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Reference.org
Deep structure and surface structure
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<p>Deep structure and surface structure (also D-structure and S-structure although those abbreviated forms are sometimes used with distinct meanings) are concepts used in <a href="/facts/Linguistics/oQuamvf2">linguistics</a>, specifically in the study of <a href="/facts/Syntax/6PxSV98p">syntax</a> in the <a href="/facts/Noam_Chomsky/3rtpzlER">Chomskyan</a> tradition of <a href="/facts/Transformational_generative_grammar/vqIyVYdP">transformational generative grammar</a>. </p><p>The deep structure of a linguistic <a href="/facts/Sentence_(linguistics)/GhKKkcm2">expression</a> is a theoretical construct that seeks to unify several related structures. For example, the sentences "Pat loves Chris" and "Chris is loved by Pat" mean roughly the same thing and use similar words. Some linguists, Chomsky in particular, have tried to account for this similarity by positing that these two sentences are distinct <i>surface forms</i> that derive from a common (or very similar) deep structure. </p>