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Phrase Structure

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So far…

• General Approach– Universal Grammar (UG) / Language Instinct

• Datati k ’ i t iti ( t bilit j d t )

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– native speakers’ intuitions (acceptability judgments)

• Resulting Theory of Grammar– words, phrases, categories for words and phrases

(e.g., Nouns, Verbs; Noun Phrases, Verb Phrases) (basic concepts any theory of grammar must have in order to capture the data)

Next:

• The internal structure of phrases and how we can represent it.

H h t t th t t

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• How phrases are put together to create sentences.

Phrase Structure

My very funny friend in Russia will go toDet Adv A N P N Aux V P

t t

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a concert tomorrow. Det N Adv

My very funny friend in RussiaNP → Det AP N PPNP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)

Phrase Internal Structure

• why (AP*): – My talented handsome funny friend

A A A

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– My friend

• why (PP*):– My friend in Russia with a convertible

PP PP– My friend

Phrase Internal Structure

very funny

AP→ Mod A AP→ (Mod) A (PP)

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AP→ (Mod) A (PP)

• why (PP): – proud (of himself)

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Phrase Internal Structure

[in Russia]PP P NPPP (Mod) P (NP)

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[tomorrow]AdvP AdvAdvP (Mod) Adv

(very) infrequently

Phrase Internal Structure

[go to a concert tomorrow]VP→ V PP AdvP

VP→ (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*)

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why NP* : give Mary the bookNP NP

why PP*: go to a concert in his convertiblePP PP

why AdvP*: go to a concert briefly tomorrowAdvP AdvP

Phrase Internal Structure

[My very funny friend in Russia will go toa concert tomorrow]

S NP (Aux) VP

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S NP (Aux) VP

[S [NP My very funny friend in Russia] will [VP go to a concert tomorrow]]

Phrase Structure Rules for English

S → NP (Aux) VPNP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)VP → (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*)

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PP → (Mod) P (NP)AP → (Mod) A (PP)AdvP → (Mod) Adv (PP)

Embedding 1

• A mouse• A mouse in a house• A mouse in a house on a street• A mouse in a house on a street with a lamp

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p• A mouse in a house on a street with a lamp

without a switch

• What’s embedded in what?• Prepositional Phrases can be embedded inside

Noun Phrases, to make bigger and bigger NPs.

Embedding 2• Bill saw Mary• Harry said that Bill saw Mary• Rita heard that Harry said that Bill saw Mary• Marvin whispered that Rita heard that Harry said

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that Bill saw Mary

• What’s embedded in what?• Sentences can be embedded inside bigger

sentences.

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Embedding 3Relative Clauses

• The cat• The cat that ate the rat• The cat that ate the rat that lived in the barn• The cat that ate the rat that lived in the barn that

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sat near the house that Jack built

• What is embedded in what?• Relative Clauses inside Noun Phrases; to make

bigger and bigger Noun Phrases.

We can mix and match ALL of these various embedding mechanisms

• If Bill distinctly heard that a mouse in the house that sits on the edge of the forest will most likely eat a frog from Moline and if Taras Bulba

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believes that this will threaten the stability of the Western empire, then pink panthers with shining eyes and split lips may decide that it is time that they took matters into their own limp paws!

Phrase Structure Rules for English

S → NP (Aux) VPNP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)VP → (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*)

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PP → (Mod) P (NP)AP → (Mod) A (PP)AdvP → (Mod) Adv (PP)

Recursion

[NP The cat [PP on [NP the mat [PP in [NP the bedroom [PP next to [NP the bathroom…]]]]]]]

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NP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*) PP → (Adv) P NP

Phrase Structure

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Beads on a string Hierarchical structure

Two key ideas

• Recursive Rules:– rules that can apply again and again to their

own outputs • Hierarchical structure:

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• Hierarchical structure:– recursive rules can yield bigger and bigger

phrases

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Phrase Structure Tree

S

NP Aux VP

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D AP N PP V PP AdvP

A P NP Adv

My good friend in Russia will go to a concert tomorrow.

P NP

D N

Phrase Structure Tree

• Branch:a line connecting two parts of a tree

• Node:

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Node:the terminal point (the beginning or the end) of a branch

• Label:the name given to a node (e.g., N, VP, S, etc.)

nodesA

B

Phrase Structure Tree

branch

label

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C

The Internal Structure of a Noun Phrase

the

NP

Specifier

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theaeverythismyBill’s

N

studentfriendheMary

in my classwho is a liarthat took my wallet

ComplementHead

Types of NPs

NP

N

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dogs toothbrushes

quiche sheep

OswaldRuby

Types of NPs

NP

N

NP

Pro

NP

Det N

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dogs toothbrushes

quiche sheep

OswaldRuby

I, me,you, he, him, she, her, we,

us, they, them, it

the dog a mousemost cats

these peopleevery guy

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Types of NPs

NP

AdjP(Det) N

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happy dogsthe big onea raw dealrainy days

Types of NPs

NP

AdjP(Det) N

NP

AdjP(Det) NAdjP

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happy dogs,the big one,a raw deal,rainy days

the big bad wolf,a small yellow balla mad mad world

longer strings of AdjPs are possible

Types of VPs

VP

V

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slept arrivedsmiled

coughedwaved

ate

Types of VPs

VP

V NP

VP

V

h

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slept, left, arrived,smiled,

coughedwaved

ate

chase

Types of VPs

VP

V NP

VP

V

NP

Det N

the dog,a boy,

those cats, these people,

that guyh

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slept, left, arrived,smiled,

coughedwaved

ate

that guychase

Types of VPs

VP

V NP

VP

V

NP

Det N

the dog, a boy,

those cats, these people,

th t

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chased the dog, saw a boy,

love these people, hate that guy

slept, left, arrived,smiled,

coughedwaved

ate

that guy

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Types of VPs

VP

V NP

VP

V NP

h

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slept, left, arrived,smiled,

coughedwaved

ate

Pro

I, me, myyou, your he, him, his, she,

her, we, us, our, their, them, it

chase

Types of VPs

VP

V NP

VP

V NP

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chased me, saw you,

love them, hate her

slept, left, arrived,smiled,

coughedwaved

ate

Pro

I, me, myyou, your he, him, his, she,

her, we, us, our, their, them, it

So you plug these little trees together like puzzle pieces

to get more and more complex structures

S

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NP VP

So you plug these little trees together like puzzle pieces

to get more and more complex structures

S

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NP VP VP

V NP

So you plug these little trees together like puzzle pieces

to get more and more complex structures

S

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NP VP VP

V NP

subject predicate

So you plug these little trees together like puzzle pieces

to get more and more complex structures

S

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NP VP

V NP

subject predicate

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So you plug these little trees together like puzzle pieces

to get more and more complex structures

S

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NP VP

V NP

subject predicate

object

Mary

NP VP

S

V NP

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Marylikes

Bill.

NP VP

S

Phrase Structure Trees

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Marylikes Bill.

V NP

Phrase Structure Rules:

S NP VP

A sentence is divided into phrases produced by Phrase Structure Rules

Mary

NP VP

S

V NPsisters

mother

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Marylikes

Bill.

PS rules relate mothers to sisters

NP VP

S

V NPDet N

S NP VP

VP V NP

NP Det N

NP Det N

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likes

boytheDet N

girlThe

Phrase Structure Trees and Rules

NP VP

S

V NPDet N

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likes

boy.theDet N

girlThe

S NP VP

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NP VP

S

V NPDet N

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likes

boy.theDet N

girlThe

NP Det N

NP

Det N PP

The girl

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The girlin thebluedress

NP Det N PP

NP

Det N

The girlPP

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The girlP NP

Det Nin

thebluedressAdjP

PP P NP

NP Det AdjP N

VP

S

V NP

NP

Det N PP

S NP VP

NP Det N PP

PP P NP

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likesThe girlP NP

Det Nin

thebluedressAdjP

boy.theDet N

PP P NP

NP D AP N

NP

Det N PP

The boy

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The boyin her class

NP

Det N

The boyPP

NP Det N PP

PP P NP

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The boyP NP

Nin

her classD

NP Det N

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VP

S

likesV NP

NP

Det N PP

The girl

S NP VP

VP V NP

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gP NP

Det N

in

the blue dressAdjP

boytheDet N PP

P NPin

classherDet N

NP Det N PP

NP Det AdjP N NP Det N

PP P NP