Phrase-Structure-Rule

Whatissyntax?•Syntaxisabranchoflinguisticsthatstudiestherulesthatgoverntheformationofsentences.DefinitionofCategories•Categoryreferstoagroupoflinguisticitemswhichfulfillthesameorsimilarfunctionsinaparticularlanguagesuchasasentence,anounphraseoraverb.Word-levelCategoryThemostcentralcategoriestothesyntacticstudyaretheword-levelcategories.Majorlexicalcategoriese.g.Noun(N),Verb(V),Adjective(A),Preposition(P)Minorlexicalcategoriese.g.Determiner(Det),Degreeword(Deg),Qualifier(Qual),Auxiliary(Aux),Conjunction(Con)PhrasalCategory•thesyntacticunitsthatarebuiltaroundacertainwordcategory•Nounphrase(NP)•Verbphrase(VP)•Adjectivephrase(AP)•Prepositionphrase(PP)ThephrasestructureruleforNP,VP,APandPPcanbewrittenasfollows:•NP(Det)N(PP)…•VP(Qual)V(NP)…•AP(Deg)A(PP)…•PP(Deg)P(NP)…XPrule•Phrasesthatareformedofmorethanonewordusuallycontainthefollowingelements:head,specifier,andcomplement.•Head（中心语）:thewordaroundwhichaphraseisformed•Specifier（修饰语）：thewordsontheleftsideoftheheads•complement（补足语）：thewordsontherightsideoftheheadsPhrasestructurerule:•Specifier+Head+ComplementTheXPRule•TheXPRule:xp→(specifier)x(complement)XPSpecifierxComplementHeadXstandsfortheheadN,V,AorP.Head中心语•NP:thelovelybabyofyours•VP:carefullyexaminepatients•AP:verytalentforart•PP:mainlyaboutyouSpecifiers标志语•Tworoles:semanticroles语义功能syntacticroles句法功能Semantically,specifiersmakemoreprecisethemeaningofthehead.Syntactically,theytypicallymarkaphraseboundary.Thesyntacticcategoryofthespecifierdiffersdependingonthecategoryofthehead.ExamplesofphrasesconsistingofaheadandaspecifierSpecifiersHeadsExamplesDeterminerNthetree,thisbook,nowaterQualifierValwaysfail,neversurrender,oftendrinkDegreewordAlessinteresting,quitegood,verysensitivePalmostin,quiteaboveComplements补足语•Complementsthemselvescanbeaphrase,theyprovideinformation(aboutentitiesandlocations)whoseexistenceisimpliedbythemeaningofthehead.Forexample:•thebookonthedesk•nevereatahamburger•quitecertainaboutMary•almostinthehouseTheinformationaboutaword'scomplementoptionsistermedsubcategorization.次范畴化•Therecanbenocomplement,onecomplement,ormorethanonecomplementinaphrase,e.g.appear,send,put...•Thebusappeared.•Sendmeanemail.•Therefore,wecanreviseourearlierXPrulesasfollows:XP→(Specifier)X(Complement*)Asentence-likeconstructionmayalsofunctionasacomplementsuchastheonebelow.•Ibelievedthatshewasinnocent.→Thesentencesintroducedbycomplementizersarecomplementclause（补语从句）wordswhichintroducethesentencecomplementarecomplementizers（Cs）补语化成分C+complementclause=complementphrase(shortenedasCP)补语短语Modifiers修饰语Modifiersspecifyoptionallyexpressiblepropertiesofheads.ModifierPositionExampleAPprecedestheheadaverycarefulgirlPPfollowstheheadopenwithcareAdvPprecedesorfollowstheheadreadcarefully;carefullyreadTheplacesofmodifersabeautifulgirlopentheboxwithcareXP→(specifier)(mod)X(complement*)(mod)Pleaseanalyzethefollowingphrase:•opentheboxwithcarecoordinationrule并列规则coordinationstructuresarethestructuresthatareformedbyjoiningtwoormoreelementsofthesametypewiththehelpofaconjunctionsuchasand,or,but,so,etc.forexample:boysandgirlsbeautifulbutexpensivecoordinationhasfourimportantproperties:1.Nolimitonthenumberofcoordinatedcategoriesbeforetheconjunction连词前要连多少个成分是没有限制的e.g.TheysangandtalkedTheysang,dancedandtalkedTheysang,danced,drunkandtalked.2.Acategoryatanylevel(aheadoranentireXP)canbecoordinated任何层次（中心语或短语）都可以并列e.g.coffeeorteatheoldmanandthesea2.Acategoryatanylevel(aheadoranentireXP)canbecoordinated任何层次（中心语或短语）都可以并列e.g.coffeeorteatheoldmanandthesea4.thecategorytypeofthecoordinatephraseisidenticaltothecategorytypeoftheelementsbeingconjoined并列短语的范畴类别与所连接成分的范畴类别相同Thecoordinationrulecanbeformulatedas:XX*ConXXacategoryatanylevel(aheadorphrase)*oneormorecategoriesConconjunction