Syntax

The Sentence Pattern of Language

TSL 3101
Introduction to Linguistic
Phrase Structure Rule, Diagram &
Ambiguity
Ahmad Khairunnaim Ab Kadir
Amirrul Zarith bin Aminul Razin
Ahmad Fauzi bin Mohamadiah

Syntax in Linguistic Tree

Linguistics

Sounds
of
languag
e

Phonetics

Phonolog
y

Grammar

Morpholog
y

Syntax

Semantic
s

Meanin
g

Pragmatic
s

Syntax
Its part of Linguistics
Its part of the grammar of every

language
And the grammar of a language is
part of a native speakers
linguistic knowledge

Reasons for studying syntax

Infinity of expressions
There is an infinite number of possible
utterances in every language
It is obvious that all these utterances cannot
be stored in our brains
Our knowledge of a language consists of
A finite number of words (the lexicon; the
dictionary in your head), and
Rules (the grammar of the language)
It is the job of the syntactician (and the

morphologist) to find out what these

rules are

Language result
Everyone who can speak knows how to use

the rules

and it is amazing that children can do it so

fast

But nobody can really state exactly what

the rules are!

Understanding syntax (and morphology)
can help researchers to understand how
young children learn their native language

Universal grammar
Theory of Chomsky
Universal grammar has Principles, true

of all languages
All languages have the same underlying

structure
e.g. all languages have nouns and verbs

Parameters, whose setting varies from

language to language
English and Chinese SVO; Japanese SOV

All languages have

constituents
Take a simple sentence
Johnny danced
We can call the sentence S, and label the syntactic

categories N and V

Johnny

danced

Phrase structure grammar

N and V arent always

very good labels

Johnny is similar to the
handsome student,
because they are both
the same kind of
constituent
They are both Noun
Phrases
We can remove Johnny
and add the handsome
student,
and
the
sentence structure is
still similar

NP

VP

The
handsome
student

danced

Different sentence, same

constituents
S

Now lets add an object

danced the lambada is

the same kind of

constituent as danced
a VP
You can swap danced for
danced the lambada and
the basic structure is the
same

NP

VP

The
handsome
student

danced the
lambada

What are the NP and VP?

The frog ate the lizard.
The frog sat on the lilypad.
The fat frog ate the long lizard slowly.
The fat frog with a lizard in its mouth sat on

the lilypad.
The fat frog who was sitting on the lilypad
with a lizard in its mouth danced the
lambada.

Phrase structure rules

Now, you know this phrase structure rule:
S NP VP (a Sentence comprises a Noun

Phrase followed by a Verb Phrase)

Draw a tree diagram for the phrase Emma
drinks
Emma drinks.docx
Here are two more phrase structure rules:
VP V NP
NP N
Think about that carefully
Now, draw a tree diagram with more detail
For the sentence Emma drinks whisky
Emma drinks whisky.docx

They put the box on the table by the

window

Now lets change the NP rule

First, DET means determiner
Function words like the, a, this, several
NP (DET) N
That means a noun phrase can have a determiner,
and it must have a noun
Now you can diagram Johnny danced the

lambada in a bit more detail than on the

other slide
Remember:
S NP VP
VP V NP)

Johnny danced the lambada.docx

Now lets change the NP rule

again
Such that we have

NP VP
VP V NP
NP (DET) (ADJ) N
S

Now you can diagram this sentence

The unhappy book ate the green lambada
The sentence is syntactically well-formed,
by the way
The unhappy book ate the green lambada.do
cx

Grammatical or
Ungrammatical
1. The boy found the ball
2. The boy found quickly
3. The boy found in the house
4. The boy found the ball in the house
5. Disa slept the baby
6. Disa slept soundly
Find: Transitive verb (with object)
Sleep: Intransitive verb (no object)

Syntactic Categories

Lexical categories
Noun (N)
Verb (V)
Adjective (A)
Preposition (P)
Adverb (Adv)

Examples
moisture, policy
melt, remain
good, intelligent
to, near
slowly, now

Syntactic Categories
Non-lexical categories
Determiner (Det)
Degree word (Deg)
Qualifier (Qual)
Auxiliary (Aux)
Conjunction (Con)

Examples
the, this
very, more
always, perhaps
will, can
and, or

Indicate the category of each word

in the following sentences.

a. The glass suddenly broke.

Det / N / Adv / V

b. A jogger ran towards the end of the lane.

Det / N / V / P / Det / N / P / Det / N

c. The peaches never appear quite ripe.

Det / N / Qual / V / Deg / A

d. Gillian will play the trumpet and the drums in the orchestra.
N / Aux / V / Det / N / Conj / Det / N / P / Det / N

Phrases

NP : Noun Phrase

The car, a clever student

VP : Verb Phrase
study hard, play the guitar
PP : Prepositional Phrase
in the class, above the earth
AP : Adjective Phrase
very tall, quite certain

Phrase Structure Rules

NP (Det) N (PP)
PP P NP

The bus (NP)

Det

The

bus

The bus in the yard

NP
Det

PP
P

The

bus

in

NP
Det

the

yard

Phrase Structure Rules

VP V (NP) (PP)
S NP (Aux) VP

took the money (VP)

V

NP
Det

took

the

took the money from the bank

VP
V

NP
Det

PP
N

money

took

the

money

from

NP
Det

the

bank

The main structure rules

1. S NP (Aux) VP
2. NP (Det) (AP) N (PP)
3. VP V (NP) (PP) (Adv)
4. PP P NP
5. AP A (PP)

Example
The old tree swayed in the wind
S
Aux

NP
Det

Adj

VP
V

PP
P

The

old

tree

past

swayed

in

NP
Det

the

wind

Example
The children put the toy in the box
S

NP
Det

VP
N

NP
Det

The

children

put

the

PP
N

toy

in

NP
Det

the

box

Ambiguity: a word, phrase or sentence

with multiple meanings
Synthetic buffalo hides (NP)

Synthetic

buffalo hides

Buffalo hides that are synthetic.

Synthetic buffalo hides (NP)

Synthetic buffalo

hides

Hides of synthetic buffalo.

Ambiguities often lead to humorous results

For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with

thick legs and large drawers.

what does thick legs and large drawers
refer to?
The desk or the lady?

Structural Ambiguity
The boy saw the man with the telescope
S
NP
Det

Aux
N

VP
V

NP
Det

PP
N

NP
Det

The

boy

past

saw the

man with the telescope

Structural Ambiguity
The boy saw the man with the telescope
S
NP
Det

Aux
N

VP
NP

V
Det

PP
P

NP
Det

The

boy

past

saw

the

man with the telescope

Declarative Interrogative
Move the auxiliary to the left of the subject.

The boy will leave.

S
NP
Det

Aux

VP

The boy

Will the boy leave?

S
Aux

V
will

leave

The deep structure

Will

NP

VP

Det

the

boy leave

The surface structure

The Wh Movement

Surface structure: Which car should the man repair?

Deep structure: The man should repair which car?

NP
Det

The

Aux
N

man

VP
NP

should repair

Det

which

car

 Surface structure: Which car should the

man repair?
S should repair which
Deep structure: The man
car?
VP
Aux
NP
Det

which

NP

car

should

Det

the

man

repair