Questions tagged [phrase-structure]
Phrase structure is a widespread approach to the analysis and exploration of sentence structure.
69
questions
3
votes
1answer
53 views
Difference between primary and secundary predicates(/argument small clauses) and their (overt) 'heads', and transition/ambiguity between the two
What is the exact difference between primary and secundary predicates?
From what I understood, primary predicates are verbal and have a predicate head (usually a copula - he was a mine worker). ...
1
vote
1answer
42 views
Meaning of superscript numbering in phrase structure trees
In some recent studies, I stumbled upon some seemingly conventional notation that I do not understand.
In syntax structure trees, I often encounter superscript notations in various forms: $T^0$, $...
9
votes
2answers
969 views
Can one sentence have two or multiple possible phrase structure grammars? And what is this called?
After reading about syntactic structure and phrase structure grammar in Wikipedia and on the internet, I was wondering if there are any sentences with more than one possible phrase structure grammar? ...
7
votes
3answers
214 views
Why is the subject outside the VP in most theories of syntax?
I'm trying to understand why in most theories of syntax, the subject of a sentence is the sister of the verb, and not the child eg:
S -> NP VP instead of
VP -> NP V (NP...)
The latter feels more ...
2
votes
0answers
215 views
What exactly is the Structure-Dependency Principle
Could someone explain what structure-dependency is in layman terms, and why it's so important?
Resources I've found on the internet weren't of much help so I'm asking on here.
Thanks!
2
votes
0answers
76 views
“The more the merrier”
What is the linguistic status of utterances like "The more, the merrier"?
In English it would not be considered a sentence because there is no verb. Yet, it fully stands on its own ...
3
votes
0answers
142 views
Accurate English terminology for “complément du nom” and for “complément/complemento” as a general term
I am looking at this kind of French sentences:
Le directeur de la banque
Un directeur de banque
Le livre de l'élève
Le livre de français
Having done some research about English grammar terminology ...
4
votes
1answer
396 views
Are individual words really constituents?
The constituent unit is defined in Wikipedia as a word or a group of words that functions as a single unit within a hierarchical structure. When phrase structure trees are produced, each node in the ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
How could you summarise the noun phrase of a certain language?
What features of a noun phrase are appropriate to refer to when summarising a language and giving reference to that languages utilisation of noun phrases? If I were to ask you to tell me about the ...
5
votes
2answers
999 views
What is the difference in a constituent and a phrase?
From Wikipedia:
In syntactic analysis, a constituent is a word or a group of words
that functions as a single unit within a hierarchical structure.
A phrase is a sequence of one or more ...
2
votes
2answers
147 views
All non-head material must be phrasal. — Why's this principle nice idea from a mathematical point of view?
Andrew Carnie. Syntax A Generative Introduction (3 ed, 2012). p 208.
Pls see red underline. I never took math after high school! I don't know calculus. What author mean by "nice idea from a ...
1
vote
1answer
189 views
SVO triple in case of missing S or V or O?
hi I'm new to phrase/dependency structure.
For a project of mine I want to extract from any sentence a meaningful structure with 3 items i.e. triple.
In general case the Subject-Verb-Object is ideal....
1
vote
3answers
85 views
“but” usage (redundancy of “but”)
We all know that "but" is used to replace "except" or indicate that the first clause is contrastive to the second in a way, or the logic these two sentences bear is somewhat contradictory. But, I see ...
1
vote
1answer
187 views
Where does supplementation fit in?
As far as I can see, the structure of supplementary constructions like
Karen, being ill, was unable to go
or
John – her father – was unable to walk her down the aisle
or maybe
a washer-dryer
...
1
vote
0answers
41 views
Noun Phrase/absolute clause distinction
What is the difference between a supplemental noun phrase and a absolute clause? In these examples and in general. Is it just the non-finite nature of the second example ?
He won at his favourite ...
0
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0answers
473 views
Phrase structure trees for different languages
I am trying to get to the bottom of the difference between (1) and (2) below, and how the intended meanings would be reflected in a phrase structure tree:
(1) If you think that $100 is too little you ...
-1
votes
2answers
74 views
Term For A Prepositional Phrase With A Verb?
I know this is an adjectival prepositional phrase:
I like the girl next to him.
And I know this is an adverbial prepositional phrase:
I went to the store.
But what is the term for this? It's a ...
2
votes
0answers
229 views
Drawing trees for DP's and Sentences
I'm reading Adger's book Core Syntax and am having trouble with one of the sentences in the last exercise in the Functional Categories chapter. The task is to draw and annotate the tree (bar level and ...
1
vote
1answer
116 views
Terminology for chained, nested adjective anatomy
For the moment I am just considering adjectives and adverbs as the same sort of thing, basically modifiers for the noun or verb. I will probably only focus on nouns here for simplicity.
Some examples ...
1
vote
3answers
392 views
How Nesting Verbs Works (and if it is Even Possible)
Wondering the different ways you can nest verbs, and what is technically allowed from a mental perspective, not necessarily from a grammatical perspective b/c I imagine it would vary significantly ...
2
votes
1answer
388 views
How VSO or SOV languages deal with nouns with lots of adjectives
With x V y structure, you divide the (potentially) long nouns/adjective phrases into parts separated by the verb, so mentally you can group everything pretty quickly. But if it is V x y, or even x y V,...
2
votes
1answer
110 views
Does a generative grammar of the English language exist?
Is there some database on the internet that contains generative grammar of the English language / or any natural language?
I know there are many artificial languages like EBNF those can be formalized ...
1
vote
0answers
19 views
Phraseology definition
What's difference between free-phrase and fixed phrase?
Because for some linguist differentiate phraseme (fixed phrase) into 3 part, vollidiomatizität, teilidiomatizität und nichtidiomatizität.
2
votes
0answers
87 views
Can determiner/noun pairs not be noun phrases?
The following phrase tree from phrase on Wikipedia has "house at the end on the street" as a noun phrase on the constituency side:
Why wouldn't "The house" be a noun phrase in the same way as "the ...
1
vote
1answer
48 views
Infinitive clauses referring to an adjective before a noun [closed]
We know that infinitive clauses can sometimes refer to adjectives before nouns. I feel with what adjectives they can do that, but I don't have any reason for it.
Examples;
You can buy the best book ...
2
votes
0answers
81 views
Which friend did he find to study with?
The question is about what happens to phrases during the time of making them questions.
We know that the following sentence is a normal English sentence which is correct grammatically.
He found a ...
2
votes
0answers
72 views
Are there any languages that distinguish the thematic roles of theme and patient?
Theme and Patient are often described as distinct thematic roles. My understanding is that Themes undergo an action but does not change their state, while Patients undergo an action and do change ...
4
votes
1answer
378 views
Linking surface and deep structure
The sentences in (1) contain the same words, but differ in word order. Nevertheless, the sentences have very similar, if not identical, meanings.
(1a) I am home today.
(1b) Today, I am home.
...
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0answers
53 views
A sort/type/kind of N. Which is the head?
Let's take the example 'A kiwi is [a type of bird]'.
Page 109 of this book https://faculty.mu.edu.sa/public/uploads/1367260110.5528Understanding%20Syntax.pdf sais that the head of a phrase:
A. Has ...
2
votes
1answer
42 views
Reference work needed for Phrase Markers in English
I need a thorough online site or downloadable text that goes into detail about English phrase markers as in this example from Beth Levin's Verb Alternations book "This alternation involves verbs found ...
0
votes
1answer
78 views
Constituent borders
Let us imagine there to exist, for instance, a DP. We always observe the only head D on the left or the right of the phrase (depending upon the direction of branching). But every constituent naturally ...
2
votes
3answers
155 views
Evolution in number of words from Greek to Latin to modern languages
I once read somewhere that Greek used, say, three or four words to express an idea; Latin used five or six words to express the same idea; and nowadays we use eight to ten words to express the same ...
0
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0answers
77 views
How do I decline a noun phrase?
First, let me say that I'm bad at grammar. Everything I know about grammar I've learned because I want to make my own languages.
Second, I've created an ergative-absolutive language (I'm learning as ...
4
votes
1answer
2k views
How do noun-noun compounds fit into a noun phrase in syntax?
I have a question regarding attributive nouns, or noun-noun compounds, and how they are integrated into syntactic rules for NP formation. Typically, the rule given in textbooks for forming a NP is the ...
4
votes
1answer
4k views
What kind of phrase is “until recently”?
I learned about prepositions:
they establish a relation with two words
the preposition is followed by an object
-the object of a prepositional phrase is made by a noun phrase
However, I don't know ...
0
votes
0answers
106 views
Is “down at the bar” an adjective phrase or adverb phrase?
There are three parts of speeches attributed to "down" in the dictionary: adjective, adverb and verb.
I understand , that at the bar is a sub phrase and a prepositional phrase.
I don't know the rules ...
1
vote
1answer
1k views
How are to-infinitive clauses treated in x-bar syntax trees?
For example:
The man refused to send any letters to that place.
This is what I have so far from the Syntax Tree Generator.
What should replace the X there?
1
vote
1answer
3k views
Difference between Type 0 and Type 1 in the Chomsky hierarchy
i am the beginner in linguistics and i have little problem with understanding Chomsky hierarchy. So i have grammar like this:
P = {K -> KL,aK->abK,...}
In my opinion, it is not third or second ...
3
votes
0answers
50 views
How should “at some time” be tagged in Universal Dependencies framework?
I want to tag a sentence
Jones was unemployed at some time before he graduated.
with UD tags. I'm not sure how to tag at some time.
Stanford parser suggests the reading:
case (time-6, at-4)
det (...
5
votes
2answers
809 views
X Bar Phrase Structure Question
I'm running into a bit of trouble constructing a tree for the following Lakota sentence:
Wičháša ki hokšíla ki hená mathó wã wãyákapi ki slolyé
man the boy the those bear a see ...
-1
votes
1answer
1k views
How can PSG describe the vertical dimension of sentence structure? [closed]
PSG (phrase structure grammar) describes the horizontal dimension of sentence structure with strings, sequences of sentence parts, in a way we are all familiar with. We know that nominal expressions, ...
1
vote
3answers
3k views
The function of prepositional phrases
I'm looking at the function of prepositional phrases within a sentence, and particularly in this example as a part of a verb phrase. The example I have is:
I remember the precise moment, crouching ...
1
vote
2answers
104 views
What's a good source of information about how the structure of english sentences has evolved over time?
There is a lot of information about the evolution of English vocabulary since Anglo-Saxon times, but I am looking for examples of how English sentence construction has changed over time.
1
vote
1answer
937 views
Constituency grammar or Phrase Structure Grammar?
In most of the literature I have encountered thus far, the terms "constituency grammar" and "phrase structure grammar" seem to be used interchangeably.
Is either one of the two more acceptable or ...
5
votes
0answers
296 views
Did Chomsky originate the term “rewrite rule”?
The earliest mention of the term "rewrite rule" that I am able to find - in the context of phrase structure grammars - is in Chomsky's "Syntactic Structures" (1957).
Did he originate the term?
1
vote
1answer
656 views
I'm having trouble with my syntax tree and wanted some help for a project! [closed]
I have to include null complementizers if they exist as well as any mission NP covert subjects.
This is my sentence:
The woods, always a menace even in the past, had triumphed in the end.
i've been ...
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vote
0answers
259 views
Identifying core arguments, constituents? [closed]
In the sentence, 'It was raining' what are the core arguments?
I think [It] is a core argument and [was raining] is another. This would mean that it is a NP and was raining is a VP. But if this is ...
0
votes
0answers
668 views
What is the difference between predicate-argument structure and case structure
Predicate's arguments are just case slots, aren't they? So predicate-argument structure and case structure are just the same thing?
2
votes
1answer
334 views
Evidence for/against Lexical integrity principle
Some (mostly lexicalist) theories of syntax assume that there's a 1-to-1 relationship between the words in a sentence and the nodes in its syntax tree. It seems pretty obvious to me. Is there ...
0
votes
2answers
580 views
What heads can an adverbial phrase have?
What heads can an adverbial phrase have?
Consider the following examples:
I'll go to bed [soon]_AdvP.
I'll go to bed [in an hour]_AdvP.
I'll go to bed [when I've finished my book]_AdvP.
...
