Understanding Generative Grammar/ Class 1: analysing sentences / The minimalist approach

Summary

This 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

• 📚 **Chomsky's Generative Grammar**: The class focuses on understanding Chomsky's approach to sentence analysis.
• 🌐 **Derivation**: Sentences are derived or analyzed to understand their structure.
• 🌳 **Tree Diagrams**: Sentence analysis is represented using tree diagrams with branches as lines.
• 🔄 **Metaphor**: The tree diagram is a metaphor for the hierarchical structure of sentences, shown upside-down.
• 🏋️ **Bottom-Up Analysis**: Sentences are analyzed from bottom to top, a method that will be explained further.
• 🔑 **Head and Complement**: The verb is the head of the verb phrase, with the complement being网球.
• 🔄 **Merger Operation**: The process of combining a head and a complement to form a phrase.
• 🌏 **Head-First Language**: English is a head-first language, meaning the head is on the left.
• 🔄 **Binary Parameters**: Languages differ parametrically, such as being head-first or head-last.
• 🔄 **Universal Grammar**: Principles of language that apply to all languages, like the headedness principle.
• 🔄 **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

00:00

📚 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.

05:00

🌐 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.

10:00

🔍 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.

Keywords

💡Generative Grammar

Generative Grammar is a linguistic theory proposed by Noam Chomsky that seeks to understand the structure of language by describing the underlying rules that native speakers use to produce an infinite number of sentences. In the video, generative grammar is the central theme, as the instructor begins by stating that the class will derive sentences using this approach.

💡Derivation

Derivation, in the context of Chomsky's generative grammar, refers to the process of generating sentences from underlying structures using transformational rules. The video emphasizes the importance of understanding derivation as it is the method by which sentences are analyzed and constructed.

💡Technical Terminology

Technical terminology refers to the specialized language used within a particular field of study. The script mentions that the class will introduce many technical terms, which are essential for understanding the concepts of generative grammar. These terms will become clearer as the course progresses.

💡Labeled Tree Diagrams

Labeled tree diagrams are graphical representations used to illustrate the hierarchical structure of sentences in generative grammar. The script describes how these diagrams, with their branches represented as lines, are metaphorically 'upside-down' to show the rule-governed structure of sentences.

💡Rule-Governed

Rule-governed refers to the idea that the structure of language is determined by a set of rules. In the video, the instructor mentions that labeled tree diagrams are used to show the rule-governed hierarchical structure of sentences, emphasizing the systematic nature of language.

💡Head

In the context of syntax, the head of a phrase is the word that determines the category of the phrase. The script explains that in the phrase 'like tennis,' 'like' is the head because it determines the nature of the verb phrase, illustrating the concept of heads in phrase structure.

💡Complement

A complement is a word or phrase that completes the meaning of the head of a phrase. In the script, 'tennis' is identified as the complement to the head 'like' in the phrase 'like tennis,' showing how the complement provides additional information to the head.

💡Merger

Merger is the operation in which a head and a complement are combined to form a phrase. The script uses the phrase 'like tennis' as an example, where 'like' and 'tennis' merge to form a verb phrase, demonstrating the process of phrase formation.

💡Head-First Language

A head-first language is one where the head of a phrase appears before its complement. English is identified as a head-first language in the script, with the instructor noting that heads in English are always on the left and complements on the right.

💡Parameter

In linguistics, a parameter is a binary option that varies across languages. The script discusses the head parameter, which can be either head-first or head-last, as a way to account for differences between languages like English and Japanese.

💡Universal Grammar

Universal Grammar refers to the theoretical framework that posits all human languages share certain underlying principles. The script introduces the concept by discussing how, despite parametric variations like head-first or head-last, all languages adhere to principles such as headedness.

💡Headedness Principle

The headedness principle is a principle of Universal Grammar stating that all phrases must have a head. The script uses this principle to explain that regardless of language, phrases are structured around a head, which is a fundamental aspect of language.

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]