Finite Verbs in Theories of Syntax
Finite verbs play a particularly important role in syntactic analyses of sentence structure. In many phrase structure grammars – for instance those that build on the X-bar schema – the finite verb is the head of the finite verb phrase, and as such it is the head of the entire sentence. Similarly, in dependency grammars, the finite verb is the root of the entire clause and is thus the most prominent structural unit in the clause. This is illustrated by the following trees:
The phrase structure grammar trees are the a-trees on the left; they are similar to the trees produced in the Government and Binding framework. The b-trees on the right are the dependency grammar trees. Many of the details of these trees are not important for the point at hand, but they show clearly that the finite verb (in bold each time) is the structural center of the clause. In the phrase structure trees, the highest projection of the finite verb – IP (inflection phrase) or CP (complementizer phrase) – is the root of the entire tree. And in the dependency trees, the projection of the finite verb (V) is the root of the entire structure.
Read more about this topic: Finite Verb
Famous quotes containing the words finite, verbs and/or theories:
“Are not all finite beings better pleased with motions relative than absolute?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“He crafted his writing and loved listening to those tiny explosions when the active brutality of verbs in revolution raced into sweet established nouns to send marching across the page a newly commissioned army of words-on-maneuvers, all decorated in loops, frets, and arrowlike flourishes.”
—Alexander Theroux (b. 1940)
“It takes twenty or so years before a mother can know with any certainty how effective her theories have been—and even then there are surprises. The daily newspapers raise the most frightening questions of all for a mother of sons: Could my once sweet babes ever become violent men? Are my sons really who I think they are?”
—Mary Kay Blakely (20th century)