Scribd
Upload
19 views

Phrase Structure Report

Analysis of words and sentence through phrase structure.

Uploaded by

Gerald Guinto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
19 views

Phrase Structure Report

Analysis of words and sentence through phrase structure.

Uploaded by

Gerald Guinto
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 60

PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR

GERALD G. GUINTO
PhD-ELS Student
 Phrase structure grammar was introduced by Noam Chomsky in the
1950s, building on the tradition of Immediate Constituent Analysis.
Syntactic Structures (1957)
Basic Concepts
a. Every word belongs to a lexical category.
b. Lexical categories form heads of phrases.
c. A phrase is built up around a single word (head), which extends it’s
properties to the entire phrase.
d. Phrases are generated by rules of the grammar (phrase structure
rules). In a tree, each subtree needs to correspond by a phrase structure
rule in the grammar.
Phrase Structure Rules illustrate mathematically our knowledge of how the
basic units of a sentence are assembled. The theory of rules states that there is
a limited number of rules that are carefully ordered:

a. There is a limited number of rules which serve to reflect the linguistic


competence and knowledge of a native speaker.
b. These rules are arranged in order: rule 1 must precede rule 2, which
must precede rule 3, etc.
c. These rules can be illustrated in phrase structure trees.
d. These rules can be equated mathematically in phrase structure rules.
What came before Phrase Structure Rules?
The predecessor to phrase structure rules was an approach to syntax
used by structural linguists called “immediate constituent analysis,” which
accounted for the linear order of words on the surface and the hierarchical
structure of the sentence. It was based on the principle that words enter into
relationship with one another within coherent units known as constituents,
the proper subparts of sentences.
An even older form of phrase structure grammar is the sentence
diagramming of traditional grammar.
Argument against Immediate Constituent Analysis

Noam Chomsky argued that immediate constituent analysis, though


not wrong, was insufficient since it dealt only with surface order. It
could not account for the relation between an active and corresponding
passive sentence or a declarative and corresponding interrogative
sentence.
A more sophisticated model of grammar called Phrase
structure grammar evolved out of IC analysis.
PS grammars contain a set of rules called Phrase
Structure rules or rewrite rules.
Rewrite rules provide a set of instruction .
A rewrite rule is a replacement rule in which the
symbols to the left of the arrow is replaced by the
expanded form written to the right of the arrow.
•S NP+VP
• Here S (Sentence) is rewritten as NP (Noun Phrase) + VP
(Verb Phrase)
• The labels such as NP and VP are nodes that can further be
expanded or rewritten.
• NP Det + N
• VP Aux. + V + NP + Prep. Ph
• The rewrite rules represent how morphemes are organized into
words, words into phrases, and phrases into sentences.
PS grammars have an advantage over the IC model in
that the labels are in-built in rewrite rules, and the rules
themselves can be arranged in a sequence so that each
rule can be used to rewrite the output of the previous
one.
(1) S NP+VP
(2) NP Det + N
(3) VP V + NP
Applying rule 2 to the output of rule1, we get
S Det + N+ VP ; and applying rule 3 to this we get
S Det + N+ V + NP ; and applying rule 2 once again
S Det + N+ V + Det + N
This final string beyond which the symbols do not take us
is a terminal string.
• The representation of the structure of a sentence
is called its Phrase Marker or P Marker.
• The usual form of a P Marker is a tree with
labelled nodes.
• The P Marker of the sentence, My father gave
my son a gift, is:
The dog sleeps under that big tree
D N V Prep D Adj N
The cat killed the rat
Determiner Noun Verb Determiner Noun
cat the killed rat the
Noun Determiner Verb Noun Determiner
The cat killed the rat
Determiner Noun Verb Determiner Noun

NOUN PHRASE NOUN PHRASE


NP Det + N
EXAMPLE OF VERB PHRASE
Limitations of PS Grammar
• Fails to show inter-sentence relationships.
• Discontinuous constituents cannot be accommodated by PS
rules.
• The close relationship between the verb and the particle in
phrases like call off, take off, cannot be shown by PS rules.
• Cannot account for certain types of ambiguities.
• The property of recursion cannot be accounted.
• Stylistic variations are also not accountable by PS rules.
PHRASE STRUCTURE-TRANSFORMATIONAL ANALYSIS
AND THE CONCEPT OF STYLE AS CHOICE ROBERT
BRIDGE’S POEM NOVEMBER AS A CASE STUDY

Khalid Shakir Hussein


University of Thi-Qar-Iraq
INTRODUCTION

The study attempts to work out a sort of relationship between


linguistic theory and stylistic practice. The most common
studies of style continue to proceed from the observations made
by nontransformational approaches to stylistics (see Hoey,2001:
20-30).
It is the concern of the study to consider how an
understanding of Noam Chomsky's theory of phrase
structure- transformational grammar can be used in stylistic
analysis of a literary text.
It is the concern of the study to consider how an
understanding of Noam Chomsky's theory of phrase
structure- transformational grammar can be used in stylistic
analysis of a literary text.
NOVEMBER
by
ROBERT BRIDGES
as in :

". . . the brown bands of the striped fields/ a miniature of


toil, . . ./ . . . the gales of Autumn, . . ./ . . . a happy note
of cheer, / . . . the shelter of American rhododendron . .
./ . . . chilly setting of sun, / . . . a congregation of
starlings . . ./ . . . a whirr of wings, / a babel of tongues, .
RESEARCH METHOD

• DESCRIPTIVE METHOD

 STYLISTICS

 NO INTERVIEW & SURVEY UTILIZED

 QUALITATIVE

 THEMATIC ANALYSIS
LIMITATIONS
• Limited Theory Application: The study might struggle to apply existing
theories or develop new ones based on its findings, which could limit the
study's scope and impact.
• Inadequate Controls or Comparison Groups: The study might not have
used appropriate controls or comparison groups, which could make it
difficult to draw meaningful conclusions about the effectiveness of the
transformational analysis and the concept of style as choice.
• Failure to Demonstrate Comparability
• Methodological Limitations: The study might have been limited by its
methodology, such as a lack of available and reliable data, which could
have restricted the scope of the analysis
IMPLICATIONS OF PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

• Improved Understanding of Sentence Structure: Phrase structure grammar helps teachers


understand how sentences are structured, which is crucial for teaching grammar effectively.
This knowledge enables teachers to identify and address common errors in sentence
construction

• Enhanced Diagnostic and Treatment of Learner Errors: By analyzing learner errors at the
phrase structure level, teachers can better diagnose and treat syntactic errors, leading to more
effective language instruction

• Holistic Approach to Language Learning: The phrase structure grammar emphasizes the
importance of a holistic approach to language learning, where learners are encouraged to
develop their own creative writing style by applying syntactic concepts and theories

• Effective Use of Transformational Rules: Transformational rules can be used to derive surface
structure from deep structure, enabling teachers to provide learners with a more comprehensive
understanding of sentence structure and how to construct complex sentences
IMPLICATIONS OF PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

• Improved Reading Skills: The study on the effect of explicit instruction using phrase structure
rules found that it helped improve learners' reading skills by enhancing their understanding of
noun clauses and their functions.

• Enhanced Analytical Perspective: Syntactic theories like phrase structure analysis provide
language teachers with an effectively analytic perspective on learners' syntactic errors, enabling
them to address these errors more effectively

• Increased Focus on Language Acquisition: The study on the effect of explicit instruction
using phrase structure rules highlights the importance of explicit instruction in language
acquisition, particularly in the context of complex structures like noun clauses

• Improved Language Teaching Methods: The phrase structure grammar and its implications
can inform the development of more effective language teaching methods, such as the use of
explicit instruction and the emphasis on syntactic theory
IMPLICATIONS OF PHRASE STRUCTURE GRAMMAR TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

• Increased Focus on Learner Autonomy: The holistic approach to teaching syntax encourages
learners to develop their own creative writing style, which can promote learner autonomy and
self-directed learning
Thank you for your
attention and
engagement throughout
this presentation.

You might also like