31 Semantic syntax. Deep and surface structures. Semantic relations between noun

and verb: agent and patient.

Language has phonological, syntactical and semantic components. Grammar must take into consideration all these aspects. Sentence has to have a deep structure and surface structure (which is phonological). A native speaker understands both. He always has the deep structure in mind when he produces sentences.

Deep Grammar - a system of rules that determine the deep and surface structures of sentence, their relation, the semantic interpretation of the deep structure and the phonetic interpretation of the surface structure.

E.g. the shooting of the hunters was terrible - 2 deep structures and 1 surface structure

1. The hunters shot sb and it was terrible

2.Sb shot the hunters and it was terrible.

Here we should also speak of the semantic structure of the sentence

Semantic syntax is a subject that deals with explaining language use on the bases of semantic model. One of the ways of structuring semantic models is semantic roles. It's the semantic content of the verb that determines semantic roles, what the sentence would be like, which nouns will accompany the verb, how these nouns will be semantically specified.

E.g. The man laughed

The verb is characterized as action here. It dictates that it should be accompanied by a noun which is related to it as agent and this noun should be specified as animate and also human.

E.g. the chair laughed.

The noun is abnormally animate because of the semantic content of the verb.

E.g. They showed him the Urals.

The verb here includes 3 semantic roles:

1. that of the agent

2. Beneficiary

3. Patient

Agent - someone who does sth. A noun can be seen as the agent. It's someone who performs the action. In the surface structure agent is either the subject of object.

There are 2 kinds of agents;

Causative Permissive

E.g. John threw the stone. E.g. John dropped the stone.

The agent is causative cause it makes The agent is permissive cause it only

an object perform an action. (?) gives an opportunity to perform an action.

Patient denotes the objects of the action. They can be expressed by the subject or object.

E.g. I was told the news.

Patients can be accompanied by verbs that are characterized as stated and processes.

E.g. The wood is dry. The wood dried.

If we have agent + patient then the verb must denote action and process.

E.g. The man tightened the rope.

31. Semantic relations between noun and verb: agent, patient

Semantic STR of the S (semantic =sem)

The idea that S has a surf. & deep STR & that a deep STR is connected with sem STR gave rise to the development sem syntax .

Sem syntax - a subject that deals with explaining L use on the basis of the semantic model.

Wallas Chafe suggests starting with the mng. He suggests structuring this mng with the help of semantic roles which are determined by the semantic content of the verb. He states that the nature of the verb determines what the sentence will be like, what nouns will accompany the verb, and how these nouns will be semantically specified. V is at the core of everything.

Thus, the verb is characterized as action. Such a verb dictates that it be accompanied by a noun which is related to it as agent. The noun should be specified as animate, perhaps also human.

~ The man laughed. - The man is specified as agent, animate, human. Laughed denotes action.

Chave proves the correctness of his view by the following S:

~ The chair laughed. - We interprete the noun as if it were abnormally animate. Abnormal kinds of activities that are preformed by inanimate objects.

Chafe proves the correctness of his view by the S : the chair laughed (abnormally animate)

The role STR of the v can include the agent, beneficiary and

Patient.

~They showed him the jewels

Show includes 3 roles: 1) agent (they)

2) beneficiary (him)

3) patient (jewels)

The agent - is someone who does smth

A N can be said to be the agent of the V if it specifies someone who performs an action.

(In the surf. STR it can be represented either by the subj. or by an obj).

The agent can be causative or permissive:

~ John(caus.) threw a stone

~ John(perm.) dropped a stone (the agent gives an obj. an opportunity to perform an action).

To prove the differ. of the two kinds of agents Chafe introduces the role instrument :

~ John threw a stone with the sling(рогатка). – marked sentence.

~ John dropped the stone with the sling- unmarked sentence (the sentence doesn’t exist in the language).

The role patient denotes

The patient denotes the object of the action. Can be expressed either by the subject or an object – in the suface structure.

The obj. of the action can be expressed by the subj. or obj.

~ They told him the news (patient obj.)

~ The news (patient subj.) was told to him

Patients can be accompanied by verbs that we cancharacterize as states or processes

~ The wood is dried. The rope is tied

~ The wood dried. The rope toghtened. (the verbs denote processes)

~ Michel dried the wood

~ The man tightened the rope

An agent and a patient are in one sentence. The verb denotes an action; expresses what the agent does. At the same time this verb expresses process. As a process, the verb brings about a change in the patient.

Different meanings of the active voice. Medial meaning of the voice.

A patient can be inanimate & animate: the beggar killed the elephant(animate)/time(inanimate)

Animate patient: The tiger killed the elephant.