P S Grammar

 Phrase - Structure

An alternative way of expressing the information found on a tree diagram is by means of re-write rules or phrase-structural rules. A noun phrase NP followed by a verb phrase deeply is a basic English sentence type. These are developments on IC Analysis.

S

                                                                                  / \

                                                                            NP    VP

                                                                      Dog        bite

                                                                      Dogs      bite burglars

                                                                 The dog      bit the burglar

VP

                                                                                  / \

                                                                               V   NP

                                                                           bite   burglars

Such a grammar often called phrase-structure grammar (PS Grammar) contains a series of phrase structural rules which shows progressive expressions. This was developed by Noam Chomsky and published in his seminal work Syntactic Structures.

A rewrite rule is a replacement rule in which the symbol to the left of the an arrow is replaced by an expanded form to the right of the arrow.

S - NP VP

means replace the symbol 'S' by: NP VP (a sentence S has a structure NP and VP)

                                                                                                            noun       verb phrase

VP - V NP

It means replace the symbol 'VP' by V and NP. The VP consist of a verb which can be transitive or intransitive and an NP.

eg: Dogs bite burglars

     NP           VP

NP - D N

It means replace the symbol 'NP' by D and N (determines and noun).

The essential structure of the sentence 'The dog bit the burglar' be summarized in just 3 rules.

(1) S - NP      (2) VP - VNP

                 (3) NP - D N

The dog bit the burglar

The dog      bit the burglar. -

  NP                   

The          dog      -         bit        the burglar      -      

D              N                   V                NP

                                                  the     burglar 

                                                  D         N

     (1)  According to Chomsky such a model is incomplete. It has atleast two flaws. First we require an               enormous number of rules to generate all the sentences of English.

     (2)  It groups together sentences which are dissimilar and separate others which are similar. In the                  sentences "John is anxious to help and John is difficult to help".

Who someone who knows English these sentences are radically different. In the first one John is the doer of the action and in the second he is the one liable to be helped. The slot pattern of both the sentences are identical.

John              is  anxious  to  help

(N)               (V) (adj)           (infinitive)

John             is  difficult  to  help

(N)              (V)  (adj)          (infinitive)


Prepared by: 

Dr. Susan Mathew

CMS College Kottayam

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