A semantic approach to noun phrase structure and the definite – indefinite distinction in Germanic and Romance

Summary The Stoic theory of loquia (lekta) contained a fairly explicit statement of formation rules. It is argued that one type of rule was called syntaxis (combination or phrase structure rule) by Chrysippus (e.g., “a subject in the nominative case and a complete predicate form a statement”). Two other types of rule were assignments of words to lexical categories (“Dion is a Noun Phrase”) and subsumption rules (“Every elementary statement is a statement”), often formulated in the form of subdivisions of concepts. A fourth type of rule seems to have been the class of transformations (enklisis, e.g., “A statement transformed by the preterite transformation is a statement”). Every syntactic rule was accompanied by a semantic interpretation according to a version of the compositionality principle familiar in modern times since Frege and elaborated by Montague and his followers. Though the concrete example of a syntax was a fairly elaborate version of some sort of Montague type or definite clause grammar, there was no effort to introduce a theory of grammar in the style of Chomsky. But the texts show awareness of the problem of the infinity of structure generated and of the concept of structural ambiguity. The Stoic system has been transformed into the formulation of the Word and Paradigm Grammar of the technical grammarians – “transformation” (enklisis) was the historical antecedent of paragôgê, declinatio, “inflection”, etc. Some formulations have survived into modern times, e.g., the notion of government, for which Stoic type formulations like “a deficient predicate can be combined with a subject in the accusative case to form a complete predicate” are a historical antecedent.

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Noun Phrase Structure in Article-less Slavic Languages: DP or not DP?

Language and Linguistics Compass ◽

10.1111/lnc3.12014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 201-219 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Asya Pereltsvaig

Keyword(s):

Noun Phrase ◽

Phrase Structure ◽

Slavic Languages

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Partitive and pseudo-partitive revisited: Reflections on the status of ‘de’ in French

Journal of French Language Studies ◽

10.1017/s0959269500000788 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 21-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Adrian Battye

Keyword(s):

Internal Structure ◽

Noun Phrase ◽

Phrase Structure ◽

Functional Projection ◽

Nominal Phrase ◽

Indefinite Article ◽

The Status

AbstractThe radical structural distinction often proposed between pseudo-partitive (i.e. beaucoup de problèmes) and partitive (i.e. beaucoup des problèmes épineux) is argued to be the by-product of too restrictive a view of the internal structure of the noun phrase in French. A more articulated nominal phrase structure is adopted here, one which makes. use of the idea of the determiner being itself the head of a functional projection (the so-called DP-panalysis). This DP approach to partitive and pseudo-partitive configurations, it is proposed, also allows for a reappraisal of what are traditionally termed the partitive and plural indefinite article (i.e. du, de la, de l' and des).

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Grammatical Structures in the Written and Oral Mode of ESL Students

Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics ◽

10.32996/jeltal.2020.2.5.6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (5) ◽

pp. 48-60

Author(s):

Rischelle G. Aggabao

Keyword(s):

Noun Phrase ◽

Quantitative Description ◽

Phrase Structure ◽

First Year ◽

Esl Students ◽

First Year Students ◽

Verb Phrase ◽

Language Class ◽

Adverbial Phrase ◽

Grammatical Structures

This study focuses on the survey of frequency and occurrence of phrase structure rules used in the written and oral mode of first year tertiary ESL students. It describes the sentence-embedded structures namely, nominal, adjectival and adverbial. As far as phrase structure rules are concerned, the constituents of the noun phrase, verb phrase, adjectival phrase and adverbial phrase are given structural labels. The researcher made use of the quantitative description of the oral and written structures of 76 first year students enrolled in a language class. The results of the study show that majority of the students write their essay using nominals followed by adverbials and the least used are adjectivals. In the oral mode, the most commonly used phrase structure rules are adverbials, followed by nominals and the least used are adjectivals. Though students have a good command of English in writing and speaking, they should be exposed to different communicative situations and develop a balanced style in expressing meaning using varied grammatical structures.

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