Theoretical Syntax Flashcards
Learn for in class assessment (34 cards)
Opposites (Contrasting)
The creation of opposites through syntactic structures
e.g He wanted a baby boy, while she wanted a girl – Opposite between baby boy and baby girl.
Words may not be directly opposite but used with each other syntactically to achieve something in a sentence
e.g Smart may have the brains but stupid has the balls – Opposites between smart and stupid but reversed by brains and balls (unconventional opposites). This implies that stupid people are confident and smart people are perhaps not.
Foregrounding
The unusual use of syntax to highlight certain parts of a text.
We see this a lot in advertising, as there is not as much room for written language in advertising. Foregrounding can be described as allowing language to stand out from other parts of language
Deviation (What you can do with foregrounding)
Breaking the rules of syntactic structure
e.g ‘they were hitting’. This is incomplete, with the sentence ending in the dynamic verb ‘hitting’. Omission of a noun phrase such as ‘the ball’ which would make it not syntactically deviant e.g they were hitting the ball.
Parallelism
The repetition of syntactic structure, usually for some sort of effect
e.g royal navy advert
What is a Clause made up of?
NP (Aux+) VP
What is a Noun Phrase made up of?
(D) (AdjP+) N (PP+) (SubC)
What is an Adverb Phrase made up of?
(AdvP+) Adv
What is a Verb Phrase made up of?
(AdvP+) V (NP+) (AdvP+) (PP+) (AdvP+)
What is an Adjective Phrase made up of?
(AdvP) Adj
What is a Prepositional Phrase made up of?
(AdvP) P (NP)
Complex Sentence
Any sentence which contains multiple clauses
Coordination
Two or more clauses are joined together in a sentence
Subordination
A clause is contained within a larger clause and they come in 4 types: Content, Relative, Coordinating, Non-Finite
Content Clause
Tell us more about the content of something in a higher clause. Functions as a complement meaning it completes meaning. Additionally, they tend to complement a head verb, but this is not always the case.
e.g - I’m happy (that Liverpool are top of the table)
e.g 2 - (That united will win the league) is doubtful
Relative Clauses
They don’t tend to look complete in the sentence. Specify head nouns. Have different (but similar forms) - who/which, that or a bare-relative. Have a single function – to modify a head noun.
e.g - I’ve never met a person [who didn’t love Syntax]
e.g 2 - Oystercatchers are the birds [that look jovial]
e.g 3 - Oasis are the band […all Mancunians love]
Comparative Clause
Make a comparison – they state the secondary term of the comparison. They can also be reduced in a way that other SubC cannot. Additionally, they take particular forms
e.g Adverb + as + adjective + as-comparative clause. E.g They are nearly as clever as they are charming
e.g Adjective + as-comparative clauses e.g They shine as bright as the stars do
e.g Like + comparative clause – Semantics doesn’t excite me like syntax always does.
Non-Finite Clauses
Not marked for tense. NFCs have a feeling of ‘thingness’ - we can see this in how they can function as subject in a clause. The verb will either be an infinitive or a gerund.
Infinitive - The lecturer promised [to mark the essays fairly]
Gerund (Typically end in ‘ing’) - She sat at the desk [marking]
Form
What a phrase can consist of
Function
What a phrase can do within a clause
Binding Theory
A way of looking at why certain NP’s are not allowed in certain contexts
C-Commanding
The relationship between constituents (nodes) within a Syntax tree
Types of Noun Phrases
Pronouns - They, She, He, It
Anaphors - Can be called reflexive. Themselves, Herself, Himself, Itself
R-Expressions - Detailed NP’s e.g The beleaguered Prime Minister
Three Principles for NP’s (Binding Theory)
Principle A - An anaphor must be bound to its binding domain
Principle B - A pronoun must be free in its binding domain
Principle C - An r expression must be free
Polarity Items
A group of words and phrases that can only occur in specific contexts e.g any and some
