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Understanding Constituents and Syntax in Sentence Structure

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23 diapositives · 539 Views · Jul 28, 2014

This text explores the concept of constituents in syntax, detailing how syntactic rules govern word order and grouping in sentences. It defines constituents as parts of sentences that can be single words or phrases, creating meaningful groupings. The discussion includes various structure rules, examples, and tests to identify constituents, such as the stand-alone test, replacement test, and displacement test. Additionally, it illustrates constituent structure using tree diagrams, enhancing comprehension of linguistic relationships.

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Understanding Constituents and Syntax in Sentence Structure
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  1. Constituency Lec. 5

  2. Syntax & Constituents Syntactic rules determine the order of words in a sentence, and how the words are grouped. E.g. NP + VP + NP the child found the puppy = (the child) + (found the puppy) (the child) = (the) + (child) (Found the puppy) = (found) + (the puppy) (the puppy) = (the) + (puppy)

  3. Constituents A constituent is an identifiable subpart of a sentence. It can either be a single word or a group of words. Most constituents are called phrases. The natural groupings of a sentence are called constituents Constituents = these internal structures Constituents = the units of substructure

  4. Constituents If one word modifies the meaning of another, they will be linked in a constituent. E.g. The very big can of tuna (very & big)  (very & can ) 

  5. Phrase structure rulesS NP VP

  6. Typical constituents S  sentence NP  noun phrase VP  verbal phrase PP  prepositional NP N  V  Art.  Adj.  Adv.  Prep. 

  7. Constituents Please note: Constituents are usually parts of other constituents e.g. The very big can of tuna Words that modify one another need not be adjacent to each another e.g. The beautiful old town houses

  8. Exercise / semantic modification test for constituencyA black cat quickly scratched the rather large couch

  9. Constituents Constituent: A linguistic unit (usually in sentence analysis) which is part of a larger construction. Constituents are usually parts of other constituents

  10. Constituent structure Constituent structure: The arrangement of linguistic units (constituents) in a phrase, clause, sentence, etc., in order to show their relationship to one another. A constituent structure can be represented in various ways. A popular way is to use a tree diagram.

  11. Representing constituents In the tree notation, the name of the whole constituent is written on top; ach subconstituent is connected to this label with a line e.g. The penguin swallowed the fish The monkey ate a banana

  12. Constituent structure & tree diagram

  13. Rules & Constituents There are some rules that govern what goes into each constituent: There are various linguistic tests that reveal the constituents of a sentence.

  14. Stand-alone Test If a string of words can stand alone in answer to a question, then it is a constituent. Remember that: When a string of words is a constituent, it functions as a unit

  15. Example The child found the puppy in the garden What did the child find? Who found the puppy? Where did the child find the puppy?

  16. Example I found The very big can of tuna in the cupboard this morning What did you find in the cupboard? How big was that can of tuna? Where did you find the can of tuna? When did you find the can of tuna?

  17. Exercise A black cat scratched the rather large couch

  18. 2. Replacement test for constituency If you can replace a string of words with a single word. Without changing the meaning of the rest of the sentence, then that string is a constituent. Remember that: When a string of words is a constituent, it functions as a unit

  19. Examples E.g. The big fat cat with black and white fur demanded attention Calvin demanded attention

  20. Exercise Replace the underlined strings (constituents) with a single word: I took the garbage to the dump. The guy with the feather hat fell on the floor. Susan arrived from Chicago.

  21. 3. The displacement or movement test If a string of words can be displaced (i. e. moved) as a unit, then it is a constituent a cleft is a displacement, where a string of words is placed at the beginning of the sentence after the words it is/ it was / it will be but before a word like that, who, where, or whose and the rest of the sentence

  22. Example I saw the cat with the black and white fur The Cleft structure It was the cat with the black and white fur that I saw

  23. Exercise Try clefting the underlined string to see if they are constituents: Calvin brought a really expensive ring. Cleft: I was going to the store Cleft: Pangur ate his tuna very quickly Cleft: Pangur ate his tuna very quickly Cleft: