User:Gert
Syntax 1 Wiki
The English Language and its Grammar
1. For the purposes of Syntactic Theory,a string consists of one or more words: dogs, Hunde, einkaufen gehen, to go shopping, . . . .
2. For the purposes of English Syntax,we distinguish between two kinds of strings:
a. Strings which native speakers would accept as English: dogs, to go shopping, loves Jill, waiting for the bus, it is raining, happy cats, . . .
b. Strings which native speakers would not accept as English: Hunde, einkaufen gehen, go to shopping, waiting for bus the . . .
3. It is the task of English syntax to explain in a precise and principled fash.ion which strings of words native speakers of English accept as well formed English and which not.
4. This task would be easy to accomplish, if one could simply list all the English strings. But, unfortunately, one cannot do that, since there are infinitely many well formed English strings:
a. Mary is tired. Mary is very tired. Mary is very, very tired. Mary is very, very, very tired. . . .
b. Mary went to the store. Mary went to the store but Jill stayed home. Mary went to the store but Jill stayed home and Sue had the flu. . . .
5. So, it is impossible to list all and only the well formed strings of English words. But what is possible, is to find a property that all and only the strings of English have in common: they and only they are grammatical according to the Grammar of English! All other strings are ungrammat.ical according to the Grammar of English.
6. So, we need to concern ourselves with the Grammar of English. This is what this course is all about!