Understanding Generative Grammar/ Class 1: analysing sentences / The minimalist approach
Summary
TLDRThis lecture introduces Chomsky's generative grammar through analyzing the sentence 'I like tennis.' It explains the concept of derivation, using labeled tree diagrams to represent sentence structure. The lecture covers technical terms like 'merger,' 'head,' and 'complement,' and discusses the binary parameter of head-first vs. head-last languages. It also touches on universal grammar, including the headedness principle that all phrases have a head. The class aims to build understanding of sentence analysis from a Chomskyan perspective.
Takeaways
- π **Chomsky's Generative Grammar**: The class focuses on understanding Chomsky's approach to sentence analysis.
- π **Derivation**: Sentences are derived or analyzed to understand their structure.
- π³ **Tree Diagrams**: Sentence analysis is represented using tree diagrams with branches as lines.
- π **Metaphor**: The tree diagram is a metaphor for the hierarchical structure of sentences, shown upside-down.
- ποΈ **Bottom-Up Analysis**: Sentences are analyzed from bottom to top, a method that will be explained further.
- π **Head and Complement**: The verb is the head of the verb phrase, with the complement beingη½η.
- π **Merger Operation**: The process of combining a head and a complement to form a phrase.
- π **Head-First Language**: English is a head-first language, meaning the head is on the left.
- π **Binary Parameters**: Languages differ parametrically, such as being head-first or head-last.
- π **Universal Grammar**: Principles of language that apply to all languages, like the headedness principle.
- π **Principles vs. Parameters**: While parameters vary, principles are universal truths about all languages.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the first class on Chomsky's generative grammar?
-The main focus of the first class is to introduce students to the concept of deriving sentences using Chomsky's approach to sentence analysis.
What does the term 'derive' mean in the context of Chomsky's generative grammar?
-In Chomsky's generative grammar, 'derive' refers to the process of analyzing or constructing sentences using a set of rules and transformations.
Why does the instructor start with sentence analysis right away?
-Starting with sentence analysis allows students to see how sentences are derived or analyzed, which helps them understand the process and build confidence in their understanding of sentence analysis from a Chomskyan perspective.
What is a labeled tree diagram in the context of sentence analysis?
-A labeled tree diagram is a visual representation of sentence structure, where the branches of a tree are represented by lines, showing the hierarchical structure of sentences.
Why is the tree diagram described as 'upside-down'?
-The tree diagram is described as 'upside-down' because it is an uprooted tree that has been turned upside down to show the rule-governed hierarchical structure of sentences.
How is the direction of analysis in Chomsky's approach different from traditional grammar?
-In Chomsky's approach, sentences are analyzed from bottom to top, whereas traditional grammar often analyzes from top to bottom.
What is the significance of the head of a phrase in Chomsky's generative grammar?
-The head of a phrase is significant because it determines the nature of the phrase. In English, heads are always on the left, indicating that it is a head-first language.
What is a 'parameter' in the context of Chomsky's theory of language?
-A 'parameter' in Chomsky's theory refers to the binary differences between languages, such as whether a language is head-first or head-last.
What is the 'headedness principle' in universal grammar?
-The 'headedness principle' is a principle of universal grammar stating that all phrases should have a head, which is a universal feature across all languages.
What is the difference between a verb phrase and a tense phrase?
-A verb phrase is formed by merging a verb and its complement, while a tense phrase involves the merger of a verb phrase with a tense constituent, such as 'do' in English.
Why is the instructor not analyzing long sentences in the first class?
-The instructor is not analyzing long sentences in the first class to focus on the fundamental concepts of merger, head and complement functions, and the principles of universal grammar without the complexity of longer sentences.
Outlines
π Introduction to Chomsky's Generative Grammar
The video begins with an introduction to Chomsky's generative grammar, emphasizing the importance of sentence derivation and analysis. The instructor reassures that starting with simple sentences will help students grasp the concepts more effectively. The lecture introduces technical terms like 'derivation' and 'tree diagrams' to represent the hierarchical structure of sentences. It also explains that English is a 'head-first' language, contrasting it with 'head-last' languages like Japanese. The concept of parameters in language, such as head position, is introduced as a binary choice, with English being head-first and some other languages being head-last.
π Universal Grammar and Binary Parameters
This section delves deeper into the concept of universal grammar, which seeks to explain the grammars of all languages. It discusses the binary nature of parameters, such as the head parameter being either head-first or head-last. The instructor clarifies that while parameters vary, principles like the 'headedness principle' are universal, meaning all phrases in all languages have a head. The summary also mentions the importance of understanding the concepts of merger, where constituents are combined to form phrases, and the functions of heads and complements within those phrases.
π Analyzing Phrases and Upcoming Topics
The final paragraph discusses the analysis of phrases, specifically the verb phrase 'like tennis'. It introduces the concept of 'T prime' and the formation of a tense phrase through merger with a pronoun. The instructor hints at upcoming topics, such as different ways of forming phrases, including head-complement and head-specifier structures. The video concludes with an invitation for students to share the class if they found it useful and teases the analysis of more complex phrases in future classes.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Generative Grammar
π‘Derivation
π‘Technical Terminology
π‘Labeled Tree Diagrams
π‘Rule-Governed
π‘Head
π‘Complement
π‘Merger
π‘Head-First Language
π‘Parameter
π‘Universal Grammar
π‘Headedness Principle
Highlights
Introduction to Chomsky's generative grammar
Derivation as the first technical term for sentence analysis
Emphasis on deriving a short sentence 'I like tennis'
Explanation of the importance of being patient with technical terms
Introduction to label tree diagrams for sentence analysis
The concept of an 'uprooted tree' to show hierarchical structure
Analyzing sentences from bottom to top
Definition of 'head' and 'complement' in a verb phrase
Explanation of 'merger' operation to form a phrase
Head-first language characteristic of English
Binary nature of language parameters
Difference between English (head-first) and Japanese (head-last)
Introduction to the concept of universal grammar
The handedness principle: all phrases have a head
Review of categories and terms used in the analysis
Visual analysis with labeled tree diagrams from bottom to top
Discussion on the next steps in phrase analysis involving tense
Introduction to 'T prime' and its role in phrase formation
Invitation to share the class with fellow students
Anticipation for the next class on intermediate projection
Transcripts
[Music]
hi there here's our first class on
Chomsky's generative grammar the first
thing that I'd like to say is that we
will be deriving that's the first
technical term derive derivation will
derive a very short sentence I do like
tennis now if you're not familiar with
Chomsky's approach to the analysis of
sentences you will initially feel that
this is all Greek to you the idea of
starting with sentence analysis right
away is for you to see how sentences are
derived or analyzed and then we will in
this way create a state of what is this
so there we will our questions that will
then be answered and we will do that
little bit little so that you can feel
confident about your understanding of
sentence analysis from a chomskyan
perspective so we need you to be patient
and to put a lot of attention on the
kind of analysis that we are going to
conduct in a minute also it is important
for you to know that we will resort to a
lot of technical terms technical
terminology which again will not be
clear from the very beginning but it
will become clearer and clearer as we
move on so we will say that sentence
analysis is represented by means of
label tree diagrams so here's a tree
only that the tree with its branches is
represented here by means of lines so
the lines are the branches of a tree and
it is also important to say that of
course this is all a metaphor and this
tree has been up
it so it's like upside-down right so
it's an uprooted tree that has been
turned upside down to show the
rule-governed that's also technical term
rule-governed hierarchical structure of
sentences it's also important to know
that we will analyze sentences from
bottom to top for reasons that will be
clearer in the future so off we go the
verb like is the head of the verb phrase
like tennis a phrase that is made up by
two constituents a head and complement
the head is like the compliment is
tennis so in saying that there is a head
what we are saying is that there is a
function and the compliment is also a
function so we will have functions as we
used to have in traditional grammar
approaches we have heads and complements
those are functions and we have
categories verb and noun that is like
antennas respectively so when you put
two characters together they there will
be a relationship between them and they
will have a function within the phrase
so the next step is called merger we put
a head and a complement together verb
like plus 10 is complement and we form a
phrase now our phrase will be a verb
phrase not a noun phrase so what I'm
saying is that there are two
constituents and the head the verb is
the one that determines the nature of
the phrase heads in English are always
on the left and compliments are always
on the right the reason why this is the
case is that English is a head first
language what is that
at first languages are either at first
or had last that is the heads are either
on the right or on the left so English
the head first language we're first
means left and this means that you will
be saying things like like tennis rather
than ten is like there are other
languages such as Japanese and what we
know about Japanese is that Japanese is
a head last language so the head will be
on the right not on the left this is
what we call a parameter that is
according to Chomsky there are important
differences between languages one of
which is the parameter that is languages
very parametrically in a binary fashion
what is it binary fashion all its binary
T by naira T means that there are only
two options that is it's either head
first at last there is not a zero option
there is not a third option and fourth
option it's binary it's just two options
so the difference between English and
other languages as far as the head
parameter is concerned is that English
is head first and other languages such
as Japanese will be head last so let's
go back to our phrase we got the verb
again the functions of the head and we
have the complement the verb like is the
head the compliment is tennis and we
form a phrase via merger operation the
phrases and verb phrase so we have a
whole other layer of analysis with so we
go from the constituents verb and noun
head and complement and we put them
together and we form a phrase there is a
verb phrase now a whole other aspect of
what we will call universal grammar
there
to say a theory that will account for
the grammars of all languages so as we
have just seen there are parametric all
binary variations across languages as we
said before English is head first and
there are other languages that are head
last that's a parameter however
languages also have principles that
pertain all languages so a principle is
the truth about all languages in the
world a principle pertains all languages
and parameters vary in a binary fashion
across languages again you get the head
parameter at first or at last we have
already talked about that now let's talk
about principles one of the principles
of language or languages of universal
grammar is that all phrases should have
a head and that principle is called the
handedness principle headedness all
phrases have a head so when we put two
things together we only have it we're
gonna have a verb phrase or we're gonna
have a tense phrase as we will soon see
or the complimentizer phrase or a
determiner phrase we're gonna have
different types of phrases so all
languages have phrases and all phrases
have heads and this is universal as
universal grammar so it's a principle
that pertains all languages and then we
have binary variations so let us quickly
review some of the things that we have
said there are very important categories
and terms that we have resorted to again
we have just garden as first the verb
phrase the first layer of analysis is
concerned
and as you may notice from the this
labeled tree diagram which again we go
from bottom to top and unlike
traditional grammar we're going from
right to left as you may have noticed
the tree is like the inclined is leaning
towards the left right so it's a
different kind of analysis visually
speaking and there are reasons why we do
this and we will discuss them in the
near future
but what I wanted to say is that today
we have just analyzed a very short
phrase the verb phrase like tennis and
the reason why there is the cases that
we're not concerned with like analyzing
long sentences right now we're concerned
with our understanding of what is merger
put into constituents together the fact
that you emerge ahead and a compliment
the fact that head and complement are
functions the fact that verb and noun
are categories the fact that when you
put them together you are abiding by a
principle the happiness principle and
also the important fact that you're
making a selection you're going left at
first you know go in at last you know
I'm not going right so we want to stop
here because if you have a look at the
tree if we go up upwards and we move to
the left you will notice that the next
stage is the merger phrase the verb
phrase with a tea or tense constituent
in this case do F attic - and then
you're going to see something that there
is like T prime and front T prime there
is then T prime merges with the pronoun
I
to make up a tense phrase so this phrase
is different from our bure phrase and it
will take some time to discuss that so
that's basically what we will do next
class we will talk about the fact that
there are basically two ways of
analyzing or you know forming phrases
head compliment or hit compliments
specifier as you can see in the picture
but there is something we will discuss
in our next class because it takes quite
some time to analyze that and well so
far I think it's being great and we hope
you have enjoyed the class if you have
enjoyed our class and you think it's
useful you may want to share it with
your fellow students and we will see you
soon with the analysis of a whole other
phrase a phrase that will have an
intermediate projection there is the T
prime thing that you see but more about
that next class bye bye
[Music]
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