From Form to MeaningProposition

1
From Form to Meaning-Proposition

• By Li Shaohua
• Zhen Jia
• Liu Aifang

2
Questions proposed in this part

• Why do we study proposition?
• What components are there in a proposition?
• How to use it?

3
Significance of proposition

• Proposition-a set of meaning units, proper
  content words
• Our mind has the tendency to perceive the meaning
  units rather than the form
• In communication with the native speaker, the
  non-native speakers syntactic errors or
  incomplete sentence will not arouse
  misunderstanding because the listener will infer
  the meaning from the propositions
• There is no need to tell what we hear word by
  word, rather we can retell it in our own style
  with the same propositions
• Misunderstanding occurs when our mind perceives
  the wrong propositions (Jim tells the attendant
  the singer likes him)

4
Components in a proposition

• Verb-core of a proposition
• Different verbs require different numbers of
  NPs-arguments (subject-external argument
  object-internal argument)
• Formulas predicate V (external argument, internal
  argument)
• Intransitive verb-one NP as subject-external
  argument example the baby sleeps. Sleep (the
  baby)
• Simple transitive verb-two NPs subject-external
  argument object-internal argument
• example I buy a toy. Buy (I, a toy)

5

• Ditransive verb-three NPs subject (external
  argument) direct object and indirect object
  (internal arguments)
• example Violet gives Jim a book. Give (Violet,
  Jim, a book)
• Unusual verb-no NP-a meaningless dummy subject
  it
• Example it rains again. Rain ()

6

• the knowledge of the number of arguments required
  by a verb help to distinguish the incompleteness
  of a sentence
• example I bring you. Verb bring needs three
  arguments, so the two arguments fail to form a
  complete sentence

7
Adjuncts

• In addition to arguments, a verb also permits
  optional phrases, such as prepositional or
  adverbial phrases
• example I waited for my friend on the platform
  in the railway station last evening.

8

• thank You Very Much!