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《新编简明英语语言学教程》第二版
第
4
章
练习题
参考答案
Chapter 4
Syntax
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.
若详细回答，则要加上：
Word
categories
often bear some
relationship
with
its
meaning.
The
meanings
associated
with
nouns and verbs can be elaborated in
various ways. The property or attribute of the
entities denoted by
nouns can be
elaborated by adjectives. For example, when we say
that pretty lady
, we are
attributing
the property ‘pretty’ to
the lady designated by the noun. Similarly, the
properties and attributes of the
actions, sensations and states
designated by verbs can typically be denoted by
adverbs. For example, in
Jenny left
quietly
the adverb
quietly
indicates the manner
of Jenny's leaving.
The
second criterion to determine a word's category is
inflection. Words of different categories
take different inflections.
Such nouns as
boy
and
desk
take the plural
affix -
s
. Verbs such as
work
and
help
take
past
tense
affix
-
ed
and
progressive
affix
-
ing
.
And
adjectives
like
quiet
and
clever
take
comparative
affix
-
er
and
superlative
affix
-
est
.
Although
inflection
is
very
helpful
in
determining
a
word's category, it does not always
suffice. Some words do not take inflections. For
example, nouns
like
moisture
,
fog
, do not usually take
plural suffix
-
s
and adjectives like
frequent
,
intelligent
do not
take comparative and superlative
affixes -
er
and
-
est
.
The last
and more reliable criterion of determining a
word's category is its distribution. That is
what type of elements can co-occur with
a certain word. For example, nouns can typically
appear with
a
determiner
like
the
girl
and
a
card,
verbs
with
an
auxiliary
such
as
should
stay
and
will
go,
and
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