语言学-Chapter4-课后练习答案.docx

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Chapter 4 Revision Exercises

1. What is syntax?
Syntax is a branch of linguistics that studies how words are combined to form sentences and the rules that govern the formation of sentences.

2. What is phrase structure rule?
The grammatical mechanism that regulates the arrangement of elements (i.e. specifiers, heads, and complements) that make up a phrase is called a phrase structure rule.
The phrase structural rule for NP, VP, AP, and PP can be written as follows:
NP→(Det) N (PP) ...
VP→(Qual) V (NP) ...
AP→(Deg) A (PP) ...
PP→(Deg) P (NP) ...
We can formulate a single general phrasal structural rule in which X stands for the head N, V, A or P.
The XP rule: XP→(specifier) X (complement)

3. What is category? How to determine a word’s category?
Category refers to a group of linguistic items which fulfill the same or similar functions in a particular language such as a sentence, a noun phrase or a verb.
To determine a word's category, three criteria are usually employed, namely meaning, inflection and distribution. The most reliable of determining a word’s category is its distribution.

4. What is coordinate structure and what properties does it have?
The structure formed by joining two or more elements of the same type with the help of a conjunction is called coordinate structure.
It has four important properties:
1) there is no limit on the number of coordinated categories that can appear prior to the conjunction.
2) a category at any level (a head or an entire XP) can be coordinated.
3) coordinated categories must be of the same type.
4) the category type of the coordinate phrase is identical to the category type of the elements being conjoined.

5. What elements does a phrase contain and what role does each element play?
A phrase usually contains the following elements: head, specifier and complement. Sometimes it also contains another kind of element termed modifier.
The role each element can play:
Head:
Head is the word around which a phrase is formed.
Specifier:
Specifier has both special semantic and syntactic roles. Semantically, it helps to make more precise the meaning of the head. Syntactically, it typically marks a phrase boundary.
Complement:
Complements are themselves phrases and provide information about entities and locations whose existence is implied by the meaning of the head.
Modifier:
Modifiers specify optionally expressible properties of the heads.

6. What is deep structure and what is surface structure?
There are two levels of syntactic structure. The first, formed by the XP rule in accordance with the head's subcategorization properties, is called deep structure (or D-structure). The second, corresponding to the final syntactic form of the sentence which results from appropriate transformations, is called surface structure (or S-structure).

7. Indicate the category of each word in the following sentences.
a) The old lady got off the bus carefully.
Det A N V P Det N Adv
b) The car suddenly crashed onto the river bank.
Det N Adv V P Det N
c) The blinding snowstorm might delay the opening of the schools.
Det A N Aux V Det N P Det N
d) This cloth feels quite soft.
Det N V Deg A

8. The following phrases include a head, a complement, and a specifier. Draw the appropriate tree structure for each phrase.
a) rich in minerals
AP
A PP

rich in minerals
b) often read detective stories
VP
Qual V NP

often read detective stories
c) the argument against the proposals
NP
Det N PP

the argument against the proposals
d) already above the window
PP
Deg P NP

already above the window

9. The following sentences contain modifiers of various types. For each sentences, first identify the modifier(s), then draw the tree sentences.
a) A crippled passenger landed the airplane with extreme caution.
Modifiers: crippled(AdjP), with extreme caution(PP)
S

NP Infl VP
AP
Det A N Pst V NP
Det N PP
P NP
AP N
A
A crippled passenger landed the airplane with extreme caution
b) A huge moon hung in the black sky.
Modifiers: huge(AdjP), in the black sky(PP)
S

NP Infl VP

Det AP N Pst V PP
A P NP
Det AP N

A huge moon hung in the black sky
c) The man examined his car carefully yesterday.
Modifiers: carefully(AdvP), yesterday(AdvP)
S

NP Infl VP

Det N Pst V NP AdvP
Det N AdvP Adv
Adv
The man examined his car carefully yesterday

d) A wooden hut near the lake collapsed in the storm.
Modifiers: wooden(AdjP), in the storm(PP)
S

NP Infl VP

Det AP N PP Pst V PP
A P NP P NP
Det N Det N

A wooden hut near the lake collapsed in the storm

10. The following sentences all contain conjoined categories. Draw a tree structure for each of the sentences.
a) Jim has washed the dirty shirts and pants.
S

NP Infl VP
N V NP
Det AP N Con N
A
Jim has washed the dirty shirts and pants

b) Helen put on her clothes and went out.
S

NP Infl VP
N Pst V PP Con V PP
P NP P
Det N
Helen put on her clothes and went out

c) Mary is fond of literature but tired of statistics.
S

NP Infl VP
N Pre V AP Con AP
A PP A PP
P NP P NP
N N
Mary is fond of literature but tired of statistics

11. The following sentences all contain embedded clauses that function as complements of a verb, an adjective, a preposition or a noun. Draw a tree structure for each sentence.
a) You know that I hate war.
S

NP Infl VP
N Pre V NP
CP
C S
NP Infl VP
NP N Pre V NP
N
You know that I hate war
b) Gerry believes the fact that Anna flunked the English exam.
S

NP Infl VP
N Pre V NP
Det N CP-
C S
NP Infl VP
NP N Pst V NP
Det AP N
A
Gerry believes the fact that Anna flunked the English exam
c) Chris was happy that his father bought him a Rolls-Royce.
S

NP Infl VP
N Pst V AP
A CP
C S
NP NP Infl VP
Det N Pst V NP
N Det N
Chris was happy that his father bought him a Roll-Royce
d) The children argued over whether bats had wings.
S

NP Infl VP
Det N Pst V PP
P CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Plu V NP
N
The children argued over whether bats had wings
12. Each of the following sentences contains a relative clause. Draw the deep structure and the surface structure for each of these sentences.
a) The essay that he wrote was excellent.
Deep Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
Det N CP Pst V AP
C S Aux A
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
N
The essay he wrote that was excellent
Surface Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
Det N CP Pst V AP
C S Aux A
NP NP Infl VP
N N Pst V NP
N
The essay that he wrote e was excellent

b) Herbert bought a house that she loved.
Deep Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
Det N CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
N
Herbert bought a house she loved that

Surface Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
Det N CP
C S
NP NP Infl VP
N N Pst V NP
N
Herbert bought a house that she loved e

c) The girl whom he adores majors in linguistics.
Deep Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
Det N CP Pre V PP
C S P NP
NP Infl VP N
N Pre V NP
N
The girl he adores whom majors in linguistics

Surface Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
Det N CP Pre V PP
NP C S P NP
NP Infl VP N
N N Pre V NP
N
The girl whom he adores e majors in linguistics

13. The derivations of the following sentences involve the inversion transformation. Give the deep structure and the surface structure of each sentence.
a) Would you come tomorrow?
Deep Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Aux V AdvP
Adv
You would come tomorrow

Surface Structure: CP
C S
Infl NP Infl VP
Aux N Aux V AdvP
Adv
Would You e come tomorrow

b) What did Helen bring to the party?
Deep Structure:
CP

C S
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
N PP
P Det NP
N
Helen did bring what to the party

Surface Structure: CP

C S
NP Infl NP Infl VP
N Pst N Pst V NP
N PP
P Det NP
N
What did Helen e bring e to the party

c) Who broke the window?
Deep Structure: CP
C S
NP Infl VP
N Pst V NP
Det N
Who broke the window