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Parameters Day 5, Sept. 7, 2012

Parameters Day 5, Sept. 7, 2012. Introduction to Syntax ANTH 3590/7590 Harry Howard Tulane University. Course management. http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/ If you notify me by email ahead of time of a scheduled absence, I will not hold it against you. Photos!. 1.6 Parameters.

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Parameters Day 5, Sept. 7, 2012

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  1. ParametersDay 5, Sept. 7, 2012 Introduction to Syntax ANTH 3590/7590 Harry Howard Tulane University

  2. Course management • http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/ • If you notify me by email ahead of time of a scheduled absence, I will not hold it against you. ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  3. Photos! ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  4. 1.6 Parameters ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane Go over vocabulary in bold face

  5. Introduction • The previous pages argue that much of the grammar of language is universal. • If all of grammar were universal, children would only need to learn words, and all grammars would be the same. ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  6. Three parameters • The null-subject parameter • Mary thinks that *(they) speak Spanish. • María piensa que hablan español. • The Wh-parameter • What do you think he will say? • Ni xiang ta hui shuo shenme? • The head-position parameter • Close the door ~ desire for change • Muneul dadara ~ byunhwa-edaehan galmang ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  7. Background to an example • Well, consider the following sentences, in which the names have been labelled for thematic role, as so: • Ag = Agent, the person or thing that does the action of the verb • Pat = Patient, the person or thing that receives the action of the verb ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  8. Review basic word order • MaryAg kissed JohnPat • MaryAg JohnPat kissed • JohnPat kissed MaryAg • JohnPat MaryAg kissed • kissed MaryAg JohnPat • kissed JohnPat MaryAg • SVO • *SOV • *OVS • *OSV • *VSO • *VOS ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  9. Pre- vs. postpositions • at home (is where I want to be) • home at (is where I want to be) • [P N] is typical of VO languages • [N P] is typical of OV languages ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  10. COMPOUND NOUNSACT LIKE SMALL SENTENCES • man-eating shark • fire-breathing dragon • heart-rending story • Greek-speaking interpreter • self-cleaning oven • OVS • OVS • OVS • OVS • OVS ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  11. 1.7 Parameter setting ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  12. Learning a language • Involves • learning the morphemes of the language ~ lexical learning • setting parameters ~ structural learning • The latter makes it easy for children to learn the language. ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  13. Exercises ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  14. Background • Sample sentence: John has gone home. • Auxiliary verbs are heads that take a verb and the stuff associated with it as a complement: • has [gone home] • Verbs are heads that take a direct object and maybe other stuff associated with it as a complement: • gone [home] • Any variation from this canonical (basic – normal – underlying) order must be the result of a movement. ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  15. Exercise 1.1, Elizabethan syntax • ‘Seawater shalt thou drink’ • ‘seawater’ should be complement to ‘drink’ > ‘drink seawater’ • ‘drink seawater’ should be complement to ‘shalt’ > ‘shalt drink seawater’ • ‘thou’ should be subject > ‘Thou shalt drink seawater’ ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  16. 1.1 others? ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  17. 1.2 Child syntax (go over each one) ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

  18. NEXT TIME ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane Q1 Phrases & clauses 2.1 - 2.3, Ex 2.1

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