Sanjukta Ghosh
Department of Linguistics
Banaras Hindu University
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There are different grammatical theories
available for analyzing natural languages.
Some of them are Principles and Parameters
(P&P) theory in its two versions (GB and
Minimalism), GPSG and its latest modified
version HPSG, LFG, TAG and Paninian
model.
Any of these theories can be used for
developing a parser for NLP.
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In Computer science and linguistics parsing is
the process of analyzing a sequence of tokens
to determine its grammatical structure with
respect to a given formal grammar.
The structure of the language and the features
of the grammar formalism together are
responsible for what kind of formal theory
should be taken for analysis of the language.
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If a grammar analyzes a sentence into different
levels of derivation to reach to the actual
surface structure, it is called a derivational
grammar. E.g. Chomsky’s Government and
Binding (GB) grammar formalism.
If only the surface form of the sentence is
represented by some grammar formalism
ignoring any kind of derivation to reach that
form it is called a representational grammar.
E.g HPSG, LFG, Paninian Dependency model
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The categorical constituent structure of
sentences can be represented in the form of a
Phrase Marker.
What do phrase markers consist of?
structure of Phrase Markers: HEADS,
SPECIFIERS and COMPLEMENTS
THREE LEVELS OF SYNTACTIC CATEGORIES
PHRASAL OR PHRASE PROJECTED FROM HEAD
X (NP=N)
INTERMEDIATE OR LEVEL PROJECTED FROM THE HEAD
X (N)
LEXICAL OR LEVEL OF HEAD WORDS
X (N)
X-THEORY ABSTRACTS AWAY FROM PARTICULARS OF
ONE SYNTACTIC CATEGORY OR ANOTHER AND GIVES A
LANGUAGE-WIDE TEMPLATE FOR CHARACTERIZING
SYNTACTIC STRUCTURE.
IT IS A MOVE FROM LANGUAGE-SPECIFIC GRAMMAR TO
UNIVERSAL GRAMMAR.
THE HEAD OF A LINGUISTIC UNIT IS THAT PART OF THE
UNIT THAT GIVES ITS ESSENTIAL CHARACTER.
 N IS THE HEAD OF THE NP - ONE CAN REPLACE A
PHRASE BY ITS HEAD. THEY CAN BE LEXICAL OR
FUNCTIONAL.
• LEXICAL HEADS : N, A, P AND V
• FUNCTIONAL HEADS: COMPLEMENTIZER, INFL, DET
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COMPLEMENT AND ADJUNCT ARE NOT LEXICAL OR
PHRASAL
CATEGORIES,
THEY
ARE
FUNCTIONAL
CATEGORIES.
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A HEAD TAKES A PHRASAL CATEGORY AS ITS
COMPLEMENT. COMPLEMENTS ARE DAUGHTERS OF X
AND SISTER OF SOME X CATEGORY. DIRECT OBJECTS
ARE THE COMPLEMENTS OF VERBS.
X
X
X
(HEAD)
Y
(COMPLEMENT)
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Unergative construction
1. John smiled (a beautiful smile).
Unaccusative construction
2. John arrived (*an unexpected arrival).
a. Unergative verbs: subject is the specifier of
vP
b. Unaccusative verbs: the subject is the
complement of vP
v
NP(Sub)
(SPECIFIER)
v
v
(HEAD)
NP (Direct Obj)
(COMPLEMENT)
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John sighed.
John gave a sigh.
These two sentences will have uniform phrase
structure representation, in both the sentence
the subject John is generated in the Spec of vP.
Only difference is in the first sentence v is overt
and in the second it is gave.
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Indian languages have constructions like V-V,
N-V and A-V which together act as a unit or
predicate.
vah pahUZc gayA. (V-V)
usne merI madad kI. (N-V)
tumne mujhe khuS kiyA. (A-V)
The second element is called a light verb
(makes a vP) and the subject is generated in the
Specifier position of this vP.
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Verbs with one complement
The boy took a savage beating.
The boy took the book.
John gave Mary flowers.
vP
NP(sub)
v’
v
VP1
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NP (IO)
V’
V
V
VP2
V’
NP(DO)
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The child ate the food.
baccene khAnA khAyA.
The mother fed the child.
mAZne bacceko khAnA khilAyA. (same
structure as ditransitive)
The mother got the aayah to feed the child.
mAZne AyA se bacceko khAnA khilwAyA.
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Raising to subject
John seems to be happy.
John is actually the subject of the embedded
clause and is raised to the subject position of
the matrix clause.
Raising to Object
John believes Mary to be happy.
Mary is raised from the subject position of the
embedded clause to he object position of the
matrix clause.
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Subject control
I want to be happy.
Ram promised Bharat to come back.
Object control
Ram persuaded Bharat to go back.
Non-finite participial constructions are
common in Indian languages.
 vah nActe nActe calA gayA.
 nacte nacte is adjoined to the main clause.
Mohan ne dauRte hue ghoRe ko dekhA.
Depending on the interpretation, dauRte hue is
either adjoined the main clause or a modifier of
the NP ghoRe in a DP.
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THANK
YOU
For any query
san_subh@yahoo.com