Unraveling the Binary Discourse:

A Linguistic Expedition into

Social Network Conversations

Caracas, November 26, 2023

Content

Introduction.

Transcription of the conversation.

I. Morphological and Morphemic analysis.

1. Structure of Morphs and Morphemes.

2. Order of Derivation or Inflection.

3. General Results.

II. Grammatical analysis.

1. Agreement analysis.

a. Classification of the Parts of Speech.

b. Concordance analysis.

2. Constituent analysis.

a. Boxes and labeled analysis.

b. Bracketed analysis.

3. General Results.

III. Generative analysis.

1. Tree diagrams. & Phrase structure rules.

2. General Results.

V. Integrative Comment.

IV. Conclusion.

V. References.

VI. Appendix.
 1. Screenshots of the conversation (YouTube video).

Introduction

In recent years, social networks have become platforms for discussions about gender
identity. These conversations are very important for understanding this complex topic. To delve
deeper into the language used in these discussions, a comprehensive linguistic analysis of a fragment
of a spontaneous conversation about gender identity has been carried out. The main objective of this
project is to explore the various linguistic phenomena through a practical analysis applied to the
conversation. For this purpose, various approaches, methods, concepts, and tools of morphology,
grammar, and syntax present in the linguistic corpus will be employed.

In Chapter I, the project begins by breaking down the conversation through a morphemic and
morphological analysis. It involves examining the origin of words and their grammatical inflectional
components, as well as the order of derivation and inflection. Chapter II focuses on traditional
grammar, analyzing the agreement of words within sentences according to the five grammatical
categories. In addition, it delves into the analysis of tagging and parentheses to study the linear
structure of each sentence, including the arrangement and hierarchy of its elements. Later, Chapter
III applies generative grammar to perform a syntactic analysis of conversational sentences. This
method aims to identify the finite set of grammatical rules present, providing information on how
sentence structures are produced. In this sense, by exploring both surface and deep structures, this
analysis uncovers the meaning and interpretation of sentences within the context of the
conversation. To this end, sentences are diagrammed into trees that help identify the underlying
rules governing sentence structure.

Through this linguistic analysis, the project aims to deepen the understanding of language
dynamics, complex linguistic patterns, and structures that shape conversations around gender
identity in social networks. By deciphering the discursive messages embedded in these
conversations, a more nuanced understanding of gender identity debates can be achieved.
 The Conversation

A: What gender do you think you are?

B: I am a male.

A: Maybe I think you are a woman.

B: No, legally I am a male. It says on my driver’s license that I am a male.

A: What if I say I don’t believe you?

B: It doesn’t matter.

A: What gender do you think I am?

B: I would assume you are female.

A: See? you are making assumptions.

B: Yes.

A: I identify as non-binary.

B: Respectfully it doesn't matter.

I. Morphological and Morphemic Analysis

In this section, morphological and morphemic analysis is carried out, applying concepts
related to the basic structure of words, morphemic classification, determination of the root of words,
and the order of derivation or inflection.

1. Structure of Morphs and Morphemes

Words Morphs Morphemes Types

what /what/ {what} (Root, Interrogative Pronoun) FF

gender /gender/ {gender} (Root, Noun) FL

do /do/ {do} (Root, Aux. Verb, 2nd. Singular Person, Present. FF

tense)
you /you/ {you} (Root, Pronoun, 2nd.Singular Person) FF

think /think/ {think} (Root, Verb, 2nd. Singular Person, Present FL

tense)

are /are/ 1. {be} (Root, Verb) 1. FL

2. ,are- (Verb “Be”, 2nd. Person, Singular, Present 2. FL
tense)

am /am/ 1. {be} (Root, Verb) 1..FL

2. ,am- (Verb “Be”, 1st. Person, Singular, Present 2. FL
tense)

a /a/ {a} (Root, Indefinite article) FF

male /male/ {male} (Root, Noun) FL

maybe /maybe/ {maybe} (Root, Adverb) FF

I /I/ {I} (Root, Pronoun, 1st. Singular Person) FF

think /think/ {think} (Root, Verb, 1st. Singular Person, Present tense) FL

woman /woman/ {woman} (Root, Noun) FL

no /no/ {no} (Root, Interjection) FF

legally legal/ly 1. {legal} (Root, Adjective) 1. FL

2. {ly} (Suffix, Adverb) 2. BD

it /it/ {it} (Root, Pronoun, 3rd per. sg.) FF

says say/s 1. {say} (Root, Verb) 1. FL

2. {s} (Suffix, 3rd per. sg., prs. tense) 2. BI

on /on/ {on} (Root, Preposition) FF

my /my/ {my} (Root, Possessive Determiner) FF

driver’s drive/r/s 1. {drive} (Root, Verb) 1. FL

2. {er} (Suffix, Noun) 2. BD
3. ,‘s- (Suffix, Possessive) 3. BI

license /license/ {license} (Noun) FL

that /that/ {that} (Relative Pronoun) FF

if /if/ {if} (Conj.) FF

say /say/ {say} (Verb, 1st. Singular Person, Present tense) FL

don’t do/n’t 1. {do} (Root, auxiliary Verb, 1st. Singular Person, 1. FF

Present tense)
2. ,n’t- (Contraction on “not”, Negation) 2. BD

believe /believe/ 1. {believe} (Verb, 1st. Singular Person, Present tense) FL

doesn’t do/es/n’t 1. {do} (Root, auxiliary Verb, Present tense) 1. FF

2. {es} (Suffix, 3rd Singular Person) 2. BI
3. ,n’t- (Contraction of “not”, Negation) 3. BD

matter /matter/ {matter} (Root, Verb) FL

would /would/ 1. {will} (Root, Auxiliary Verb, Future tense) 1. FF

2. {would} (Modal Verb, Present and Past tenses,
Conditional) 2..FF

assume /assume/ {assume} (Root, Verb, 1st. Singular Person, Present FL

tense)

female /female/ {female} (Root, Adjective) FL

see /see/ {see} (Root, Verb, 2nd. Singular Person, Present tense) FL

making mak/ing 1. {make} (Root, Verb) 1. FL

2. {-ing} (Suffix, Present Participle) 2. BI

assumptions assump/tion/s 1. {assume} (Root, Verb) 1. FL

2. {tion} (Suffix, Noun) 2. BD
3. {s} (Suffix, Plural) 3. BI

yes /yes/ {yes} (Root, Affirmative Adverb) FF

identify ident/ify 1. {identity} (Root, Noun) 1. FL
2. {ify} (Suffix, Verb) 2. BD

as /as/ {as} (Adverb) FF

non-binary non/binary 1. {non-} (Prefix, Absence or Negation) 1. BD

2. {binary} (Root, Noun) 2. FL

respectfully respect/ful/ly 1. {respect} (Root, Noun) 1. FL

2. {ful} (Suffix, Adjective) 2. BD
3. {ly} (Suffix, Adverb) 3. BD

2. Order of Derivation or Inflection

● Legally (Adv, FL): The adverb legally is

formed by the adjective “legal”, and
the prefix “/ly”. The former is a free
lexical morpheme that originated
from the Latin word “Legalis”, which
means "pertaining to law”. The latter
is a bound inflectional morpheme that
transforms adjectives into adverbs.
● Driver’s: the noun “Driver’s”
originated from the verb “drive”,
which is a free lexical morpheme that
originates from the Old English word
“driven” which means “urge to move”.
To the verb is added the suffix “-er”
(bound derivational morpheme) to
form a noun that indicates who does
the action. Additionally, the suffix “s”
(bound inflectional morpheme) is
added to indicate possession.

● Says: The verb “says” is constituted by

the free lexical morpheme “say” and
the bound inflectional morpheme “s”
which in this case indicates that the
verb is conjugated in the third person
singular.

● Don’t: The verb form "don't" is

derived from the root "do", which, as
an auxiliary verb, serves as a free
functional morpheme to negate the
action of the verb, adding the suffix
"n't" (bound derivational morpheme)
which is represented in the contracted
form "not".
● Does not: The verb form "does not"
derives from the root "do", as an
auxiliary verb, it functions as a free
functional morpheme. When
conjugated in the third person
singular, the suffix "es" is added as a
bound inflectional morpheme,
forming the word "does". It expresses
the negation of the verb by adding the
suffix "n't" which functions as a bound
derivational morpheme and
represents the contracted form of
"not".

● Making: The verb “making” is

constituted by the root verb “make”
and the bound derivational
morpheme “ing”, which in this case
indicates the verb is conjugated in the
present participle.
● Assumptions (N, FL): The derivational
order of the noun "assumptions",
comes from the base form of the verb
"to assume", which is a free lexical
morpheme that comes from the Latin
word "assume", meaning "to take" or
"to adopt". To the verb "assume" is
added the suffix "-tion" (bound
derivational morpheme) to form the
noun "assumption" (free lexical
morpheme), which is joined or
inflected by adding the plural (bound
derivational morpheme) suffix "-s".

● Non-binary (Adj, FL): The noun "non-

binary" is formed from the union of
the prefix "non" (bound derivational
morpheme), which indicates absence
or negation, with the noun (free
lexical morpheme) "binary", which
refers to a system or concept involving
two parts or options. Deriving the
term "non-binary" to define a gender
identity that does not fit into the
binary categories of masculine or
feminine.
● Identify (V, FL): The verb "identify",
which means to recognize or establish
the identity of something or someone,
is obtained by joining the base noun
"identity" (free lexical morpheme) -
meaning quality or state of being
identified - with the suffix (bound
derivative) "-ificar", used to form
verbs from nouns or adjectives.
However, if the noun "Identity" is
derived, it comes from French identité
(14th century), from Medieval Latin
“identitatem” (nominative identitas)
"equality", ultimately from Latin idem
(neuter) "the same" (etymonline.com,
2023).

In this sense, the base of this word derives from the bound stem root "idem" (which in
Latin is a demonstrative pronoun), and in English has no lexical meaning. It is joined to
the suffix "tity", which is used to form abstract nouns indicating a state or quality, to
form "Identity".
 ● Respectfully (Adv, FL): The adverb
"respectfully" (FL) is formed from the
root "respect", which has the primary
meaning of showing consideration. To
this base word is attached the suffix
"full" (BD) of abundance to form the
adjective "respectful," meaning to
show respect or be courteous, and
finally, the suffix "ly" (BD) is added to
the adjective "respectful" to form the
adverb "respectfully," meaning in a
respectful or polite manner.

3. General results

TYPES OF FF FL BD BI
MORPHEMES

16 25 9 4
(4) Pronouns, (6) Nouns, (1) Prefix: (1) Plural,
(5) Aux. Verb, (17) Verbs, Negative→ Adj. (1) Possessive,
TYPES OF (2) Determiners, (2) Adjectives. (8) Suffixes: (1) Prs. Ppl.,
WORDS (2) Conjunctions, Noun→ Adj. (1) 3rd. Singular
(1) Interjection, Adj.→ Adv. Person.
(1) Preposition, Noun→ Verb.
(1) Adverb. Fun. Verb→ Noun.

The analysis of morphological aspects and the order of derivation and inflection in the
conversation under study reveals some interesting patterns that contribute to a better
understanding of language use in this context. For this purpose, 41 free morphemes were observed,
both functional (17) and lexical (24). These morphemes shed light on the basic meaning of words. In
addition, there are 13 bound morphemes that modify the meaning of root words (11) and, in some
cases, alter their grammatical category (4). In this regard, verbs and their auxiliaries dominate the
conversation with 21 occurrences, along with a moderate presence of nouns and pronouns (9). This
suggests the importance of verbs in expressing actions, as well as naming and identifying people
related to gender identity, status, and relationships. Adjectives, adverbs, and indefinite articles also
contribute to the conversation by providing context and descriptive elements.

As for bound morphemes, we observed the presence of 9 affixes (1 prefix and 8 suffixes),
mainly of a derivational nature, which modifies the meaning of the base word, as well as 4
inflectional affixes that do not alter the category of the root word. The analysis also reveals the
construction of new words from suffixes and the prefixes added to nouns and adjectives to derive
verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. For example, the prefix "non" (bound derivational morpheme), with
the noun (free lexical morpheme) "binary" forms the term "non-binary", which defines a gender
identity outside the binary categories of masculine or feminine.

II. Grammar analysis

In this section, the grammatical analysis will be applied to gather information on the use and
distribution of grammatical structures (linguistic description, sentence construction, organization of
grammatical elements, and their syntactic relations) used in the conversation under study. The
examination will begin with the analysis of agreement, followed by the analysis of constituents.

1. Agreement analysis

Concordance analysis will examine the correspondence of different parts of speech within
the conversation based on traditional categories such as number, person, gender, tense, and voice.
To conduct this analysis, we break down each speaker’s contributions, classify the discourse, and
evaluate concordance according to these categories.

a. Classification of the Parts of Speech

The following is the classification of the words in the sentences that make up the
conversation:
A: What gender do you think you are? Agreement:

- what:→ pronoun (interrogative). - Number: do/you: Singular

- gender: → noun.
- do:→ verb (auxiliary).
- you:→ pronoun (personal).
- think:→ verb (transitive).
- you: → pronoun (personal).
- are: → verb (linking).
you/are: Singular
- Person: do/you: 2nd. person;
you/are: 2nd. person.
- Tense: do/think/are: Present.
- Voice: you/are: Active; do/you/think: Active

B: I am a male. Agreement:

- I: → pronoun (personal). - Number: I/am: Singular;

- am: → verb (linking). a/male: Singular.
- a: → determiner (article - undetermined). - Person: I/am: 1st. person.
- male: → noun (concrete). - Tense: am: Present.
- Voice: I/am: Active.

A: Maybe I think you are a woman. Agreement:

- maybe:→ adverb. - Number: I/think: Singular;

- I: → pronoun (personal). you/are: Singular;
- think:→ verb (transitive). a/woman: Singular
- you: → pronoun (personal). - Person: I/think: 1st. person.
- are: →verb (linking) you/are: 2nd. person.
- a: → determiner (article - undetermined). - Tense: think/are: Present.
- woman: → noun (concrete). - Voice: I/think: Active;
you/are: Active.
B: No, legally I am a male. It says on my Agreement:
driver’s license that I am a male.
- Number: I/am: Singular;
- no:→ interjection. a/male: Singular;
- legally: → adverb. it/says: Singular
- I: → pronoun (personal). - Person: I/am: 1st. person;
- am:→ verb (linking). It/says: 3rd. person
- a: → determiner (article - undetermined). - Tense: am/says: Present.
- male:→ noun (common). - Voice: I/am;
- It: → pronoun (personal). it/says: Active.
- says: → verb (transitive).
- on: → preposition (simple).
- my:→ determiner (possessive).
- driver's: → noun (modifier).
- license: → noun (concrete).
- that: → conjunction.
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- am: → verb (linking).
- a: → determiner (article - undetermined).
- male: → noun (common).

A: What if I say I don’t believe you? Agreement:

- what: → pronoun (interrogative). - Number: I/say: Singular;

- if: → conjunction (subordinating).
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- say: → verb (transitive).
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- don't: → verb (auxiliary) +adv. negation.
- believe: → verb (intransitive).
- you: → pronoun (personal).
I/don’t: Singular
- Person: I/say: 1st. person;
I/don’t: 1st. person
- Tense: don’t/say/believe: Present.
- Voice: I/say: Active;
I/don’t/believe: Active.
B: It doesn’t matter.
- it: → pronoun (personal).
- doesn't: → verb (auxiliary)+adv. negation.
- matter: → verb (intransitive).
A: What gender do you think I am?
- what: → pronoun (interrogative).
- gender: → noun.
- do: → verb (auxiliary).
- you: → pronoun (personal).
- think: → verb.
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- am: → verb (linking).
B: I would assume you are female.
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- would:→ verb (modal).
- assume: → verb (transitive).
- you: →pronoun (personal).
- are: → verb (linking).
- female: → adjective.
A: See? you are making assumptions.
- see: → verb (intransitive). Imperative
mood.
- you: → pronoun (personal).
- are:→ aux. verb (linking).
- making: → main verb (present participle).
- assumptions: → noun (plural).
A: I identify as non-binary.
- I: → pronoun (personal).
- identify: → verb (transitive).
- as: → adverb.
- non-binary: → adjective.
B: Respectfully it doesn't matter.
Agreement:
- Number: It/does: Singular.
- Person: It/does: 3rd. person.
- Tense: does/matter: Present.
- Voice: It/does/matter: Active.
Agreement:
- Number: do/you: Singular
I/am: Singular
- Person: you/do: 2nd. person.
I/am: 1st. person.
- Tense: do/think/am: Present.
- Voice: you/think: Active;
I/am: Active
Agreement:
- Number: You/are: Singular.
- Person: I/would/assume: 1st. person;
you/are: 2nd. person.
- Tense: would: Past.
- Voice: I/would/assume: Active.
Agreement:
- Number: you/are: Singular;
- Person: you/are: 2nd. person;
you/see: 2nd. person
- Voice: See: Active form, as it is a command or
request directed towards the listener ("you")
you/are making: Active.
Agreement:
- Number: I/identify: Singular.
- Person: I/identify: 1st. person.
- Tense: Present.
- Voice: I/identify: Active.
Agreement:
- respectfully: → adverb. - Number: it/does: Singular.
- it: → pronoun (personal). - Person: it/does: 3rd. person.
- doesn’t: → aux. verb + adv. negation. - Tense: does/matter: Present.
- matter: → verb (intransitive). - Voice: it/does/matter: Active.
b. Concordance Analysis of the same participant

Concordance analysis in the participation of the same speaker in different conversation

entries:

Speaker A's Participation

Entry 1: A asks, "What gender do you think you are?" - A uses the second-person pronoun
"you" to refer to the other person. Likewise, the question does not specify a gender, it is
addressed to a single person, it is in the present tense and in the active voice.

Entry 2: A says, "Maybe I think you are a woman." - A uses the first-person pronoun "I" to
express her own opinion that the other person might be a woman. The sentence is directed
at a single person in the present tense and in the active voice.

Entry 3: A asks, "What if I say I don't believe you?" - A uses the first-person pronoun "I" to
refer to himself. In turn, the question does not specify a specific gender, the sentence is in
the present tense, it is addressed to a single person, and is in active voice.

Entry 4: A says, “What gender do you think I am?” - A uses the first-person pronoun "I" to ask
the other person a question. The sentence is addressed to a single person, in the present and
active voice.

Entry 5: A says, "See? you are making assumptions." - A uses the second-person pronoun
"you" to address the other person. The utterance does not specify a specific gender. The
sentence is in the present tense, it is addressed to a single person, and it is in an active voice.

Entry 6: A says, “I identify as non-binary.” - A uses the first-person pronoun "I" to refer to
self, A identifies as non-binary, i.e., with a gender identity that is neither masculine nor
feminine. In turn, the utterance refers to a single singular person, the sentence is in the
present tense, indicating speaker A's present identification. The sentence is in voice active, as
speaker A expresses her identity.
 Speaker B's Participation

● Entry 1: B responds, "I am a male." - B uses the first-person pronoun "I" to indicate his
gender, and declares himself to be male. Moreover, he does so in the singular, in the present
tense, and in the active voice.

● Entry 2: B says, "No, legally I am a male." - B uses the third-person pronoun "It" to refer to
the statement made by A, without specifying a gender. The utterance refers to a single
matter being talked about, in the present tense, and in the active voice.

● Entry 3: B responds, "It doesn't matter." - B uses the third-person pronoun "It" to refer to the
statement made by A.

● Entry 4: B answers, "I would assume you are female." - B uses the first-person pronoun "I" to
express her assumption that the other person's gender is female. The assumption refers to
only one person (the other person). The sentence is in the present, active voice.

● Entry 5: B says, "Respectfully it doesn't matter." - B uses the third-person pronoun "it" to
refer to a single issue being discussed, in the present tense, and in the active voice.

In summary, the analysis of agreement in terms of number, person, gender, tense, and voice,
for the same speaker in different conversational entries yielded the following:

● Number: Both speakers consistently use singular forms of pronouns and verbs.

● Person: Speaker A uses first-person pronouns ("I") to express their own thoughts and
second-person pronouns ("you") to address the other person. Speaker B also uses first-
person pronouns ("I") to refer to themselves.

● Gender: Speaker B explicitly states that his gender is male, while speaker A assumes that the
other person's gender is female until it is clarified, with speaker A's statement as non-binary.
In this conversation, the gender analysis is based on the use of pronouns and nouns.

● Tense: The conversation primarily occurs in the present tense, with no shifts in tense. Most
sentences are made with copulative, transitive, and intransitive verbs, and the auxiliaries in
the simple present tense help the verbs in negation and question sentences. Only one
sentence is in the present participle.
 ● Voice: The conversation takes place in an active voice, and the interlocutors express their
own thoughts and opinions.

Overall, the conversation demonstrates a mix of first-person and second-person pronouns,

with Speaker B providing their own gender identity while Speaker A makes assumptions about the
other person's gender. The agreement in terms of number, person, gender, tense, and voice remains
consistent throughout the conversation.

Concordance Analysis of different participants

Concordance analysis between different speakers, in different conversation entries:

● A: What gender do you think you are?

● B: I am a male.

In this exchange, the two speakers use the first-person singular pronoun "you" to refer to
themselves. Subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "you" paired with
the singular verb "soy". Gender concordance is also present, with speaker B identifying himself as
male.

● A: Maybe I think you are a woman.

● B: No, legally I am a male. It says on my driver's license that I am a male.

In this exchange, speaker A uses the first-person singular pronoun "I" to refer to themselves.
Speaker B maintains the agreement by using the first-person singular pronoun "I" as well. The
subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "I" being paired with the
singular verb "think." In terms of gender agreement, speaker A assumes that speaker B is a woman,
while speaker B asserts that they are legally identified as a male. The gender agreement is
maintained in both statements.

● A: What if I say I don't believe you?

● B: It doesn't matter.

In this exchange, speaker A uses the first-person singular pronoun "I" to refer to themselves.
Speaker B maintains the agreement by using the first-person singular pronoun "I" as well. The
subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "I" being paired with the
singular verb "say."
 ● A: What gender do you think I am?

● B: I would assume you are female.

In this exchange, speaker A uses the first-person singular pronoun "I" to refer to themselves.
Speaker B maintains the agreement by using the second-person singular pronoun "you" to refer to
speaker A. The subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "you" being
paired with the singular verb "are" In terms of gender agreement, speaker B assumes that speaker A
is female.

● A: See? you are making assumptions.

● B: Yes.

In this exchange, speaker A uses the second-person singular pronoun "you" to refer to
speaker B. Speaker B maintains the agreement by using the second-person singular pronoun "you" to
refer to speaker A. The subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "you"
being paired with the singular verb "are".

● A: I identify as non-binary.

● B: Respectfully it doesn't matter.

In this exchange, speaker A uses the first-person singular pronoun "I" to refer to themselves.
Speaker B maintains the agreement by using the first-person singular pronoun "I" as well. The
subject-verb agreement is also maintained, with the singular pronoun "I" being paired with the
singular verb "identify." In terms of gender agreement, speaker A identifies as non-binary, while
speaker B states that it doesn't matter.

Analyzing the concordance in terms of number, person, gender, tense, and voice, for
different speakers in different conversational entries, we can observe the following:

● Person: Speaker A consistently uses the second-person singular pronoun "you" to refer to
speaker B, and the third-person singular pronoun "it" to refer to the gender on speaker B's
driver's license. Speaker B consistently uses the first-person singular pronoun "I" to refer to
himself, and the third-person singular pronoun "it" to refer to the gender listed on his
driver's license.

● Gender: Speaker B refers to himself as male, while speaker A initially assumes that speaker B
is female, but later learns that speaker A identifies as non-binary.
 ● Tense and Voice: Both interlocutors use verbs in the present tense throughout the
conversation, and in active voice.

Based on the analysis of the conversation, the speakers generally maintain grammatical
agreement in terms of number, person, gender, tense, and voice. The pronouns used by the speakers
are consistent with the subjects they refer to, and the verbs agree with their respective subjects. The
gender agreement is also maintained in the conversation, with the speakers using appropriate
gender pronouns to refer to themselves and each other, with some differences in gender
concordance and speaker assumptions.

2. Constituent analysis

Constituent structure analysis evaluates the basic parts of phrases within sentences (subject,
predicate, object, and their constituent components), the order, how they relate to each other, and
their hierarchy. For this purpose, the graphical representations of box and bracket diagrams are
used. With the former, the meaning of the sentences can be visualized, and with the box and
bracket representation, the categories of the phrases and sentences they contain are obtained.

a. Boxes and labeled analysis

● What gender do you think you are?

● I am a male.

● Maybe I think you are a woman.

● No, legally I am a male. It says on my driver’s license that I am a male.

● What if I say I don’t believe you?

● It doesn’t matter.

● What gender do you think I am?

 ● I would assume you are female.

● See? you are making assumptions.

● I identify as non-binary.

● Respectfully it doesn't matter.

b. Bracketed analysis
Nomenclature: S = Sentence; NP = Nominal phrase; VP = Verbal phrase; PP = Prepositional
phrase; CP = Complementary phrase; C = Complement; AdvP = Adverbial phrase; AdjP =
Adjectival phrase.

S
NP VP NP
VG (do + think) CP
NP VP
● [[[What] [gender]] [[[do] [[you]] [think]] [[[you]] [[are?]]]]]
Int. Pron. Noun Aux. Verb. Pron. Verb Pron. Verb

S
NP VP NP
● [ [[I]] [[am] [[a] [male]]]]
Pron. Verb Det. Noun

S
AdvP NP VP
CP
NP VP NP
● [[[Maybe]] [[I]] [[think] [[[you]] [[are] [[a] [woman]]]]]]
Adv. Pron. Verb Pron. Verb Det. Noun

S
AdvP NP VP NP
● [[No,] [[legally]] [[I]] [[am] [[a] [male]]]]
Interj. Adv. Pron. Verb Det. Noun

S
NP VP PP NP
CP
C S
NP VP NP
● [[[It]] [[says] [[on] [*my+ *driver’s+ *license+]] [[[that]] [[[I]] [[am] [[a] [male]]]]]]]
Pron. Verb Prep. Det. Noun Noun Pron. Pron. Verb Det. Noun

S
 NP NP VP
CP
NP VP NP
VG (don’t + believe)
● [[[What]] [if] [[I]] [[say] [[[I]] [[*don’t+ *believe+] [[you?]]]]]]
Int. Pron. Conj. Pron. Verb Pron. Aux.Verb Verb Pron.

S
NP VP
VG (doesn’t + matter)
● [[[It]] [[*doesn’t+ *matter+]]]
Pron. Aux. Verb Verb

S
NP VP NP
VG (do + think)
CP
NP VP
● [[[What] [gender]] [[[do] [[you]] [think]] [[[I]] [[am?]]]]]
Int. Pron. Noun Aux. Verb. Pron. Verb Pron. Verb

S
NP VP
VG (would + assume)
CP
NP VP
● [[[I]] [[[would] [assume]][[[you]][[are] [female]]]]]
Pron. Modal Verb Verb Pron. Verb Adj.

S
VP NP VP NP
VG (are + marking)
● [[[See?]] [[you]] [[[are] [making]] [[assumptions]]]]
Verb Pron. Aux.Verb Verb Noun

S
 NP VP AdjP
● [[[I]] [[identify] [[as] [non-binary]]]]
Pron. Verb Adv Adj

S
AdvP NP VP
VG (doesn’t + matter)
● [[[Respectfully]] [[it]] [[[doesn't] [matter]]]]
Adv. Pron. Aux Verb+neg Verb

3. General results

As for the concordance that exists between the parts of speech and the traditional
grammatical categories (person, number, tense, gender, and voice) present in the conversation, we
find elements of cohesion, coherence, and concordance. These elements are found both in the
participation of different speakers in each input, as well as, in the participation of the same
participant at different moments of the conversation. On the other hand, most of the sentences in
the conversation employ indicative modes (e.g., the verb "making" in the sentence "See? You are
making assumptions" and the verb "am" in the sentence "I am a male" are used to make an
assertion). Some interrogative modes are also present (in the questions asked with the auxiliary "do"
in the sentence "What gender do you think you are?" and "What gender do you think I am?"). Also,
the conditional mood is used in the sentence "I would assume you are female", to express a
hypothetical or uncertain situation. It indicates that the assumption that the person is female
depends on a condition or circumstance. The speaker is not stating a fact, but expressing a possibility
or probability based on a specific condition. Therefore the verbs used in the conversation describe
actions with continuous or habitual aspects, which helps to understand in a simple way the linguistic
dynamics and the message of the conversation. With respect to verb phrase structures, these can
vary, including noun phrases (NP) and, to a lesser extent, prepositional phrases (PP), adjectival
phrases (AdjP), and adverbial phrases (AdvP), which can be observed in the bracket analysis of this
chapter.

A more detailed graphical analysis of the immediate constituents of the sentences reveals
syntactic clues about the order and hierarchy within the nominal, verbal, prepositional, adjectival,
and adverbial syntagms. This indicates that the sentence structures maintain cohesion and
coherence. The conversation is dominated by simple sentences such as "It doesn't matter", with
some compound sentences within verbal phrases, for example: "It says on my driver's license that I
am a male. The verbal syntagm is always present, and verbs can be presented as single words or be
composed of two or three verbs, the first being an auxiliary in active voice. Another interesting
example to analyze is the expression "I identify myself as non-binary", the word "non-binary" has
been classified as an adjective that identifies the gender of the speaker. It should be understood that
this word is relatively new in the use of gender identification. It becomes an adjectival phrase and
modifies the subject when introduced by the word "as", which in this particular case, functions as an
adverb to emphasize the gender identity of the speaker.

As for noun phrases, and conversational subjects, they appear systematically at the
beginning of sentences and usually function as active agents performing the actions described by the
verbs. Noun phrases agree in number and person with the verb and support the predicate. The
nucleus of nominal syntagms usually consists of a noun or pronoun. In turn, the position of the
subject, in most cases, changes in questions. The subject-verb order is reversed to form interrogative
sentences, as is typical in the English language. For example: "What sex do you think you are?", and
“What sex do you think I am?” However, in the sentence “What if I say I don't believe you?” the verb-
subject order typical of a question is not followed. This is because the sentence is not a direct
question, but rather an informed question or hypothetical statement that does not follow the usual
verb-subject order of direct questions.

III. Generative analysis

For this section, there will be a study that will allow us to review the system of rules used to
produce each sentence. The methodology criteria of this study follow the "all and only" approach.
This means that the analysis must account for all grammatically correct phrases and sentences, and
only grammatically correct ones. Additionally, it involves visualizing surface and deep structures,
recursion, and ambiguity that may be generated.
 1. Tree diagrams. & Phrase structure rules.

● What gender do you think you are?

S → VP NP VP NP → ,Int Pron. N, Pron.-

VP → ,NP V, V CP, V- (transitive verb) CP → NP VP

● I am a male.

S → NP VP NP → ,Pron., Det N-

VP → V NP (copulative verb)
 ● Maybe I think you are a woman.

S → AdvP NP VP NP → ,Pron., Det N- AdvP → Adv

VP → ,V CP, V NP- (transitive verb) CP → NP VP

● No,
legally I am a male.

S → Interj. AdvP NP VP
NP → ,Pron., Det N-
VP → V NP (transitive verb)
 ● It says on my driver’s license that I am a male.

S → NP VP NP → ,Pron., Det NG, Det N- VP → ,V PP CP, V NP-

PP → P NP CP → C S NG → N N

● What if I say I don’t believe you?

S → NP VP CP → NP VP NP → ,Pron.- VP → ,V, Aux V. V NP- (transitive verbs)
● It doesn’t matter.

S → NP VP NP → Pron
VP → VG (intransitive verb) VG → Aux V + neg V
 ● What gender do you think I am?

S → VP NP VP NP → ,Int Pron. N, Pron.-

VP → ,NP V, V CP- (transitive verb) CP → NP VP

● I would assume you are female.

S → NP VP NP → ,Pron., N- VG → Aux. V

VP → ,VG CP, V NP- (transitive verb) CP → NP VP

● See? you are making assumptions.

S → VP NP VP

NP → ,Pron., N-

VP → ,V, VG NP- (transitive verb)

● I identify as non-binary.
S → NP VP

NP → Pron.

VP → V Adj. P (transitive verb)

AP → Adv. Adj.

● Respectfully it doesn't matter.

S → AdvP NP VP NP → Pron. VP → VG (intransitive verb)

AdvP → Adv VG → Aux. V + Neg V

2. General Results
 The overall findings of the evaluation of tree diagrams and sentence structure rules applied
to the gender identity conversation are summarized as follows:

● Complexity: Most of the sentences in the conversation have an adequate syntactic structure
without much complexity. These sentences follow the rules of grammatical order, such as
noun-verb-preposition structures or in some cases the presence of adverbs before the verb is
observed, and in general appropriate interrogative forms. An adequate relationship between
the constituents of the sentence (subject, verb, or predicate and complement) is observed.
The existence of predominantly simple sentences, such as "I am a man", is confirmed, with
some compound sentences forming other sentences within verb phrases, such as "I would
assume you are female" that had been analyzed in the constituent analysis. In addition,
interrogative sentences usually follow forms of the English grammatical order, such as
auxiliary-verb-subject structures. Example: "What gender do you think you are".

● Grammatical patterns: By examining the tree diagrams and sentence structuring rules, one
can identify grammatical patterns or recurring constructions used in conversation. The
conversation follows rules of grammatical order, such as noun phrase-verb phrase structures
and appropriate interrogative forms. These patterns include pronouns, nouns, determiners,
prepositional phrases, adverbs, and conjunctions. In general, the most frequently repeated
syntactic rule patterns were the following structures: S→(AdvP) NP VP or S→VP NP VP
(interrogative forms); NP→,Pron., N, Det. NP-; VP→,V PP, VG NP, V AdvP, VG CP, V CP, NP
CP-; PP→P NP, AdjP→ Adv Adj and AdvP→Adv (mandatory).

● Recursivity: Some of the sentences used in the conversation produce other complementary
sentences to repeat the sequence of rules observed in the first sentence. These are nested
within the verb phrases of the main sentence. For example, one of these sentences is
introduced by the relative pronoun "that" ("It says on my driver’s license that I am a male")
which acts as a "complementizer" (C) "de complement phrase" in the form (CP) CP → CS. The
rest of these sentences with recursion have no relative pronouns or conjunctions to help
introduce the sentence, but independent clauses in the syntactic structure as a whole. For
example, in the sentence "Maybe I think you are a woman", there is no copulative
conjunction or relative pronoun connecting several independent clauses. However, there is a
subordinate clause within the verb phrase "I think". In these cases, the identified
 nomenclature is CP → NP VP, which, in turn, is similarly present in some of the S → NP VP
sentences.

● Semantic relations: Detailed analysis of the sentence structure reveals adequate semantic
relationships between the words and phrases in the conversation. The sentences follow
grammatical rules and patterns, and the words used are commonly used, which conveys the
meaning in an easily understandable way. Complements are introduced after transitive verbs
to explain the action of the verb. Dependent and independent clauses are observed in
several of the sentences which may constitute a complete sentence because it expresses a
complete thought. For example, in the sentence "What if I say I don't believe you?" the
dependent clause "What if I say" cannot constitute a complete sentence because it does not
express a complete thought and depends on the other independent clause to form a
complete sentence "I don't believe you".

● Ambiguity: The difference in the interpretation of the meaning of each sentence in this study
arises from pragmatic and contextual cues, rather than from a change in the underlying deep
structure of each sentence. The intention and tone of the speaker also play a crucial role in
determining the meaning of the sentence. For example, the sentence "Maybe I think you are
a woman" can have different interpretations, if on the one hand the adverb "maybe"
modifies only the verb "think" or on the other hand if it modifies the whole sentence "I think
you are a woman". This ambiguity is influenced by the speaker's uncertainty about his or her
own thoughts or about the gender of the addressee. The first interpretation would indicate
that the speaker is unsure of his own thoughts about the sex of the addressee, or a second
interpretation would indicate that the speaker is unsure whether the addressee is a woman.

V. Integrative Comment

The integration of morphemic and morphological analysis with traditional grammatical

analysis, and syntactic analysis through generative grammar methods provides a comprehensive
understanding of the structure of language and its manifestation in spontaneous conversations that
occur on a daily basis. Specifically, it was possible to explore each dimension and its implications in a
conversation about gender identity that takes place through social networks.
 Starting with morphemic and morphological analysis, which focused on the study of the
smallest meaningful units of language (morphemes) and their combination to form words. In the
context of conversations about gender identity, this analysis helped to identify some morphological
patterns relevant to gender expression, such as prefixes or suffixes and new words identified in the
derivational analysis. This allowed us to identify morphological variations in pronouns or nouns. This
was followed by traditional grammatical analysis, which allowed us to study the structure and rules
of sentence patterns, as well as the agreement of words used in the conversation and, importantly,
to recreate the order and relationship of the constituents in each sentence. In the context of
conversations about gender identity, this analysis allowed us to identify the grammatical structures
used to express and discuss this topic. Finally, the syntactic and tree diagram analysis was concluded
to visualize the order and hierarchy of the constituents within the sentences. This analysis integrated
the previous morphological and grammatical evaluation by identifying the arrangement of words and
phrases appearing in the conversation to form grammatically correct sentences. The methodology
employed in this study consisted of analyzing the syntactic organization of the conversation by
means of hierarchical sentence structures. By applying generative grammar, we were able to
reconstruct the underlying rules and structures of language. Specifically, in the context of gender
identity discussions, we used generative grammar to understand the rules and compare them with
the dynamics observed in the utterances.

In summary, the comprehensive analysis incorporating morphemic, morphological,

grammatical, and syntactic aspects provides a multidimensional understanding of conversations
about gender identity. Each dimension provides valuable arguments and tools that enrich the
analysis. However, it is important to recognize that this analysis represents only a limited sample of
the linguistic landscape and may not fully capture the complexity of gender identity conversations
due to the various sociolinguistic, cultural, and contextual factors at play. On the other hand, the
results of this study reveal compliance with syntactic and grammatical rules, suggesting that despite
the informal nature of the conversation occurring over a social network in a jovial tone, it maintains a
sense of formality. Moreover, the conversation demonstrates directness and fluency, and the
participants communicate clearly and coherently, thus avoiding ambiguity or assumptions that might
arise from the relationships between constituents present in the deep structure of the sentences.

III. Conclusion
 The objective of this project was to conduct a comprehensive linguistic analysis of
spontaneous conversations revolving around gender identity. Various linguistic approaches and
methods were employed to explore the language dynamics and structures that shape discussions in
social networks. The analysis encompassed morphemic and morphological analysis, traditional
grammatical analysis, and syntactic analysis using generative grammar. By integrating these
methods, the project aimed to gain a deep understanding of linguistic structures and how they
manifest in spontaneous conversations. The morphemic and morphological analysis identified
patterns in gender expression, while traditional grammatical analysis provided insights into sentence
patterns and word agreement. Syntactic analysis and tree diagramming visualized the arrangement
of words and phrases, revealing the underlying rules and structures of language. Generative
grammatical analysis offered valuable insights into the rules and transformations of linguistic
expressions related to gender identity.

In conclusion, this multidimensional approach improved our understanding of the linguistic

techniques used to construct linguistic corpora, allowing us to visualize the intricate world of
communication within spontaneous conversations. However, it is important to recognize that this
analysis only skims the surface of linguistic interactions and fails to fully capture the complex
interplay of sociolinguistic, cultural, and contextual factors. Ongoing research on new forms of
communication relating to gender identity will undoubtedly contribute to improving our
understanding, taking advantage of this fabulous learning methodology.
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VIII. Appendix.

1. Video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LTvwoijwYYE

Screenshots of the conversation (Youtube video).