1 introduction to wg syntax richard hudson joensuu november 2010 word-word relations are concepts
DESCRIPTION
3 Influences on Word Grammar syntax Tesnière (France, ) –dependency structure, not phrase structure Halliday (UK, 1925-) –labeled grammatical functions Chomsky (USA, 1928-) –abstract structuresTRANSCRIPT
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Introduction to WG syntax
Richard HudsonJoensuu November 2010
Word-word relations are concepts
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The challenge
• How to go beyond single words – to combinations of words– to general patterns
• This is the domain of syntax– the study of how words combine– including general rules
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Influences on Word Grammar syntax
• Tesnière (France, 1893-1954)– dependency structure, not phrase structure
• Halliday (UK, 1925-)– labeled grammatical functions
• Chomsky (USA, 1928-)– abstract structures
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An example
Try using dependency structures!
predic-ative
object
pre-adjunct
subject
subject
[you]
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Dependency grammar
• History– Panini (350 BC)– Arabic grammarians (700s+)– Some traditional school grammar (1800s)– Russia (e.g. Mel’cuk)– Germany (e.g. Kunze)– Finland (e.g. Karlsson)
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Why not phrase structure?
• Basic assumption of PS:– We cannot relate words directly to each other.
• Why not?• What about other areas of thought?
– Social relations: we relate people to each other.– Spatial relations: we relate objects to each
other.
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My family network
me
JohnGretta
Colin Gaynor
Lucy Alice
Peter
fathermother
brother father
daughterdaughter
grandson
son
mother
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Relations in WG
• Relations are classified– ‘mother’, ‘son’, etc.
• Each relation is a concept– just like entities such as ‘dog’ or ‘running’– but relations have an ‘argument’ and a ‘value’
• Similarly, we classify dependencies– ‘subject’, ‘adjunct’, etc.– Traditional 'grammatical functions'.
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Generalising in syntax
• Words are classified by word classes• Dependencies are classified by functions• Each of these classifications forms a
taxonomy– a hierarchy of increasingly specific categories
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The word-class taxonomyword
noun verb adjective ….
auxiliarycommon
DOG CAN
BIG
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Generalising in a network
• A 'rule' is a property applied by inheritance– e.g. 'A word has a meaning'
• Rules are more or less general, but combine freely by inheritance– A verb has a subject– TAKE has an object– So: takes has a subject and an object
• and a meaning
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The grammatical-function hierarchydependent
valent adjunct
subject complement
object predicative
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Generalising across dependencies
• Again, rules may be more or less general – a word stands before its dependents– a verb stands after its subject– an interrogative auxiliary verb stands before its
subject.• Thanks to default inheritance, the most
specific rule always wins.– In other words, rules have exceptions.
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Abstract relations in syntax
• Syntax is abstract!• Dependencies are very abstract
– defined by many different properties• Dependencies can also be complex
– One word may depend on many others.– Mutual dependency is possible.
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A complex syntactic network
What did you say?
extractee subject predicative
subjectcomplement
extractee & object
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Simple syntax
a book about the idea of a life after death
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Abstract words in syntax
• Maybe a complete analysis should recognise abstract, unrealised, words?
• E.g. [you] as the subject of an imperative?– Why not, if words are concepts?– We have a concept for 'Superman'– But we also know he doesn't exist – Similarly for the realisation of [you].
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Researching syntax
Here too, networks are everywhere.• Inside syntax
– What about constructions?• Between syntax and morphology• Between syntax and semantics• Between syntax and sociolinguistics• Between syntax and psycholinguistics• Between syntax and education
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Constructions are dependency networks
W hat is it do ing rain ing?s u b j
s h a re r
e xt ra c t e e
s h a re r
e xt ra c t e e & o b j
s u b j
s u b j
c o m p
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Researching syntax and morphology
• Syntactic words are realized by morphological structures– e.g. 'WALK, past' realized by {{walk}{ed}}
• Words usually have their own morphology.• But clitics are different
– e.g. for 'YOU' + 'BE, present': {{you}{'re}}
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French pronouns
Paul mange la pomme
{Paul} {mange} {pomme}
P eats the apple
{la} {Paul} { {mange}}
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Researching syntax and semantics
• Each word token inherits a sense – e.g. 'dog', 'eating', 'in'
• But this sense is modified by the dependents– e.g. 'big dog', 'eating breakfast', 'in bed'
• Exactly how do dependents modify senses?
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Simple syntax, complex meaning
I ate breakfast.
speaker eating breakfast
eating breakfast
me eating breakfast
me eating breakfast then then < now
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Researching syntax and sociolinguistics
• Syntactic patterns may have social meaning– Professor Hudson ~ Dick ~ Dad ~ Grandpa– he is ~ he's– which I live in ~ in which I live– we were ~ we was– I didn't do anything ~ I didn't do nothing.
• How does syntax relate to social context?
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local person
Inherent variability
we were
•speaker
•speaker educated person
BE, past
we was
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Researching syntax and psycholinguistics
• Syntactic structure influences processing• Some structures are harder than others
– That Finland has the best schools in the world is generally agreed.
• Simpler but harder– It is generally agreed that Finland has the best
schools in the world. • More complex but easier
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Extraposition
That Finland has the best schools in the world is certain.
It is certain that Finland has the best schools in the world.
8 words
1 word
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Researching syntax and education
• Our syntactic knowledge grows all through life:– new constructions
• Try as he might, he couldn't open it.– new details of existing constructions
• possibility of, opportunity to
• Much of this growth happens at school.
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Subordinate clauses per 100 words:influence of age and grade
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Research questions for education
• What causes growth in syntax?– general cognitive growth, e.g. memory– growth in the language network
• Can grammatical analysis improve writing?– Yes!– recent research by Debra Myhill
• How can teachers help?
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Kiitos
• This slideshow can be downloaded fromwww.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htm• For more on Word Grammar, seewww.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/wg.htm• My home page, with email address: www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/home.htm