Syntax

SYNTAX

I. Syntactic rules:

 When providing an analysis of the syntax of a language, we tend to follow the "all and only" criterion. This mean the analysis must account all grammatically correct phrases and sentences and only those grammatically correct phrases and sentences of whatever language we are analyzing.

*A Generative Grammar:

 A limited number set of rules that is capable of generating a potentially infinite number of properly formed structures is called generative grammar.

II. Deep and Surface Structure:

 Deep structure is other "underlying" level where the basic components (Noun phrase + Verb + Noun phrase) shared by two sentences have difference in surface structure can be represented.

 Deep structure is an abstract level of structural organization in which all the elements determining structural interpretation "surface structure" are represented.

III. Syntactic Analysis:

 In syntactic analysis, some abbreviations are used for the part of speech such as N (noun), V (verb), Art (article), Adj (adjective),... 

IV. Phrase Structure Rules:

 This rule state that the structure of a phrase of a specific type will consist of one or more constituents in a particular order.

- 1st rule: A sentence rewrites as a noun phrase  and a verb phrase.

S => NP VP

- 2nd rule: A noun phrase rewrites as either an article plus an optional adjective plus a noun, or a pronoun, or a proper noun.

NP => {Art (Adj) N, Pro, PN}

- 3rd rule: A verb phrase rewrites as a verb plus a noun phrase.

VP => V NP

V. Lexical Rules:

 Lexical rules help to specify which words can be used when rewrite constituents.

- 1st rule: "A proper noun rewrites as John or Mary".

PN => {John, Mary}                        Art  => {a, the}

N   => {girl, dog, boy}                     Adj => {big, small}

V   => {followed, helped, saw}       Pro  => {it, you}

Examples:

(1) A dog followed the boy.                      *Dog followed boy

(2) John saw the big dog.                         *John Mary small dog

(3) The small boy helped you                  *The helped young boy

VI. Tree diagrams:

 Tree diagrams help to represent the informations of phrase structure rule more clearer and more simple.

*Tree diagrams of English Sentences:

 We can intergrate tree diagram in sentences. The basic tree diagram structure is the foundation for all different sentences.