Syntax
is a branch of linguistics that focuses on grammar. According to Tallerman,
"‘syntax’ means ‘sentence construction’: how words group together to make
phrases and sentences" (1). It means that the study of syntax is to
research into the rules and the function about making a phrase, a clause and a
sentence with the words order. Syntax is sometimes said ‘grammar’ but it is too
broad, in formal, syntax is only one part of the grammar (Tallerman 1).
The
Term ‘Syntax’
Tallerman
says, "the term is also used to
mean the study of the syntactic properties of language" (1). Studying
syntax includes a constituent: the classification of words, words order, the
structure, and the different on languages (Tallerman 1).
Grammatical
Terms
When
people study syntax, there are many grammatical terms in the text: Noun (N),
Verb (V), Preposition (P), Determiner (D), Noun Phrase (NP), Verb Phrase (VP),
Preposition Phrase (PP)…. Such terms are used to analyze the sentence and used
in tree diagrams (Sobin 34). In addition, when their contents are explained,
such terms are used: relative clauses, subject, nominative, subjunctive,
passive….
Generalizing
Syntactic Rules
Sentence
is formed from NPs and VPs. However, they can be separated in small chunk
(Sobin 51).
e.g. S – NP, VP My sister bought a pen→My sister(NP),
bought a Pen(VP)
NP – D, N
My sister→My(D), sister(N)
VP – V, NP bought a pen→bought(V), a pen(NP)
Phrase
Sentences
are composed of some phrases. According to All About Linguistics, "There
are several different types of the phrase that can be used in a sentence, but
the two phrases which must be used in a sentence for it to make sense are a
noun phrase and a verb phrase".
Noun
Phrase A noun phrase is composed of a
noun. It is usually the person or thing that perform the verb in a
sentence. It may also be the person or
thing that the verb is being done to in a sentence. A person acting a verb in a
sentence is known as a subject (Aitchison 83), for example ‘Tom.’ Sometimes, a
determiner is needed in a noun phrase, like ‘the car.’
Verb
Phrase On the other hand, a verb phrase
is usually made up of one word “but not every sentence has basic verb phrase”
(All About Linguistics: What is Syntax?) Sometimes, a verb phrase contains
another noun phrase. This is a basic verb phrase.
Tree
Diagram
The
succussive layers of constituents can be shown most clearly on a tree diagram.
The source of the name is that its blanches resemble the blanches of an
upside-down tree (Aitchison 85). In the tree diagram, a basic sentence type at
the top branches downwards in every-increasing complexity.
