Transformational Generative grammar

Transformational Generative grammar Lecture # 16

Review of Lecture 15 • Finite state grammars are less powerful than phrase structure grammars & Phrase structure grammars are less powerful than transformational grammars Finite state grammars: A finite set of rules operates upon a finite vocabulary and is capable of generating an infinite set of sentences.

Review of lecture 15 • Function of PS grammar – to generate strings of symbols and to assign to each a labelled bracketing • TG consists of two levels of representation of a sentence: Deep and surface. • Surface structures are derived from deep structures

TGG (some common transformations) Passive Agent deletion [someone] ate the cake. • When the subject agent is not identified, we use an indefinite pronoun to fill the slot where it would appear in the deep structure The cake was eaten. • In many instances we delete the agent in passive sentences

TGG (some common transformations) • TGG proposes a deletion rule that eliminates a prepositional phrase containing the subject agent. • Hence, it can be said that a sentence has undergone two transformations Passive & Passive agent deletion (James Dale Williams, The teacher’s Grammar book, 2nd ed. Lawrence Ehribaum, 2005)

TGG (some common transformations) 2. Extraposition • A construction (or transformation) in which a clause that acts a subject is moved (or extraposed) to the end of the sentence. • It is replaced by dummy ‘it’ in the initial position • An extraposed subject sometimes called a postponed subject

TGG (some common transformations) • The use of ‘it’ as a subject (or dummy subject) in sentences about time and weather (e.g. it is raining again) and in certain idioms (it’s ok). • It is also known as ambient ‘it’ or empty ‘it’ • Unlike the ordinary pronoun ‘it’ dummy ‘it’ refers to nothing at all. • It simply serves a grammatical function.

TGG (some common tranformations) • In simple words, dummy ‘it’ has a grammatical meaning but no lexical meaning. 3. End – Focus • It is the principle that states that the most important information in a clause or a sentence is placed at the end. • End-focus is a normal characteristic of sentence structure in English

TGG (some common tranformations) • Example: [T]he dramatist deliberately uses a marked word order to focus attention[on] the part of the information that is comically most surprising To be technically accurate, end focus is given to the last open-class item or proper noun in a class. (Quirk & Greenbaum)

TGG (some common transformations) Example: In the sentence, “ Sean Connery was born in Scotland” the last open- class item is the noun ‘Scotland’ By default it is the focus, the new piece of information in this sentence. Sean Connery is the topic (subject) It is an old piece of information on which the speaker makes some comment.

TGG (Some common transformatio • The old information is generally placed in the subject, whereas new information is put in predicate. • End focusing processes that produce marked end focus Parked right outside our front door last night it was a large furniture van

TGG (Some common tranformations) • Someone parked a large furniture van last night right outside our front door. • A large furniture van, right outside our front door last night, parked • Some end focuses clearly more marked than others – readers can confirm by reading – by looking at the intonation patterns

TGG (some common tranformations) 4. End focus and Genitives ( Possessive forms) • The choice between the ‘s’ genitive and the ‘of’ genitive is determined by the principles of end focus and end weight. • According to the principles, the more complex and communicatively more important constituents are placed towards the end of the NP

TGG (some common transformations) • Accordingly, the ‘s’ genitive should be preferred when the possessum is more important than possessor, while the ‘of’ genitive should be preferred if the possessor is more communicatively important than possessum Ali’s chair (Chair more important) Legs of the chair (chair more important)

TGG (Some common transformations) 5. Reversed ‘wh’ clefts • Reversed ‘wh’ clefts have main focus at the beginning of the first unit, not at the end after ‘be’ as in regular wh-clefts. • Some combinations (that’s what /why/how/the way) are stereotyped as ‘the thing is / the problem is.

TGG (Some common transformations) • All you need is love (regular wh- cleft) Love is all you need (reversed wh- cleft) • What you should do is this (regular wh – cleft) This is what you should do (reversed wh- cleft)

TGG (Some common transformations Wh – movement S – structure • Who will John see? John will see who? • What will Ali play? Ali will play what?

TGG (Some common transformations) Sentence transformations Grammatically correct sentences (correctness in term of grammar • It is possible for a sentence to be both grammatically correct and meaningless e.g. Colourless green ideas sleep furiously (Chomsky)

TGG (Some common transformations) • The above sentence is grammatically correct but carries no proper meaning. Man bit snake bit the • The meaning is clear no native speaker would accept it as a well-formed sentence So sentences have to be grammatically correct and meaningful to be used and accepted

Summary Common transformations • Passive agent deletion We fit an indefinite pronoun to fill the gap when the subject is not given • Extraposition Subject moved at the end and a dummy ‘it’ is put in the initial position. It has a grammatical meaning but no lexical meaning

Summary End focus The old piece is put in the start and the most important information is put at the end End focus and genitives Choice between ‘s’ genitive and ‘of’ genitive More important put at the end

Summary • Reversed wh-clefts Wh-cleft is put at regular position Wh-cleft is reversed Sentence transformations Grammatically correct but meaningless

Final words • Chomsky is clear that a generative grammar models only the knowledge that underlies the human ability to speak and understand.

Final words • Internal language ( I language) is the mentally represented linguistic knowledge that a native speaker of a language has, and is therefore a mental object –from this perspective most of the theoretical linguistics is a branch of psychology & • External knowledge

Final words • External language (E language) encompasses all other notions of what a language is, for example that it is a body of knowledge or behavioral habits shared by community

Transformational Generative grammar