the organization of grammar when we speak of the organization of grammar we are going to consider...
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THE ORGANIZATION THE ORGANIZATION OF GRAMMAROF GRAMMAR
When we speak of When we speak of the the organizationorganization of grammarof grammar we are going to consider two we are going to consider two important concepts: important concepts:
RANKRANK and and CLASSCLASS
RANKRANK
It refers to different levels of It refers to different levels of organization organization withinwithin grammar grammar
Let’s consider the following example:Let’s consider the following example: People throw stones.People throw stones.This stretch of language consists of This stretch of language consists of
oneonesentence sentence and and threethree wordswords..SentenceSentence and and WordWord are two are two ranksranks of ofgrammatical organizationgrammatical organization
Let’s compare the following sentence with the Let’s compare the following sentence with the previous one:previous one:
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.throw stones.
Like the previous sentence (People throw stones), Like the previous sentence (People throw stones), this sentence can be analysed into three this sentence can be analysed into three unitsunits. . Two of these units are regarded as Two of these units are regarded as expansionsexpansions of single words in the previous sentence.of single words in the previous sentence.
(i) People (i) People who live in glass houseswho live in glass houses
(expansion of “people”)(expansion of “people”)
(ii) (ii) shouldn’tshouldn’t throw throw
(expansion of “throw”)(expansion of “throw”)
(iii) stones(iii) stones
These units are called These units are called GROUPSGROUPS
SENTENCESENTENCE
GroupGroup (i)(i) GroupGroup (ii)(ii) GroupGroup (iii(iii))
W W W W W W W W W WW W W W W W W W W W
People who live in glass houses should n’t throw People who live in glass houses should n’t throw stonesstones
We also need to recognize We also need to recognize an an additionaladditional rankrank between group and between group and sentencesentence
Let’s analyse the following sentence:Let’s analyse the following sentence:
She’s great funShe’s great fun butbut her husband is rather her husband is rather dull.dull.
The two The two underlinedunderlined units are called units are called CLAUSESCLAUSES
CLAUSE COMPLEXCLAUSE COMPLEX
Clause 1 Clause 2Clause 1 Clause 2
Group Group Group Group Group Group GroupGroup Group Group Group Group Group Group
W W W W W W W W W WW W W W W W W W W W
She ‘s great fun but her husband is She ‘s great fun but her husband is rather dullrather dull
CLASSCLASS
Terms like Terms like nounnoun (N) and (N) and verbverb (V) are (V) are names of names of word classesword classes, what we know as , what we know as “parts of speech”“parts of speech”
The words in the sentence The words in the sentence People throw stones.People throw stones.
can be labeled according to their can be labeled according to their classclass N V NN V N People throw stonesPeople throw stones
The same class labels are also used The same class labels are also used to name the to name the groupsgroups. Thus,. Thus,
People who live in glass housesPeople who live in glass houses (NG)(NG)
shouldn’t throwshouldn’t throw (VG)(VG)
Two other major word Two other major word classesclasses are: are:
AdjectiveAdjective:: That’s That’s goodgood!!
AdverbAdverb:: FortunatelyFortunately, the situation changed for , the situation changed for the betterthe better
The same class labels are used to name the The same class labels are used to name the groupsgroups::
AdjGAdjG:: … … a letter from a letter from a very angrya very angry parent parent
AdvGAdvG:: It is It is very deeplyvery deeply rooted in the American psyche. rooted in the American psyche.
Some grammars use the term Some grammars use the term “phrase”“phrase”
instead of instead of “group”“group”,, for instance: noun for instance: noun
phrase and adverbial phrase but in this phrase and adverbial phrase but in this
course the only kind of phrase which we course the only kind of phrase which we
are going to recognize is the are going to recognize is the
“prepositional phrase”“prepositional phrase”
What’s the difference betweenWhat’s the difference between
GROUPGROUP
andand
PHRASEPHRASE ??
A A groupgroup can be thought of as an can be thought of as an
expandedexpanded word. A word. A phrasephrase, however, is , however, is
like like a a minimini clauseclause in the sense that the in the sense that the
words which follow the prepositions are words which follow the prepositions are
not expansions of the prepositions but not expansions of the prepositions but
objects objects of prepositionsof prepositions
Examples of Examples of prepositional phrasesprepositional phrases::
James is a software designer James is a software designer for a for a computercomputer companycompany..
The students in her class are all The students in her class are all from from GermanyGermany..
Here’s an e.mail Here’s an e.mail in Englishin English..
We often go We often go to the mountainsto the mountains..
How many How many groupsgroups can we identify in SFG? can we identify in SFG?
FOURFOUR
Which are they?Which are they? Nominal GroupNominal Group Verbal GroupVerbal Group Adjectival GroupAdjectival Group Adverbial GroupAdverbial Group
How many How many phrasesphrases can we recognize? can we recognize?
ONLY ONEONLY ONE
The Prepositional PhraseThe Prepositional Phrase
In today’s class, we are going to focusIn today’s class, we are going to focus
on on Nominal GroupNominal Group only. only.
As we said before, groups are As we said before, groups are extendedextended words. When analysing a words. When analysing a Nominal GroupNominal Group, we may say that it , we may say that it consists of a main noun or consists of a main noun or “head “head word”word” (called the (called the ThingThing) and has ) and has the potential to be expanded by the potential to be expanded by adding information before the head-adding information before the head-word and/or after it. word and/or after it.
If the information is added If the information is added beforebefore the head-word the head-word it’s called it’s called “pre-modification”.“pre-modification”.
If the information is added If the information is added afterafter the head-word the head-word it’s called it’s called “post-modification”.“post-modification”.
For example, we could say:For example, we could say:
They said they could make himThey said they could make him a suita suit.. or extend the NG further by pre- and post-or extend the NG further by pre- and post-
modification as inmodification as in
They said they could make him They said they could make him the most the most beautifulbeautiful suitsuit, , with magic cloth that only with magic cloth that only clever people could see.clever people could see.
Now, Let’s do some Now, Let’s do some recognition practicerecognition practice on on
the the Nominal GroupNominal Group and the different and the different functionsfunctions each component or constituent each component or constituent performs.performs.
My brother is a History teacher.My brother is a History teacher.
His daughter’s name is Lara.His daughter’s name is Lara.
The student bars and cafés are cheap.The student bars and cafés are cheap.
That’s one of my sister’s son.That’s one of my sister’s son.
There are too many cars on the streets.There are too many cars on the streets.
The center of the house is one very big bubble.The center of the house is one very big bubble.
too many carstoo many cars
Numerative Numerative ThingNumerative Numerative Thing
the streetsthe streets
Deictic ThingDeictic Thing
MyMy brotherbrother Deictic ThingDeictic Thing A History teacherA History teacher Deictic Classifier ThingDeictic Classifier Thing His daughter’s nameHis daughter’s name Deictic Deictic ThingDeictic Deictic Thing LaraLara ThingThing
The student bars The student bars andand caféscafés
Deictic Classifier Thing Deictic Classifier Thing ThingThing
ThatThat
DeiticDeitic
one of my sister’s sonone of my sister’s son
Deictic Deictic ThingDeictic Deictic Thing
The center of the The center of the househouse
Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic ThingThing
one very big one very big bubblebubble
Numerative Epithet Epithet Numerative Epithet Epithet ThingThing