Linguistics & Semantics

Lesson 4: Syntax

Deep Structure and Surface Structure

Every sentence exists on two levels: the Surface structure which corresponds to the actual spoken sentence and the Deep structure which underlies meaning of the sentence. Thus, the single deep idea can be expressed in many different Surface Structures. Examples: Boy loves Girl (deep structure). The boy kissed the girl (surface structure). The boy was kissing the girl. The girl was kissed by the boy. (surface and deep structure).

The deep structure shows the semantic components but the surface structure shows the proper phonological information in order to express that thought. Thus deep structures generate surface structures through some transformational rules. The distinction between ‘deep structure’ and ‘surface structure’ permits us to explain ambiguous sentences such as ‘I have seen eating a rabbit’ that can have two interpretations 1) I have seen someone eating a rabbit 2) I have seen a rabbit eating something.

The ambiguity is due to the fact that the same surface structure derives from two deep structures. Chomsky has proposed an additional level of rules which can help transform the deep structure into the surface structure, for instance, the manipulation of verb tenses is one of the aspect of ‘transformational rules’( present tense, past tense, subjunctive, past perfect tense, future tense derive through transformational rules).

The Transformational subcomponent accounts for the transformation of such a sentence: ‘The cat killed the bird’ → the bird was killed by the cat. The bird was killed. The killing of the bird (by the cat). The cat’s killing of the bird.

So transformational rules permit the grammarians to explain ‘deletion’ A+B+C → A+ B: The cat disappeared and the dog disappeared → The cat and the dog disappeared;

‘addition/insertion, A+B→ A+B+ C: ‘Get out!→ Get out of here!;

‘permutation’ A+B+C→ A+C+B Call Mary up→ Call up Mary;

‘Substitution’ A+B+C→A+D+C Joseph arrived at home and Mark left the house→ On Joseph’s arrival at home Mark left the house.

The aim of TG consists in pairing a given string of sounds with a given meaning through a syntactic component.

In these files you can find 'tree examples' http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/186... http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/186... http://www.suite101.com/files/topics/186... http://www.ling.udel.edu/idsardi/101/

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