Phrase Structure Rules & Transformations Rule
Phrase Structure Rules & Transformations Rule
Phrase Structure Rules & Transformations Rule
NOR FAZILA BT SEMAN NORATIQAH BT AYOB NOR AZIZAH BT AHMAD NUR SAKINAH BT JONIT
TRANSFORMATIONS RULE
TRANSFORMATIONS
H. Robins in his General Linguistics describes a transformation as a method of stating how the structures of many sentences in languages can be generated or explained formally as the result of specific transformations applied to certain basic sentence structures. (qt in Smith: 2004). The kernel is the basic phrase from which transformations start.
Examples of the kernel: Active-passive Shaw opened the door The door was opened by Shaw If S1 is a grammatical sentence with the form NP1----Aux----V----NP2, then the corresponding string of form NP2----Aux + be + en----V----by + Np1 is also grammatical.
He writes. We arrived.
first.
Relative Transformation: More than one kernel sentence is involved: E.g.: The man who stood there was angry. This is a transformation of two sentences:
The man was angry The man stood there
The relative transformation places the second sentence after `man' in the first and then replaces `the man' in the second by `who'.
Syntactic Ambiguity
Syntactic Ambiguity: The relevance of transformational grammar becomes obvious when it disambiguates sentences.
Here we apply a transformation similar to the relative transformation. Elephants which approach can be deadly and then a further transformation to give the required sentence by transforming `which approach' in `approaching' and placing it before `elephants'. Thus we see that the deep structure of the two apparently identical sentences are quite different.
Sentence: Approaching elephants can be deadly.
1. Elephants which approach can be deadly. 2. Which approach elephants can be deadly.
Transformational rules
A way to capture the relationship between a declarative and a question is to allow phrase structure to generate the structure using special rules: transformation rules Move Aux: take the first aux and move it to the left of the subject The boy is sleeping Is the boy sleeping?
The boys is sleeping: Deep Move Aux Is the boy sleeping? Surface
There-sentences
There was a man on the roof A man was on the roof
PP-preposing
The astronomer saw the star with the telescope With the telescope, the man saw the star
Transformational Grammar and Movement Rules eg: The kids ate the chocolate
1. Sentences that mean the same thing have the same deep structure. 2. Tree-to-tree mappings convert deep structure trees into surface structure trees. 3. Tree-to-tree mappings must be meaning preserving, so that (1) remains true. 4. Government and Binding Theory and the Minimalist Program (Chomsky) are theories that characterize which tree-to-tree mappings are meaning preserving.
1. The kids ate the chocolate. 2. The chocolate was eaten by the kids. (meaning preserving) 3. The chocolate ate the kids. (not meaning preserving)
hrase
ruct re Rul s
Some important linguists argue that the structure of a word and the structure of a sentence are akin. Therefore they apply rules which are used in called the phrasestructure rules.
Phrase structure rules, trees Constituents Recursion Conjunction
hrase
ruct re
hrase
ruct re Rul s
Constituent: a word or group of words that function as a unit and can make up larger grammatical units General schema: X Y Z X consists of Y followed by Z
Noun Phrase phrase that fills a spot and that is a SUBJECT POSITION Noun phrase (NP)
John the boy a little boy a boy in a bubble N Det N Det Adj N Det N PP
Phrase structure rule for NPs: NP (Det) (Adj) N (PP) (where () indicates optionality)
Det = determiners
hrase
NP NP
ruct re Trees
NP NP
Det
Det
Adj
Det
PP
John
the
boy
little boy
boy
NP
in
Det
a bubble
hrase
PP PP
ruct re Trees
NP
in
from
Det
PP
boy
NP
in
Det
bubble
Recursion
Some phrasal categories may appear to the left or right of the arrow NP (Det) N (PP) PP P (NP) Recursion: the property of language that allows for the embedding of categories (which can yield infinitely long phrases)
the cat on the mat in the house on the street NP Det the N cat P on PP NP Det N PP
the mat
P
in Det
NP
N PP
the house
P
on
NP
Det N
the
street
NP NP NP PP
Adv PP Adv
VP
VP
VP
NP
NP
PP
Adv
sang
ate
Det
sang
Det
NP
badly
the
cake
song
in
Det
the shower
Structural ambiguity
discuss [sport with Dr. Ruth] [discuss sport] with Dr. Ruth VP VP
NP
NP
PP
discuss
PP
discuss
sport
NP
sport
NP
with
Dr. Ruth
with
Dr. Ruth
Sentences
Must contain an NP and a VP The dog barked. *The dog. *Barked. May contain an auxiliary verb The dog will bark. S NP (Aux) VP
NP
Det the N dog V ate
VP
NP Det the N bone
S NP VP
S
NP Det the N dog Aux will V ate Det the S NP Aux VP VP NP N bone
Conjunction
Words and phrases of the same category can be combined using conjunctions (and, but, or)
Cats and dogs make good pets. Eat, drink, or be merry. You can lead a horse to water but you cant make him drink.
X X conj X
Conjoined phrases
NP NP Det N and Conj NP Det N NP NP Conj NP NP Det N
the cat
the dog
Conjoined sentences
I bought a book, but I returned it. S S S conj S S NP VP conj but S NP S NP VP VP
NP
V
returned
NP
it
bought a book