Begleitseminar Student Reports: Syntax I

Based on: Fromkin & Rodman (1993): Chapter 3 (first half)

Slides used for the reports have been sent to the lecturer by email

Syntax: -the part of grammar that represents a speaker´s knowledge of the structure of

phrases and sentenses

The syntactic rules of grammar must at least be valid for the points 1 - 6:

1. the grammaticality of sentenses:

every sentence is a sequence of words but: not every sequence of words is a sentence

The boy found the ball. [r] <=> Lisa slept the baby. [w]

The boy found quickly. [w] <=> Lisa slept soundly. [r]

Ed believes Robert to be a gentleman. [r] <=> Ed believes (V) to be a gentleman. [w]

Ed tries Robert to be a gentleman. [w] <=> Ed tries to be a gentleman. [r]

Ed wants to be a gentleman. [r] <=> Ed wants Robert to be a gentleman. [r]

Jack and Jill ran up the hill. [r] <=> Jack and Jill ran up the bill. [r]

Jack and Jill ran the hill up. [w] <=> Jack and Jill ran the bill up. [r]

Up the hill ran Jack and Jill. [r] <=> Up the bill ran Jack and Jill. [w]

2. word order:

a) The boy quickly in the house the ball found. --- wrong, but comprehensible

b) "Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll: 'Twas brilling, and the slithy toves

Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.'

-right word order

-sounds like "good English"

-but: no sense

c) grammaticality has nothing to do with the content => well-formed sentences needn´t be true

3. structural ambiguity:

The boy saw the man with the telescope. The boy saw the man with the telescope.

lexical or word-based ambiguities:

This will make you smart. -> 1. clever, 2. burning sensation

4. the meaning relations between words in a sentence:

Mary hired Bill.

Bill was hired by Mary.

Bill hired Mary.

5. the similarity of meaning of sentences with different structures:

It is fun for Vicky to please Lisa.

Pleasing Lisa is fun for Vicky.

Lisa is fun for Vicky to please.

6. speakers´ creative ability to produce and understand any of an infinite set of

possible sentences