Syntax II: Phrase Structure

Flashcards for reviewing key concepts from the Syntax II lecture notes on phrase structure and grammatical relations.

What is the fundamental principle of phrase structure rules regarding lexical categories?

Each lexical category (noun, verb, adjective, preposition) serves as the head of a phrase of the corresponding phrasal category (NP, VP, AP, PP).

What role does the 'head' play in a phrase according to the X-bar schema?

The head (X) is the lexical category that determines the phrasal category of the entire phrase and dictates its essential meaning and properties.

Define 'specifier' and provide an example within a phrase.

A specifier (Spec) is an optional element that makes the head more specific. For example, in 'the boy,' 'the' is a determiner acting as the specifier.

What is the function of a 'complement' in phrase structure?

A complement provides more information about the entities related to the head and is closely related to the head's meaning.

Describe the minimal structure of a noun phrase (NP) and provide an example.

Minimally, a noun phrase consists of just a noun (N). For example, in 'Boys smiled,' 'Boys' is a minimal NP.

What distinguishes an intransitive verb from a transitive verb in terms of complements?

An intransitive verb does not take a direct object (NP complement), while a transitive verb can take a direct object (NP complement).

Provide an example of an intransitive verb within a verb phrase (VP).

An example is 'The dog barked,' where 'barked' is an intransitive verb.

Provide an example of a transitive verb within a verb phrase (VP).

An example is 'David saw the answer,' where 'saw' is a transitive verb taking 'the answer' as a direct object.

What is the typical structure of a prepositional phrase (PP)?

A PP typically structures as PP → P NP, consisting of a preposition (P) followed by a noun phrase (NP).

Explain the generalization XP → (Spec) X (Comp) in relation to the specific phrase structure rules.

The generalization reflects the overall X-bar schema, where 'X' represents any lexical head, 'Spec' is an optional specifier, and 'Comp' is an optional complement.

How does the more contemporary view represent sentence structure (TP) compared to the traditional S → NP VP rule?

The contemporary view introduces the abstract T (Tense) category, structuring as TP → NP T' and T' → T VP.

What is the role of the abstract category 'T' in the TP structure?

The 'T' carries information about the tense of the sentence, indicating whether the action or state is in the past or non-past.