THE ORGANIZATION THE ORGANIZATION OF GRAMMAROF GRAMMAR

When we speak of When we speak of the the organizationorganization of grammarof grammar we are going to consider two we are going to consider two important concepts: important concepts:

RANKRANK and and CLASSCLASS

RANKRANK

It refers to different levels of It refers to different levels of organization organization withinwithin grammar grammar

Let’s consider the following example:Let’s consider the following example: People throw stones.People throw stones.This stretch of language consists of This stretch of language consists of

oneonesentence sentence and and threethree wordswords..SentenceSentence and and WordWord are two are two ranksranks of ofgrammatical organizationgrammatical organization

Let’s compare the following sentence with the Let’s compare the following sentence with the previous one:previous one:

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.throw stones.

Like the previous sentence (People throw stones), Like the previous sentence (People throw stones), this sentence can be analysed into three this sentence can be analysed into three unitsunits. . Two of these units are regarded as Two of these units are regarded as expansionsexpansions of single words in the previous sentence.of single words in the previous sentence.

(i) People (i) People who live in glass houseswho live in glass houses

(expansion of “people”)(expansion of “people”)

(ii) (ii) shouldn’tshouldn’t throw throw

(expansion of “throw”)(expansion of “throw”)

(iii) stones(iii) stones

These units are called These units are called GROUPSGROUPS

SENTENCESENTENCE

GroupGroup (i)(i) GroupGroup (ii)(ii) GroupGroup (iii(iii))

W W W W W W W W W WW W W W W W W W W W

People who live in glass houses should n’t throw People who live in glass houses should n’t throw stonesstones

We also need to recognize We also need to recognize an an additionaladditional rankrank between group and between group and sentencesentence

Let’s analyse the following sentence:Let’s analyse the following sentence:

She’s great funShe’s great fun butbut her husband is rather her husband is rather dull.dull.

The two The two underlinedunderlined units are called units are called CLAUSESCLAUSES

CLAUSE COMPLEXCLAUSE COMPLEX

Clause 1 Clause 2Clause 1 Clause 2

Group Group Group Group Group Group GroupGroup Group Group Group Group Group Group

W W W W W W W W W WW W W W W W W W W W

She ‘s great fun but her husband is She ‘s great fun but her husband is rather dullrather dull

CLASSCLASS

Terms like Terms like nounnoun (N) and (N) and verbverb (V) are (V) are names of names of word classesword classes, what we know as , what we know as “parts of speech”“parts of speech”

The words in the sentence The words in the sentence People throw stones.People throw stones.

can be labeled according to their can be labeled according to their classclass N V NN V N People throw stonesPeople throw stones

The same class labels are also used The same class labels are also used to name the to name the groupsgroups. Thus,. Thus,

People who live in glass housesPeople who live in glass houses (NG)(NG)

shouldn’t throwshouldn’t throw (VG)(VG)

Two other major word Two other major word classesclasses are: are:

AdjectiveAdjective:: That’s That’s goodgood!!

AdverbAdverb:: FortunatelyFortunately, the situation changed for , the situation changed for the betterthe better

The same class labels are used to name the The same class labels are used to name the groupsgroups::

AdjGAdjG:: … … a letter from a letter from a very angrya very angry parent parent

AdvGAdvG:: It is It is very deeplyvery deeply rooted in the American psyche. rooted in the American psyche.

Some grammars use the term Some grammars use the term “phrase”“phrase”

instead of instead of “group”“group”,, for instance: noun for instance: noun

phrase and adverbial phrase but in this phrase and adverbial phrase but in this

course the only kind of phrase which we course the only kind of phrase which we

are going to recognize is the are going to recognize is the

“prepositional phrase”“prepositional phrase”

What’s the difference betweenWhat’s the difference between

GROUPGROUP

andand

PHRASEPHRASE ??

A A groupgroup can be thought of as an can be thought of as an

expandedexpanded word. A word. A phrasephrase, however, is , however, is

like like a a minimini clauseclause in the sense that the in the sense that the

words which follow the prepositions are words which follow the prepositions are

not expansions of the prepositions but not expansions of the prepositions but

objects objects of prepositionsof prepositions

Examples of Examples of prepositional phrasesprepositional phrases::

James is a software designer James is a software designer for a for a computercomputer companycompany..

The students in her class are all The students in her class are all from from GermanyGermany..

Here’s an e.mail Here’s an e.mail in Englishin English..

We often go We often go to the mountainsto the mountains..

How many How many groupsgroups can we identify in SFG? can we identify in SFG?

FOURFOUR

Which are they?Which are they? Nominal GroupNominal Group Verbal GroupVerbal Group Adjectival GroupAdjectival Group Adverbial GroupAdverbial Group

How many How many phrasesphrases can we recognize? can we recognize?

ONLY ONEONLY ONE

The Prepositional PhraseThe Prepositional Phrase

In today’s class, we are going to focusIn today’s class, we are going to focus

on on Nominal GroupNominal Group only. only.

As we said before, groups are As we said before, groups are extendedextended words. When analysing a words. When analysing a Nominal GroupNominal Group, we may say that it , we may say that it consists of a main noun or consists of a main noun or “head “head word”word” (called the (called the ThingThing) and has ) and has the potential to be expanded by the potential to be expanded by adding information before the head-adding information before the head-word and/or after it. word and/or after it.

If the information is added If the information is added beforebefore the head-word the head-word it’s called it’s called “pre-modification”.“pre-modification”.

If the information is added If the information is added afterafter the head-word the head-word it’s called it’s called “post-modification”.“post-modification”.

For example, we could say:For example, we could say:

They said they could make himThey said they could make him a suita suit.. or extend the NG further by pre- and post-or extend the NG further by pre- and post-

modification as inmodification as in

They said they could make him They said they could make him the most the most beautifulbeautiful suitsuit, , with magic cloth that only with magic cloth that only clever people could see.clever people could see.

Now, Let’s do some Now, Let’s do some recognition practicerecognition practice on on

the the Nominal GroupNominal Group and the different and the different functionsfunctions each component or constituent each component or constituent performs.performs.

My brother is a History teacher.My brother is a History teacher.

His daughter’s name is Lara.His daughter’s name is Lara.

The student bars and cafés are cheap.The student bars and cafés are cheap.

That’s one of my sister’s son.That’s one of my sister’s son.

There are too many cars on the streets.There are too many cars on the streets.

The center of the house is one very big bubble.The center of the house is one very big bubble.

too many carstoo many cars

Numerative Numerative ThingNumerative Numerative Thing

the streetsthe streets

Deictic ThingDeictic Thing

MyMy brotherbrother Deictic ThingDeictic Thing A History teacherA History teacher Deictic Classifier ThingDeictic Classifier Thing His daughter’s nameHis daughter’s name Deictic Deictic ThingDeictic Deictic Thing LaraLara ThingThing

The student bars The student bars andand caféscafés

Deictic Classifier Thing Deictic Classifier Thing ThingThing

ThatThat

DeiticDeitic

one of my sister’s sonone of my sister’s son

Deictic Deictic ThingDeictic Deictic Thing

The center of the The center of the househouse

Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic Deictic ThingThing

one very big one very big bubblebubble

Numerative Epithet Epithet Numerative Epithet Epithet ThingThing