SKBI6043 English Language System English Linguistics

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SKBI6043 English Language System (English
Linguistics)
1

• Session 4

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English Language System (English Linguistics)

• Session 4
• Syntax from a cognitive system of language
  perspective the passive construction

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English Language System (English Linguistics)
The language system some old fundamental
assumptions

• Economy is ok but more important psychologically
  real
• Bi-polar Continuum
• Semantic structure is language specific
• Syntactic structure are overt no D-str or
  transformation

• Economy
• Autonomous self contained
• Semantic structure is universal
• Syntactic structure are abstract (D-str)
• Syntax general rules

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4
DOG - PL
c
c
i
DOG
PL
s
s
s
s
dog - z
c
c
i
dog
z
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
Before we begin .

• What is the difference between TG and CGin
  treating the passive construction in English?
• i.e. what is the difference / relationship
  between
• Ali kicked the ball.
• The ball was kicked by Ali.

No derivation same semantic content different
image The object of by is simply the object of
by not a demoted or moved subject Grammatical
markers are meaningful rather than syntactic
Synonymous (same D-Structure) by marks the
subject movement rule Grammatical markers
syntactic function . movement
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
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7
English Language System (English Linguistics)
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THE PIN-PL
A GROUNDING PREDICATION
PIN-PL
THE
S
H
PL
PIN
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(a)
(c)
(b)
SOME
MOST
ALL
1m
1m
COMPARISON
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MOST OF THE PIN PL
S
H
MOST
OF-THE-PIN-PL
1m
S
1m
H
1m
S
tr
H
OF
THE-PIN-PL
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(b) THING
(c) SPECIFIED STATE
(d) SCHEMATIC SCALE
(e) COMPLEX ATEMPORAL RELATION

(a) ENTITY
(f) PERFECTIVE PROCESS
(g) IMPERFECTIVE PROCESS
(h) PROCESS SCHEMA









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English Language System (English Linguistics)
PERF1
PERF2
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
V-PERF3
PERF3
V
4
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
APPROACH
APPROACH-PERF3
tr
lm
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
BE-STAT
DO-PROC
tr
lm
(..)
(..)
STAT
PROC
DO-
BE
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
BEp-APPROACH-PERF3
BEp-V-PERF3
V-PERF3
BEp
tr
()
()
4
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
lm
tr
2
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
APPROACH-PERF3-BY-ALICE
tr
BY
lm
A
APPROACH-PERF3
BY-ALICE
tr
A
tr
A
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ALICE
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English Language System (English Linguistics)
A
tr
A
tr
G
G
ALICE-DIST-APPROACH-BILL
BILL-DIST-BEp-APPROACH-PERF3-BY-ALICE
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