Editing Noun phrase (section)

==Tree representations==
The representation of noun phrases using [[parse tree]]s depends on the basic approach to syntactic structure adopted. The layered trees of many [[phrase structure grammar]]s grant noun phrases an intricate structure that acknowledges a hierarchy of functional projections. [[Dependency grammar]]s, in contrast, since the basic architecture of dependency places a major limitation on the amount of structure that the theory can assume, produce simple, relatively flat structures for noun phrases.

The representation also depends on whether the noun or the determiner is taken to be the head of the phrase (see the discussion of the DP hypothesis in the previous section).

Below are some possible trees for the two noun phrases ''the big house'' and ''big houses'' (as in the sentences ''Here is the big house'' and ''I like big houses'').

1. [[Phrase-structure grammar|Phrase-structure]] trees, first using the original X-bar theory, then using the current DP approach:
 
<pre>
     NP                NP        |        DP                DP
   /    \              |         |      /    \              |
det      N'            N'        |   det      NP            NP
 |     /   \         /   \       |    |     /   \         /   \
the  adj   N'      adj    N'     |   the  adj   NP      adj    NP
      |    |        |     |      |         |    |        |     |
     big   N       big    N      |        big   N       big    N
           |              |      |              |              |
         house          houses   |            house          houses
</pre>

2. [[Dependency grammar|Dependency]] trees, first using the traditional NP approach, then using the DP approach:

<pre>
          house          houses  |   the             (null)
        /   /            /       |        \                 \
      /    /          big        |          house            houses
   the  big                      |         /                 /
                                 |      big               big
</pre>

The following trees represent a more complex phrase. For simplicity, only dependency-based trees are given.<ref>For a dependency grammar analysis of noun phrases similar to the one represented by the trees here, see for instance Starosta (1988:219ff.). For an example of a relatively "flat" analysis of NP structure like the one produced here, but in a phrase structure grammar, see Culicover and Jackendoff (2005:140).</ref>

The first tree is based on the traditional assumption that nouns, rather than determiners, are the heads of phrases.

::[[File:Noun phrase tree 1.png|Noun phrase tree 1]]

The head noun ''picture'' has the four dependents ''the'', ''old'', ''of Fred'', and ''that I found in the drawer''. The tree shows how the lighter dependents appear as pre-dependents (preceding their head) and the heavier ones as post-dependents (following their head).

The second tree assumes the DP hypothesis, namely that determiners serve as phrase heads, rather than nouns.

::[[File:Noun phrase tree 2'.png|Noun phrase tree 2']]

The determiner ''the'' is now depicted as the head of the entire phrase, thus making the phrase a determiner phrase. There is still a noun phrase present (''old picture of Fred that I found in the drawer'') but this phrase is below the determiner.