General Linguistics: Syntax
Disclaimer: these notes are summaries of my lecturer’s slides (Me Jean-Marie Potgieter). All creds to
her.
• Syntax = study of
1. How sentences are structured / built up out of smaller units (words)
2. How mechanisms / devices / operations by which such structures are
formed
• Taxonomy: list according to which different syntactic unites are organized
into certain classes / categories
• Parts of Speech:
Subject: person / thing who does something, or finds themselves in
specific mental state
Object: person / thing that something is done to
Adverb: provides additional information about manner / time / place /
instrument etc.
Generative Grammar
• Takes cognitive approach to language investigation – focus on what
speakers know of their first language
• Theory / model of particular i-language
• Main aims:
- To determine what type of grammatical knowledge a fluent speaker
has of the structure of their language
- To provide scientifically adequate account of this knowledge
• Grammatical knowledge (knowledge of language structure) gives fluent
speakers the abilities:
Mariska Bester 2019 ©
, 1. To form various types of sentences found within that language
(negative sentences, active / passive, questions etc.)
2. To interpret utterances within that language
3. To make intuitive judgements about grammaticality / acceptability of
utterance within that language
• Traditional grammar: taxonomic approach to language investigation
(language = something ‘out there’)
Generative grammar: cognitive approach to language investigation
(language = in the mind)
• Grammatical competence:
- System of knowledge in the mind of fluent speaker
- Not influenced by non-linguistic factors
- Internal language
• Linguistic performance:
- Spoken / written / signed language
- Imperfect reflection of underlying grammatical competence
- Influenced by non-linguistic factors (tiredness, drugs etc.)
- External language
• Universal grammar: theory about nature of the grammars of all possible
human languages
• Basic assumption of generative approach:
- All humans are born with biological / genetically-determined Language
Faculty, which provides ability to acquire any possible human language
- Condition: exposure to a language
- UG = initial state of Language Faculty (baby)
- Grammatical competence = final stable state (after sufficient exposure
to language)
2 Mariska Bester 2019 ©
, Innateness Hypothesis
• Normal progress of language acquisition:
1. 12 months: 1st words
2. 18 months: vocab around 50 words – no inflection
3. 18+ months: first signs of grammar acquisition; 2-3 word-phrases;
inflection
4. 30+ months: near adult grammar
• Acquisition of 1st language is determined by innate Language Faculty in
brain + provides child with set of procedures for developing grammar on
basis of linguistic experience (speech input)
Input [experience x lang] → Language Faculty → Output [grammar x lang]
• Support:
- Language acquisition + speech = unique to humans
- Natural languages include unique principles + features – give insight
into human brain
- All ‘normal’ (?) children can acquire (any) language, irrespective of
intelligence
- Uniform development of grammars within + across language borders –
indicates children are “biologically equipped” for task of lang
acquisition
- Speed of acquisition supports idea of “genetic program”
- Children use (often ungrammatical) input in their linguistic experience
to develop a grammatical competence (i-lang) – shows genetically
determined tendency to analyze phrases as containing abstract
grammatical properties
- Language acquisition is an unconscious, instinctive + spontaneous
process w/o teaching/training or conscious exercise
3 Mariska Bester 2019 ©
Disclaimer: these notes are summaries of my lecturer’s slides (Me Jean-Marie Potgieter). All creds to
her.
• Syntax = study of
1. How sentences are structured / built up out of smaller units (words)
2. How mechanisms / devices / operations by which such structures are
formed
• Taxonomy: list according to which different syntactic unites are organized
into certain classes / categories
• Parts of Speech:
Subject: person / thing who does something, or finds themselves in
specific mental state
Object: person / thing that something is done to
Adverb: provides additional information about manner / time / place /
instrument etc.
Generative Grammar
• Takes cognitive approach to language investigation – focus on what
speakers know of their first language
• Theory / model of particular i-language
• Main aims:
- To determine what type of grammatical knowledge a fluent speaker
has of the structure of their language
- To provide scientifically adequate account of this knowledge
• Grammatical knowledge (knowledge of language structure) gives fluent
speakers the abilities:
Mariska Bester 2019 ©
, 1. To form various types of sentences found within that language
(negative sentences, active / passive, questions etc.)
2. To interpret utterances within that language
3. To make intuitive judgements about grammaticality / acceptability of
utterance within that language
• Traditional grammar: taxonomic approach to language investigation
(language = something ‘out there’)
Generative grammar: cognitive approach to language investigation
(language = in the mind)
• Grammatical competence:
- System of knowledge in the mind of fluent speaker
- Not influenced by non-linguistic factors
- Internal language
• Linguistic performance:
- Spoken / written / signed language
- Imperfect reflection of underlying grammatical competence
- Influenced by non-linguistic factors (tiredness, drugs etc.)
- External language
• Universal grammar: theory about nature of the grammars of all possible
human languages
• Basic assumption of generative approach:
- All humans are born with biological / genetically-determined Language
Faculty, which provides ability to acquire any possible human language
- Condition: exposure to a language
- UG = initial state of Language Faculty (baby)
- Grammatical competence = final stable state (after sufficient exposure
to language)
2 Mariska Bester 2019 ©
, Innateness Hypothesis
• Normal progress of language acquisition:
1. 12 months: 1st words
2. 18 months: vocab around 50 words – no inflection
3. 18+ months: first signs of grammar acquisition; 2-3 word-phrases;
inflection
4. 30+ months: near adult grammar
• Acquisition of 1st language is determined by innate Language Faculty in
brain + provides child with set of procedures for developing grammar on
basis of linguistic experience (speech input)
Input [experience x lang] → Language Faculty → Output [grammar x lang]
• Support:
- Language acquisition + speech = unique to humans
- Natural languages include unique principles + features – give insight
into human brain
- All ‘normal’ (?) children can acquire (any) language, irrespective of
intelligence
- Uniform development of grammars within + across language borders –
indicates children are “biologically equipped” for task of lang
acquisition
- Speed of acquisition supports idea of “genetic program”
- Children use (often ungrammatical) input in their linguistic experience
to develop a grammatical competence (i-lang) – shows genetically
determined tendency to analyze phrases as containing abstract
grammatical properties
- Language acquisition is an unconscious, instinctive + spontaneous
process w/o teaching/training or conscious exercise
3 Mariska Bester 2019 ©
