Unit 1: BASIC NOTIONS IN

SYNTAX

(1) What is syntax?

(2) Propositional content
(3) Thematic roles
1. What is syntax?
 Syntax is…
 the study of phrases, clauses, and
structures
 the study of how words are
combined to produce sentences (not
a random string)
 concerned with the rules governing
the ways in which words combine to
form sentences.
 2. Propositional content
The propositional content of a sentence
is that sentence’s core meaning.

 A proposition is defined as a sentence which affirms or

denies a predicate of a subject.
 Proposition = subject + predicate
 E.g. "All men /are mortal" or "Socrates is a man."
 In the first example the subject is ”all men" and the
predicate "are mortal".
 In the second example the subject is "Socrates" and
the predicate is "is a man"
 2. Propositional content

- A sentence may contain one or more propositions

- Verbs, NP, AdjP, PrepP can be core predicates
- Other noun phrases in the sentence are called
argument
- Each core predicate requires a specific number of
arguments ~ valency
- E.g. x SHOW y,z
- Her friends showed the inspector her letters.
- The arguments can be Noun phrases or clauses
E.g. For her to arrive late again showed the inspector
that she was unreliable.
 3. Thematic roles
Thematic roles are the semantic relationships
between the verbs/core predicate and the
argument/noun phrases of sentences
 Thematic Role Description Example
Agent the one who performs an action Maria ran.
the person or thing that undergoes an Mary called John.
Theme action; the often inert entity in a The Bengal tiger died.
certain state or position The news would have shocked me.
the place to which an action is
Goal Put the cat on the porch.
directed
the place from which an action
Source He flew from Chicago to LA.
originates
the means by which an action is
Instrument He cuts his hair with scissors.
performed
She heard Bob play the piano.
one who perceives/experiences a
Experiencer Montaigne’s words inspired the
mental state or process
young poet.
Recipient one who receives something I gave it to the girl.
the one for whose benefit some action
Benefactive The chef baked Jessica a cherry pie.
is undertaken

Location the place where an action takes place It rains in Spain.

the time when/during which an action

Time Last year I met him.
takes place
 DISCUSSION
 What is the relevance of the
following pair:
 A. Mary feared the new governor.
 B. The new governor frightened
Mary.
E.g. Represent the concepts
expressed by fear and frighten:
 theme FRIGHTEN experiencer
 experiencer FEAR theme

Represent the concepts expressed

by the following predicates.
Give examples to illustrate.
TALL, IRRITATE, BELIEVE, ASTONISH,
ANXIOUS, PERSUADE
 PRACTICE:

 Identify the core predicate

 Point out the arguments, non-arguments and
the valency

1. Each year the economy gets worse

2. Sarah Higgins annoyed me
3. Neubauer killed the diseased cells
4. Gandhi found out that the hatred still survived
5. To build a second nuclear reactor now would be foolish
 Identify the thematic relation of each underlined part.

 a. Mary e-mailed me a long message.

 b. Carlos sang lustily in the bathtub.

 c. The kids ate too much candy after Halloween.

 d. Heidi pried the lid off with her army knife.

 e. They moved the piano for Glenn.

 f. The vacuum cleaner terrifies the dog.

 g. Linnaea leapt onto the train.

 h. The monkeys threw peanuts at the tourists.

 i. A group of teenagers built this enormous sculpture.

 J. The economy gets worse each year.

 k. She was sad to find out that the hatred stilled survived.

 l. That big green bug flew into the soup.

Homework
 Read:
 (1) English syntax, 2+3
 (2) University Grammar of English:
7.9 – 7.19
 Each year the economy gets worse (Valency ~1)
(N-A) A
 Sarah Higgins annoyed me (2)
 A A
 Neubauer killed the diseased cells (2)
 A A
 Gandhi found out that the hatred still survived (2)
 A A
 To build a second nuclear reactor now would be
 A
 foolish (1)

TALL, IRRITATE, BELIEVE, ASTONISH,
ANXIOUS, PERSUADE

 theme TALL
 theme IRRITATE experiencer
 experiencer BELIEVE theme
 theme ASTONISH experiencer
 experiencer ANXIOUS
 agent PERSUADE experiencer theme
 Identify the thematic relation of each underlined part.

 a. Mary e-mailed me a long message. RECIPIENT

 b. Carlos sang lustily in the bathtub. LOCATION

 c. The kids ate too much candy after Halloween. THEME

 d. Heidi pried the lid off with her army knife. INSTRUMENT

 e. They moved the piano for Glenn. BENEFACTIVE

 f. The vacuum cleaner terrifies the dog. EXPERIENCER

 g. Linnaea leapt onto the train. GOAL

 h. The monkeys threw peanuts at the tourists. THEME

 i. A group of teenagers built this enormous sculpture. AGENT

 J. The economy gets worse each year. THEME

 k. She was sad to find out that the hatred stilled survived. THEME

 l. That big green bug flew into the soup. GOAL

Next meeting:
 Read:
 (1) University Grammar of English,
parts 2.12 – 2.15; 4, 5, 6, 12, 13
 (2) English syntax, parts 3 + 20