. Nelson. 1958. The Structure of American English. New York: Yhe Ronald Press
Company. 297
 groups of interrelated words can be moved around inside clauses as a single
unit; here, we concentrate on the fact that in such groups we recognise various
links among the words, between heads and their modifiers. This relationship
of modification is fundamental in syntax. It will play an important role in the
account of different types of clause (Chapter 6) and is crucial to discussions of
word order in different languages. How are we to understand the statement
‘one word, the head, controls the other words, the modifiers’? Consider the
sentences in (1)–(2), which also introduce the use of the asterisk – ‘*’ – to
mark unacceptable examples.2

(1) a. Ethel was sitting at her desk.

b. *The Ethel was sitting at her desk.

(2) a. *Accountant was sitting at her desk.

b. The accountant was sitting at her desk.
c. Accountants audit our finances every year.

B. Kinds of Structure of Modification

Structure of modification may be called as phrase, based on head as

the main position of the structure. There are some kinds of phrase in
structure of modification:

1) Noun Phrase
Noun Phrase is the phrase which the head is noun and it can be modified
by:
A. Adjective
Ex: Adjective → Noun = Good Student
B. Noun
There are some kinds of noun as constructed the phrase.
1. Noun which modifies another noun
Ex: Noun → Noun = Master Alexander
2
Miller, Jim. 2002. An Introduction to English Syntax.British: Edinburg University Press. 1
 2. “Of” construction, the first noun is the head
Ex: Noun ← of Noun = East of Java
3. Possesive contruction, the second noun is the head
Ex: Noun’s → Noun = John’s aunt
C. Verbs

Verbs have been traditionally calssified such as main or auxiallary.

Bside, the verbs are often marked by: Present participle (ing), past
participle (-ed) and to infinitive.

1. Present participle (-ing)

Ex: V-ing → Noun = Flying pants
2. Past participle (-ed)
Ex V-ed → Noun = Accused boy
3. To infinitive
Ex: Noun → To infinitive = Bridge to start
D. Adverb
Ex: Noun ← Adverb = Snow there
E. Prepositional phrase
Prepositional phrase is built from preposition and noun.
Ex: Preposition → Noun = Up Chimney

2) Verb Phrase

Verb phrase have a verb as a head, which is a main verb and the
modifiers are also in some kinds of part of speech:

A. Adjective
Ex: Verb ← Adjective = Be happy
B. Noun
Ex: Verb ← Noun = Andrew pushes Johan
C. Verb
Ex: Verb ← Verb = She wants Laughing
D. Adverb
 Ex: Verb ← Adverb = walk slowly
E. Prepositional Phrase
Ex: Verb ← Prep. Phrase = He sits on his left

3) Adjective Phrase

Adjective phrase have an adjective headword and analyze interm of

the basic elements such as modifier headword element, and qualifier.
Then, the modifiers are also can be kind of noun, adjective, adverb, verb,
and qualifier. For examples;

A. Noun

Ex: Noun → Adj = Person impossible

B. Adjective
Ex: Adj → Adj = Enormous ugly
C. Verb
Ex: Adj ← Verb = Easy to tell
D. Adverb

Ex: Adverb → Adj = Fastly light

E. Qualifier

Ex: Qualifier → Adj = Very slow

4) Adverb Phrase

Adverbial phrases have as their headword an adverb. Themodifiers

are also can be kind of parts speech. As in these. examples below:

A. Adverb

Ex: Adverb → Adverb = Quite quickly

B. Noun
 Ex: Noun → Adverb = The time had already

C. Prepositional Phrase
Ex: Prep. Phrase → Adverb = From nearby
D. Qualifier
Ex: Qualifier → Adverb = Very beautifully

5) Prepositional Phrase

The prepositional phrase comprises a preposition as the headword,

complement or completive element which is integral to the structure of the
phrase. Halliday states that a prepositional phrase consists of a preposition
the nominal group.3 Then, the completive element can also be an adjectival
or adverbial phrase, and prepositional phrase, or even a subordinate clause.
In these examples below the class of complement which follows the
preposition:

A. Nominal phrase
Ex: Prep. Phrase ← Nominal Phrase = In the morning
B. Adjective phrase
Ex: Prep. Phrase ← Adj = In brief
C. Adverbial phrase
Ex: Prep. Phrase ← Adverb = Before tomorrow
D. Prepositional phrase
Ex: Prep. Phrase ← Prep. Phrase = From off the rack
E. Nominal subordinate clause
Ex: Prep. Phrase ← Nominal subordinate clause = After reading
the newspaper

3
Halliday, M.A.K. 1994. An Introduction to functional Grammar, 2nd edn. London: Edward Arnold.
212
 6) Subordinate Phrase

Subordinators are introducnig adverbial subordinate clauses, which

referred to as ‘adverbializer’, and those which introduce nominal
subordinate clause as’nominalizers’. Adverbializers, for examples:
because, when, after, and others. Then, nominalizers, for example: that, if,
whether, and others. As in these exapmle below:

Just because you’ve lost your wallet

John told only if he could visit

7) Genitive Phrase

Genitive phrases are associated with marking possession. Then,

genitive phrases are formed by adding an apostrophe -s at the end of the
nominal phrases which specifies the possessor.4 For example: Jim's. It is
also ranously known in the literature as possessive phrases or genitive
noun phrases.

Genitive phrase: This book is Betty’s

Possessive pronoun: This book is hers

C. Analyzing Structure of Modification in “Westlife” song

Using activity word and sentence is applied is easy to analysize. We

would like to explore the idea of morphology more deeply by examining some
data. These are examples of morphology in action morphological facts of
everyday life.5
In this research we will analyze texts from Westlife song bty the tittle
“My love”. We take some lyrics in this song to analyze structure of
modification.
"My Love"
4
Leech et al. 1982. English Grammar for Today: A New Introduction. London: Macmillan. 60-65
5
Aronoff, Mark & Kirsten Fudeman. (2010). What is Morphology? 2nd Edition United Kingdom:
Wiley-Blackwell. 4
An empty street : Adjective → Noun : Noun Phrase
An empty house : Adjective → Noun : Noun Phrase
A hole inside my heart : Noun → Noun : Noun Phrase
I'm all alone : Adverb → Adj : Adjective Phrase
The rooms are getting smaller : Verb ← Adjective : Verb Phrase

I wonder how : Verb ← Noun : Verb Phrase

I wonder why : Verb ← Noun : Verb Phrase
I wonder where they are : Verb ← Noun : Verb Phrase
The songs we sang together : Verb ← Noun : Verb Phrase

So I say a little prayer : Adjective → Noun : Noun Phrase

And hope my dreams will take me there : Verb ← Noun : Verb
Phrase

From the song has been taken some examples from phrase and
modification we have learnt. Thay are noun phrase, verb phrase and
adjective phrase.
 References
Aronoff, Mark & Kirsten Fudeman. (2010). What is Morphology? 2nd Edition
United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.
Francis, W. Nelson. 1958. The Structure of American English. New York: Yhe
Ronald Press Company.
Halliday, M.A.K. 1994. An Introduction to functional Grammar, 2nd edn.
London: Edward Arnold.
Leech et al. 1982. English Grammar for Today: A New Introduction. London:
Macmillan.
Miller, Jim. 2002. An Introduction to English Syntax.British: Edinburg University
Press.