Teaching The Noun Phrase In English English Language Essay

Teaching The Noun Phrase In English English Language EssayEnglish syntax presents the titular group or noun express (NP) as a basic comp acent part of the article (S). Phrase Structure rules normally represent S as consisting of a Noun Phrase and a Verb Phrase (VP).(1) S NP VPThe constituents of the cla subroutine or reprobate are then further broken hatful into their constituents. Yet the proposal of other theories to capture the constituents of S has resulted in much complex still more precise ways of explaining how the constituents of a sentence relate to each other. An extension on X-bar possibility by Santorini and Kroch in their on disceptation text earmark The syntax of natural language An online introduction utilise the Trees program actually identifies NPs as De shapeiner Phrases or DPs. Although this paper testament non delve into the layers of complexity advocated by such theorists, it does conk away from the tralatitious strategies of teaching nouns and NPs and seeks to ratify plan of attackes for introducing the teaching of NPs in the ESL/EFL context. We shall, therefore, describe the structure of the NP, mentioning the categories of return and non- depend (or muckle) nouns and finally prescribe a viable teaching option with remark to the noun vocabulary.Nouns and the structure of NPsTraditional grammar defines the noun as the cite of a person, place, animal or thing. This vague definition succumbs quite readily to criticism the moment we move away from holding it high in the canon of English grammar to 1 of closer examination. Huddleston (84) lists a few properties that help to trendify this watchword affiliateIt contains amongst its most central members those words that denote persons or concrete objectsIts members wellspring phrases noun phrases which characteristically move as subject or object in clause structure and refer to participants in the situation described in the clause, to the actor, patient, recipient, and so on.It is the class to which the categories of depend, gender and case have their primary employmentIt becomes significantly easier for us to define the noun and subsequently the NP by flavor at its function and distribution in the clause.Brinton and Brinton (193) expand the NP in a table that has been reproduced belowTable 1. Expansions of NPNP N andironsDet Nthe dogsDet A Nthe large dogsDet AP Nthe loudly barking dogsDet N PPthe dog in the yardDet A N PPthe ferocious dog behind the fenceDet AP N PPthe wildly yapping dog on the loungeProHePNGoldyIn all of the expanding upons except the final deuce the head of the NP the noun (N) is obligatory. In the final two expansions the head has been substituted by a pronoun and a Proper noun respectively. These two are still subsumed under(a) the category of noun so we can still say that the head subsists to near degree.The broadest expansion level of the NP, Det AP N PP presents categories that may be grouped in relation to th e noun head of the phrase. Therefore, we may talk about pre-head dependents and post-head dependents. Huddleston asserts that an NP will consist of a noun as head, alone or accompanied by one or more dependentspre-head and post-head dependents (85). He mentions that the pre-head dependents may be decisive factors and/or modifiers and that the post-head dependents consist of equilibrizes, modifiers and computer peripheral dependents. Where Huddleston calls these genes dependents (either pre-head or post-head), Downing and Locke, in order to alter matters, label them modifiers (403). They locate the head of the phrase as the central element around which are located the pre-modifiers and post-modifiers.Figure 1 shows a plotmatic representation of the general constituents of the NP.Figure 1. Diagrammatic Representation of an NPNoun (Head)Post-modifiersSpecifiersPre-modifiersAlthough the number of de shapeiners is quite limited (Huddleston (86) states that there are approximately three determiner slots), there seems to be less restriction on what can gather the modifier position.Determiners have the form of () determinatives the, just about, which, etc (recall that determiner is used as the name of a function, determinative of a class) () Poss Ps the dogs, your fathers() cardinal numerals one, two() plant NPs expressing quantification a dozena fewAn NP may contain up to three determiners (Huddleston 86).Downing and Locke (404) comparablewise suggest that the relatively limit list of determiners (articles, demonstratives, possessives, Wh-words, distributives and quantifiers) can be put into three broad categories primaeval determinatives the articles, the demonstratives, the possessives, the quantifiersPre-determinatives all, both, twice, double, suchPost-determinatives the ordinal numerals and the semi-determinatives (same, other, former, latter, own)As said before, Santorini and Kroch in Chapter 5 of their online book argue a case for DPs. They beli eve that nounscannot in general function as arguments on their own, but must be accompanied by a determiner. This makes sense even if there is a zero marking for the determiner. They go on to say to caution the readerthe traditional term noun phrase is a misnomer since noun phrases are maximal projections of D rather than of N. Because the term noun phrase is firmly established in usage, we continue to use it as an informal synonym for DP. However, in order to avoid confusion, we will use the term NP only to refer to the subconstituent of a noun phrase that is the complement of a determiner. We will never use it to refer to an entire noun phrase (that is, a DP)The NP can also be called the complement of a determiner as suggested by Santorini and Kroch, but in order to come about concepts simple we should stick to the distinction as prescribed by the plot above where the determiner position is synonymous with specifier.The pre-modifier position (labelled AP in Brinton and Brintons largest expansion above) can be filled with a number of classes adjectives (and adverbs), nouns, participial forms of verbs and possessives. delinquent to the recursive property of this position, there is a complex enjoin order of these classes. This can be seen quite clearly if we unaccompanied look at the ordering of adjectives (Parrot 54)Table 2. Order of adjectives in the NP1 sizing2 Shape3 Colour4 Origin5 Material6 UseNounalargewhite ambushasleevelessbluewoollenpulloverSmallSpanishservingdishesThe order also places the opinion of the speaker (subjective aspect) before a description (objective aspect) of the object.The post-modifiers, on the other hand, can exist as complements, modifiers and peripheral dependents (Huddleston 93). X-bar theory accounts for these elements by the use of the terms adjunct and complement. In the diagram below, these post-head elements are shown to the right of the X circles.XPXXSpecifierAdjunct musical accompanimentXXHead Figure 2. Template for an XP in X-bar theoryWhereas adjuncts are seen as optional modifiers, complements are shown to be obligatory. The diagram shows their differing positions indoors the hierarchy of the phrase (XP), where the complement appears closer to the head. Although this information may be helpful for the instructor, it would be better to stay away from X-bar theory when trying to explain phrase formation to the student unless the student has already had fundamental interaction with it.One cannot mention the noun, and even the noun phrase, without mentioning an aspect of nouns that is relatively unique to them their countability. Allan mentions that the pattern of countability varies and has to do with the perception of the speaker and listenerthat which is countable is denumerable. Although countability is a lingual category, it typically has perceptual correlations the reference of what is linguistically countable is ordinarily perceived in terms of one or more discrete entities. What i s uncountable is typicallyperceived as an undifferentiated unity. (565)The countability of the noun is linked to its ability to be inflect for plurality and is also linked to the use of certain determiners. Uncountable or mass nouns in English are not normally pluralised unless the speaker is using some type of jargon peculiar to a field. However, the notion of countability also carries across into the NP. If the noun, as head of the phrase, is countable, it also mean values that the NP would be countable as well.Teaching the NP to ESL/EFL studentsThe NP should not be introduced explicitly to low-level proficiency ESL/EFL students. Although the students may have some unconscious knowledge of the NP in their own languages, it is a more seize approach to teach Upper-Intermediate and Advanced level students about the workings of the NP to improve their stylistic capabilities and also to improve their communicative options. The teaching of the NP, like everything else, must be contextu alised and not necessarily bogged down by solely teaching the students grammar.It is quite important to link the teaching of the NP to forward knowledge gained by the students so that its syntactic structure can be used as a refresher for students with respect to things like count and non-count nouns, adverbials and determiners.Students can be taught inductively by teachers where sentences are put on the panel and students can also be asked to identify the syntactic categories that make up the phrase and also the apparent rules for the ordering of categories. Nevertheless, an indispensible teaching tool in this area would be to let the students be these categories. What do I mean by be? Well, if we look singly at the AP constituent of the NP and wish to help students to grasp the order of the adjectives (as listed in the table above), the teacher can put an AP on the board containing quite a number of these adjectives. Then random students can be asked to come to the front of the class and the teacher can assign the students a word. The students can write this word on a page and stick it to their chests or hold them up. Subsequently, the teacher can ask the students to move around in a line to represent the phrase, swapping positions with each other and encouraging the class to read the phrase according to the new orders. The teacher will have to have some knowledge of APs and be able to explain why random ordering of lexical items is unacceptable in APs.This exercise can also be done with NPs to some extent. The teacher can use it to show the recursivity of the modifier positions especially (vis--vis embedded clauses and other modifiers) and to solidify the ordering of the constituents. This kinaesthetic approach can also be complemented by a musical one where a song can be used to show the importee as well as the functional use of NPs. Gardners Multiple Intelligences is a good tool to take advantage of when teaching these primarily grammar-oriented topics, but calls on a lot from the teacher in the realm of creativity and preparation.