transformations in transformational generative grammar

• We’ve learned the phrase structure rules. Therefore, we can understand the following sentence :

(1) The mechanic repaired my car.

• But what about the following sentence?

(2) My car was repaired by the mechanic.

(1) The mechanic repaired my car.

(2) My car was repaired by the mechanic.

Sentence no (2) is not only grammatical, but has the same meaning as sentence no (1) as well (even though the focus is different).

(3) The spider ate the fly quickly.

(4) The spider quickly ate the fly.

(Deterding & Poedjosoedarmo, 2001)

(Deterding & Poedjosoedarmo, 2001`)

Sentence no (4) is not only grammatical, but has the same meaning as sentence no. (3) as well (even though the focus is different).

(Deterding & Poedjosoedarmo, 2001)

• The changes happening to the previous examples are dealt by means of transformations.

• A transformation can be defined as “…a device for changing one sentence into another sentence…” (Deterding & Poedjosoedarmo, 2001).

• Transformation has certain rules and mechanisms.

• The changes happening to the previous examples are dealt by means of transformations.

• A transformation can be defined as “…a device for changing one sentence into another sentence…” (Deterding & Poedjosoedarmo, 2001).

• Transformation has certain rules and mechanisms.

How does the transformation work?

Components of

1. Structural Analysis (SA) or Structural Description (SD)• It can be considered as an input of transformation. • It consists of simple, active, affirmative, and

declarative sentence usually called kernel sentence (Alwasilah, 2011).

2. Transformational Rules

• “A transformational rule is a rule that maps one syntactic-analysis tree into another” (Brown, 2002).

3. Structural Change (SC)

• It can be considered as an output of transformation

General Mechanism in TransformationsStructural Analysis (SA)

(Input)

Transformations

Transformational Rules

Structural Change (SC)(Output)

General Mechanism in TransformationsThe mechanic repaired my car.

(SA – Input).

Transformational Rules

My car was repaired by the mechanic.(SC – Output)

Transformational Rules

Transformations

Transformational Rules

General Mechanism in TransformationsThe spider ate the fly quickly.

(SA – Input).

Transformational Rules

The spider quickly ate the fly..(SC – Output)

Transformational Rules

Transformations

Transformational Rules

Kinds of Transformations

1.Auxiliary Inversion2.Passive3.Generalized Transformations

Auxiliary Inversion

• It transforms structural analysis (SA-Input) which is a declarative sentence into interrogative sentence (SC-Output).

• Transformational rule

SA NP – Aux – X 1 2 3

SC 2 1 3

Auxiliary InversionTom can go.(SA – Input).

Can Tom go?(SC – Output)

Transformations

SA NP – Aux – X 1 2 3 SD 2 1 3

Passive

• It transforms structural analysis (SA-Input) which is an active sentence into passive (SC-Output).

• Transformational rule

SA NP – Aux – V – NP 1 2 3 4

SC 4 2 +be + en – 3 – by + 1

PassiveThe mechanic repaired my car.

(SA – Input).

Transformational Rules

My car was repaired by the mechanic.(SC – Output)

Transformational Rules

Transformations

SA NP – Aux – V – NP 1 2 3 4

SC 4 2 +be + en – 3 – by + 1

Generalized Transformations

It transforms several inputs into one complex, compound or complex-compound

output.

Generalized Transformations

The girl is smiling. (Input 1)

The girl who is smiling is my girlfriend.(SC – Output)

Transformations

The girl is my girlfriend. (Input 2)

Generalized TransformationsJack likes football. (Input 1)

Jack and Bob like football.(SC – Output)

Transformations

Bob likes football. (Input 2)

Thank YouAlwasilah, A. C. (2011). Beberapa Mazhab dan

Dikotomi Teori Linguistik. Bandung: Penerbit Angkasa Bandung.

Brown, E. K. (2002). Generative grammar. In K. Malmkjær (Ed.), The Linguistics Encyclopedia (2nd ed., p. 171). New York: Routledge.

Chomsky, A. N. (1957). Syntactic Structures. Berlin: Mouton & Co.

Deterding, D. H., & Poedjosoedarmo, G. R. (2001). The Grammar of English: Morphology and Syntax for English Teachers in Southeast Asia. Jurong: Prentice Hall.