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Aen 404: Advances In The Description Of English Syntax Question Paper

Aen 404: Advances In The Description Of English Syntax

Course:Bachelor Of Education (Arts)

Institution: Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University Of Science And Technology question papers

Exam Year:2013

JARAMOGI OGINGA ODINGA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
AEN404: ADVANCES IN THE DESCRIPTION OF ENGLISH SYNTAX
REGULAR PROGRAMME, MAY-AUGUST: ACADEMIC YEAR 2012/13
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer three questions only. Question ONE is mandatory.

Question One.
(a) Explain linguistic theory and identify the levels of adequacy required of it? (6 marks)
(b) Explain three strengths and three weakness of traditional grammar. (6 marks)
(c) What criteria determine the constituency of a sentence? Explain them. (6 marks)
(d) Provide a sentence that could satisfy the following re-write rules. (8 marks)
(i) S---->Pro + past tense + modal V + ADV.
(ii) S---->Det + Adj + N + P + Det + N
(e) State any four differences between formal and functional grammars. (4 marks)

Question Two
(a) With examples, differentiate Phrase Structure Rules and Transformation Rules (4 marks)
(b) Draw a Structural Description phrase marker for the following sentence: (6 marks)
(i) I have been eating food.
(c) Make the above sentence passive and then provide a phrase maker for it (6 marks).

Question Three
(a) Identify the two types of interrogative sentences (2 marks)
(b) Derive an interrogative sentence from the following declarative and then draw a phrase
marker for it (12 marks)
(i) The poor farmers should have left.
(c) Justify why the Aux (auxiliary) is not part of the VP (Verb Phrase)? (6 marks)

Question Four
(a) Using two syntactic tree structures disambiguate the following sentence; (8 marks)
(i) Otieno beat the boy with a stick
(b) Explain the following syntactic concepts with specific examples; (8 marks)
(i) government (ii) specifier (iii) head (iv) C-command
(c) Differentiate R-expressions and Anaphors with specific examples (4 marks)

Question Five
(a) Define principle A, B and principle C of the Binding theory. With examples, show how they
explain the ungrammaticality of sentences? (9 marks)
(b) State four differences between the X-bar and Bare Phrase Structure (BPS) theories of phrase
Structure (8 marks)
(c) Using specific example, explain the ‘shortest movement’ principle of the Minimalism
Programme (3 marks)

END!

Aen 404: Advances In The Description Of English Syntax Question Paper

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