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1 Chapter 4 Syntax The sentence patterns of language Part I.

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Presentation on theme: "1 Chapter 4 Syntax The sentence patterns of language Part I."— Presentation transcript:

1 1 Chapter 4 Syntax The sentence patterns of language Part I

2 2 Defining “ syntax ” p.116 the part of the grammar that represents a speaker ’ s knowledge of phrases and sentences and their structures

3 3 What the syntax rules do pp. 116-117 1.Specify the correct word order for a language 2.Describe the relationship between the meaning of a particular group of words and the way those words are arranged 3.Specify the grammatical relations of a sentence 4.Specify other constraints that sentences must adhere to See examples on pp. 116-117.

4 4 grammatical relations p. 117 Relations such as subject object complement

5 5 The bases of speakers ’ grammaticality judgments p. 118 Grammaticality judgments are determined by the rules shared by the speakers of the language.

6 6 Hierarchical structures of sentences and structural ambiguity pp. 118-119 1. Sentences and phrases are not simply strings of words. They are hierarchically organized. The phrases “ run up the hill ” and “ run up the bill ” have different syntactic structures. 2. Words in phrases and sentences can be grouped (organized) in more than one way. Structural ambiguities are a result of different structures.

7 7 Example p. 119 synthetic buffalo hides

8 8 Structure (a) synthetic buffalo hides synthetic buffalo hides buffalo hides Meaning (a): buffalo hides which are synthetic

9 9 Structure (b) synthetic buffalo hides synthetic buffalo hides synthetic buffalo Meaning (b): the hides of the synthetic buffalo

10 10 A contrast p. 119 Lexical ambiguity: ambiguity caused by the multiple interpretation of words Example: This will make you smart. “ smart ” : (a) clever (b) burning sensation ( 劇痛 )

11 11 The creative aspect of language p. 123 The syntactic rules of a language permit speakers to produce and understand a limitless number of sentences never produced or heard before.

12 12 Conclusions of the section p. 119 1. The rules of syntax reveal (1) the grammatical relations among the words of a sentence, (2) their order and (3) their hierarchical organization. 2. They explain how the grouping of words relate to their meaning. 3. They permit their speakers to produce and understand a limitless number of sentences never produced or heard before – the creative aspect of linguistic knowledge.


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