The document discusses phrase structure rules in linguistics. It introduces key concepts like phrase structure trees, nodes, labels, branches, recursion, and how smaller phrases are combined into larger and more complex structures through recursive rules. Examples are provided of different types of phrases like noun phrases, verb phrases, and how they are built up from different word categories and elements.

1. So far…
• General Approach
– Universal Grammar (UG) / Language Instinct
Phrase Structure • Data
– native speakers’ i t iti
ti k ’ intuitions (
(acceptability j d
t bilit judgments)
t )
• Resulting Theory of Grammar
– words, phrases, categories for words and phrases
(e.g., Nouns, Verbs; Noun Phrases, Verb Phrases)
(basic concepts any theory of grammar must have in
order to capture the data)
1 2
Next: Phrase Structure
• The internal structure of phrases and how My very funny friend in Russia will go to
we can represent it. Det Adv A N P N Aux V P
• H
How phrases are put t
h t together to create
th t t a concert tomorrow.
t t
sentences. Det N Adv
My very funny friend in Russia
NP → Det AP N PP
NP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)
3 4
Phrase Internal Structure Phrase Internal Structure
very funny
• why (AP*):
– My talented handsome funny friend
AP→ Mod A
A A A
AP→ (Mod) A (PP)
– My friend
• why (PP*): • why (PP):
– My friend in Russia with a convertible – proud (of himself)
PP PP
– My friend
5 6
1

2. Phrase Internal Structure Phrase Internal Structure
[in Russia] [go to a concert tomorrow]
PP P NP VP→ V PP AdvP
PP (Mod) P (NP) VP→ (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*)
[tomorrow] why NP* : give Mary the book
AdvP Adv NP NP
why PP*: go to a concert in his convertible
AdvP (Mod) Adv PP PP
(very) infrequently
why AdvP*: go to a concert briefly tomorrow
AdvP AdvP
7 8
Phrase Internal Structure Phrase Structure Rules for English
[My very funny friend in Russia will go to S → NP (Aux) VP
a concert tomorrow] NP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)
VP → (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*)
S NP (Aux) VP PP → (Mod) P (NP)
AP → (Mod) A (PP)
[S [NP My very funny friend in Russia] will
[VP go to a concert tomorrow]] AdvP → (Mod) Adv (PP)
9 10
Embedding 1 Embedding 2
• Bill saw Mary
• A mouse
• A mouse in a house • Harry said that Bill saw Mary
• A mouse in a house on a street • Rita heard that Harry said that Bill saw Mary
• A mouse in a house on a street with a lamp
p • Marvin whispered that Rita heard that Harry said
• A mouse in a house on a street with a lamp that Bill saw Mary
without a switch
• What’s embedded in what?
• What’s embedded in what? • Sentences can be embedded inside bigger
• Prepositional Phrases can be embedded inside sentences.
Noun Phrases, to make bigger and bigger NPs.
11 12
2

3. Embedding 3 We can mix and match ALL of these
Relative Clauses various embedding mechanisms
• The cat
• The cat that ate the rat • If Bill distinctly heard that a mouse in the house
• The cat that ate the rat that lived in the barn that sits on the edge of the forest will most likely
• The cat that ate the rat that lived in the barn that eat a frog from Moline and if Taras Bulba
sat near the house that Jack built believes that this will threaten the stability of the
Western empire, then pink panthers with shining
• What is embedded in what? eyes and split lips may decide that it is time that
• Relative Clauses inside Noun Phrases; to make they took matters into their own limp paws!
bigger and bigger Noun Phrases.
13 14
Phrase Structure Rules for English Recursion
S → NP (Aux) VP [NP The cat [PP on [NP the mat [PP in [NP the
NP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*) bedroom [PP next to [NP the
VP → (AdvP) V (NP*) (PP*) (AdvP*) bathroom…]]]]]]]
PP → (Mod) P (NP)
AP → (Mod) A (PP) NP → (Det) (AP*) N (PP*)
AdvP → (Mod) Adv (PP) PP → (Adv) P NP
15 16
Two key ideas
Phrase Structure
• Recursive Rules:
– rules that can apply again and again to their
own outputs
• Hierarchical structure:
– recursive rules can yield bigger and bigger
phrases
Beads on a string Hierarchical structure
17 18
3

4. Phrase Structure Tree Phrase Structure Tree
S • Branch:
a line connecting two parts of a tree
NP Aux VP
• Node:
D AP N PP V PP AdvP the terminal point (the beginning or the end) of a
branch
A P NP P NP Adv
D N • Label:
the name given to a node (e.g., N, VP, S, etc.)
My good friend in Russia will go to a concert tomorrow.
19 20
The Internal Structure of a Noun Phrase
Phrase Structure Tree
NP
nodes
A
label
Specifier
B
branch
the
a Head
C every N Complement
this
my in my class
student
Bill’s who is a liar
friend
that took my wallet
he
Mary
21 22
Types of NPs Types of NPs
NP NP NP NP
N N Pro Det N
dogs dogs I, me, the dog
toothbrushes toothbrushes you, he, him, a mouse
quiche quiche she, her, we, most cats
sheep sheep us, they, these people
Oswald Oswald them, it every guy
Ruby Ruby
23 24
4

5. Types of NPs Types of NPs
NP NP NP
(Det) AdjP N (Det) AdjP N (Det) AdjP AdjP N
happy dogs happy dogs,
the big bad wolf,
the big one the big one,
a small yellow ball
a raw deal a raw deal,
a mad mad world
rainy days rainy days
longer strings of AdjPs are possible
25 26
Types of VPs Types of VPs
VP VP VP
V V V NP
h
chase
slept slept, left,
arrived arrived,
smiled smiled,
coughed coughed
waved waved
ate ate
27 28
NP NP
Types of VPs Types of VPs
Det N Det N
the dog,
VP VP VP VP the dog,
a boy,
a boy,
those cats,
V V those cats,
V NP these people, V NP
these people,
chase
h that guy
that
th t guy
slept, left, slept, left, chased the dog,
arrived, arrived, saw a boy,
smiled, smiled, love these people,
coughed coughed hate that guy
waved waved
ate ate
29 30
5

6. Types of VPs Types of VPs
VP VP VP VP
V NP V NP
V NP V NP
h
chase Pro Pro
slept, left, slept, left, chased me,
arrived, I, me, my arrived, saw you, I, me, my
smiled, you, your smiled, love them, you, your
coughed he, him, coughed hate her he, him,
waved his, she, waved his, she,
ate her, we, us, ate her, we, us,
our, their, our, their,
them, it
31
them, it 32
So you plug these little trees together like So you plug these little trees together like
puzzle pieces puzzle pieces
to get more and more complex structures to get more and more complex structures
S S
VP
NP VP NP VP
V NP
33 34
So you plug these little trees together like So you plug these little trees together like
puzzle pieces puzzle pieces
to get more and more complex structures to get more and more complex structures
S S
subject predicate subject predicate
VP VP
NP VP NP
V NP V NP
35 36
6

7. So you plug these little trees together like S
puzzle pieces
to get more and more complex structures NP VP
S Mary V NP
likes
subject predicate Bill.
NP VP
object
V NP
37 38
Phrase Structure Trees S
S mother
NP VP
NP VP sisters
Mary V NP
Mary V NP
likes
likes Bill.
Bill.
Phrase Structure Rules:
S NP VP
PS rules relate mothers to sisters
A sentence is divided into phrases
produced by Phrase Structure Rules
39 40
S S NP VP S
NP Det N NP VP VP V NP NP VP
Det N V NP NP Det N Det N V NP
The girl The girl
likes likes
Det N Det N
the boy the boy.
Phrase Structure Trees and Rules S NP VP
41 42
7

8. S
NP
NP VP
Det N PP
Det N V NP The girl
The girl
likes in the bluedress
Det N
the boy. NP Det N PP
NP Det N
43 44
S S NP VP
NP
VP
NP NP Det N PP
Det N PP
The girl Det N PP PP P NP V NP
P NP
in The girl likes
P NP NP D AP N
Det N
Det AdjP N in the boy.
the bluedress Det AdjP N
PP P NP the bluedress
NP Det AdjP N
45 46
NP NP NP Det N PP
Det N PP Det N PP PP P NP
The boy The boy
P NP NP Det N
in her class in
D N
her class
47 48
8

9. S S NP VP
NP VP VP V NP
Det N PP V NP
The girl
g likes
P NP Det N PP
in the boy
Det AdjP N P NP
the blue dress in
Det N
NP Det N PP PP P NP her class
NP Det AdjP N NP Det N 49
9