LECTURE 6
1. The basic NP has two immediate constituents:
DETERMINER - (DET) - it always has nominal as a sister; it provides information about quantity and proportion and whether the thing referred to by the NP is familiar to both speaker and hearer or not:
basic determiners:
ARTICLES - (ART): definite article the and indefinite articles: a/an (any expression that occupies the same position in NP structure as an article counts as a DET),
words which perform the same function as the articles:
DEMONSTRATIVES - (DEM) - this, that, those, these,
CERTAIN QUANTIFIERS - (Q) - some, any, no, each, every, either, neither,
POSSESSIVES - (POSS) - my, your, its, his, her, John's,
(the DET position is not always filled - any unfulfilled DET gives the NP an indefinite and more general interpretation):
NP NP NP
DET NOM DET NOM DET NOM
DEM N Q N POSS N
these people some tea John's idea
NOMINAL - (NOM):
it represents a level of NP-structure intermediate between the phrasal NP level and the Lexical N level,
it is the intermediate head of the NP, and N is the head of NOM,
N is the ultimate head of NP,
NOM can be simple or complex,
all modifiers of the head noun will fall under the NOM node.
NP NP
DET NOM DET NOM
ART N ART AP N
A
the bears the brown bears
2.The two types of NP that do not have DET + NOM position are just a: PRONUN or just as a: PROPER NOUN:
so... a NP like Maria is not analyzed as having an unfilled DET position,
PRONOUNS (PRO) are inherently definite and PROPER NOUNS (N) are either inherently definite (we/they) or indefinite (some/several),
the function of pronouns is to replace NPs as a whole (Old Sam = He),
the phrase marker for Proper Noun Phrases and Pronouns should look like that:
NP NP
N PRO
Maria She
3. POSSESSIVE PRONOUN - can either consist of possessive pronoun (my/its) or a full NP + 's (the book's cover):
NP
DET NOM
POSS N
NP 's
DET NOM
ART N
the book cover
4.PRE-DETERMINER - (PRE-DET) - cannot be categorized as determiners, e.g.: double, all, both, half:
they pre-determine NPs such as: the people and the size in expressions such as all the people and half the size,
a pre-determiner should be represented as a sister of NP within the overall NP:
NP
PRE-DET NP
DET NOM
ART N
all the people
5. Pre-modifiers in NOM:
ADJECTIVE PHRASES (AP):
adjectives are the most common pre-modifiers of the noun within NOM,
they co-occur with and follow determiners (the young boy),
the may occur in the VP functioning as subject-predicatives,
they are gradable,
QUANTIFYING ADJECTIVES (QA):
like adjectives:
co-occur with and follow determiners (these few instances),
may occur in the VP functioning as subject-preticatives (the people were many),
are gradable - they have comparative and superlative forms (fewer mistakes/the most intriguing story),
numerals (cardinal and ordinal) should be treated as including quantifying adjectives within NOM (they follow DET including unfilled DET),
quantifying adjectives are head of AP and such an AP precedes other APs in NOM,
PARTICIPLE PHRASE (PartP):
the progressive, perfect and passive participles (the non-finite forms of verbs) may appear as pre-modifiers within NOM,
they are not gradable (they are verbal rather than adjectival),
one may have difficulty distinguishing true adjectives from verb participles, e.g.: pleasing, relieved, unexpected -> are adjectives,
NOUNS (N):
may act as modifiers of head nouns, e.g.: tree house, book cover - such combination is known as a compound noun and is treated as a compound word:
N
N N
tree house
however, noun modifiers can themselves be modified, e.g.: an old tree house:
NP
DET NOM
ART AP N
A N N
an old tree house
6. Structure of NOM:
in the phrase all those hairy ape men: all pre-modifiers those hairy ape men, hairy modifies ape men and ape - men - such configuration is referred to as a NESTING STRUCTURE:
NP
PRE-DET NP
DET NOM
AP N
A N N
all those hairy ape men
NOM can have NOM as one of its constituents - each modifier must be dominated by a NOM.
7. Post-modifiers: a single NOM can include a pre-modifying AP and post-modifying PP - there must be as many NOMs as there are modifiers.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES (PP):
in the NP an expedition to the pub, the head noun expedition is post-modified by the PP to the pub:
NP
DET NOM
ART N PP
P NP
DET NOM
ART N
an expedition to the pub
ADJECTIVE PHRASES (AP):
a single NOM can include a pre-modifying AP and post-modifying PP; there must be as many NOMs as there are modifiers.