Page 388 - DENG504_LINGUISTICS

Linguistics

Notes • Thus a PS grammar is an alternative way of expressing the information found in a tree diagram
by means of rewrite rules. In this model the linguist formalizes the grammar by means of
generative rules which explicitly assign the correct constituent structure to sentences. Such
systems are called simple ‘phrase-stricture grammars’. This model of grammar shows not only
the terminal elements or constituents of a linear structure but also specifies the subunits and the
level at which these units form natural groups. So the linguist here is interested (1) in the patterns
underlying the sentence and its constituents; and (2) in the syntactic devices used to link the
constituents together, and the ways in which various parts relate to one another.
29.6 Key-Words

1. Syntax : “Syntax may be roughly defined as the principles of arrangement of the
constructions formed by the process of derivation and inflection (words) into
larger constructions of various kinds.” “The distinction between morphology
and syntax is not always sharp.” Coming to syntax is entering into a level of
linguistics analysis that is higher than morphology although at places the
distinction between the two becomes blurred.
2. X-bar Theory : X-bar theory is a component of linguistic theory which attampts ot identify
syntactic features presumably common to all those human languages that fit in
presupposed (1965) framework. It claims that among their phrasal categories,
all those languages share certain structural similarities, including one known
as the “X-bar”, which does not appear in traditional, for inter alia natural English
language, phrase structure rules. X-bar theory was first proposed by Chomsky
(1970) and further developed by Jackendoff (1977).
29.7 Review Questions

1. State Chomsky’s X-Bar theory in the context of Phrase Structure.
2. How do Phrase structure grammar work?
29.8 Further Readings

1. Verma, S.K., V.N. Krishnaswamy. Modern Linguistics: An Introduction.
2. An Introduction to Linguistics, John Lyon.
3. Peter Roach: English phonetics and phonology. Cambridge University Press.
4. Encyclopedia of Linguistic Science Edited By V. Prakasam, Allied Pub.,
New Delhi.

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