chap 8 syntax

yule 8th ed

syntax

structure and order of components within a sentence

all or only criterion

A good theory should account for all possible sentences in a language / A good theory should also rule out all impossible sentences in a language

generative grammar

a set of rules defining the possible sentences in a language / Aims to have a small, finite number of

rules able to generate infinite sentences

phrase

group of words that functions as a constituent in a sentence; a single unit within a grammatical hierarchy

noun phrase

phrase built around a noun

verb phrase

phrase built around a verb

prepositional phrase

phrase built around a preposition

surface structure

the actual spoken sentence

deep structure

underlying meaning of the sentence

structural ambiguity

a sentence with a single surface structure but multiple deep structures

phrase structure rules

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