Syntax: the sentence patterns of language

Syntax: the sentence patterns of language

1. The part of grammar that represents the speaker's knowledge of sentences and structures is called syntax.

2. What the syntax rules do

   • Rules of syntax combine words into phrases and phrases into sentences
     • Rules specify the correct word order for a language. English is a Subject-Verb-Object language.
       • Syntax describe the relationship between the meaning of a particular group of words and the arrangement of those words
         • Our syntactic knowledge includes rules that tell us how words form groups in a sentence, or how they are hierarchically arranged
     • Rules specify the correct word order for a language. English is a subject-verb-object language
     • Syntax describe the relationship between the meaning of a particular group of words and the arrangement
     • Our syntactic knowledge crucially includes rules that tell us how words form groups in a sentence

3. What grammaticality is not based on

   • Syntax can be separated from semantics, our knowledge of language is creative
     • To be a sentence words must conform to specific patterns determined by the syntactic rules of the language.
     • Grammaticality does not depend on the truth of sentences

4. Constituents and Constituency tests

   • The natural groupings or parts of a sentence are called constituents. If a group of words can stand alone, they form a constituent. "replacement by a pronoun"
     • If a group of words can be replaced by a pronoun or a word like "do", forms a constituent. "move as a unit"

5. Syntactic categories

   • A family of expressions that can substitute for another without loss of grammaticality is called syntactic category

6. Lexical and function al categories

7. What grammaticality is not based on

   • Syntax can be separated from semantics, our knowledge of language is creative
   • To be a sentence, words must conform specific patterns determined by the syntactic rules of the language
   • Grammaticality does not depend on the truth of sentences

8. Constituents and constituency tests

   • The natural groupings or parts of a sentence are called constituents
     • If a group of words can stand alone, they form a constituent. If a group of words can be replaced by a pronoun or a word like "do" is a constituent. Also if the group can be moved.

9. Syntactic categories

   • A family of expressions that can substitute for another without loss of grammaticality is called a syntactic category.

10. Lexical and functional categories

    • SyNTACTIC categories include NP, VP, AdjP, PP and AdvP
      • Lexical categories such as N, V, P, Adj. Adv