1 / 25

Syntax Transformations

Syntax Transformations. LING 200 Spring 2003. Reading: File 6.6. More on movement. Two kinds of syntactic rules Phrase structure rules: generate basic structures Transformational rules: permute or ‘move’ structures generated by phrase structure rules in limited ways

burton
Download Presentation

Syntax Transformations

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. SyntaxTransformations LING 200 Spring 2003 Reading: File 6.6

  2. More on movement • Two kinds of syntactic rules • Phrase structure rules: generate basic structures • Transformational rules: • permute or ‘move’ structures generated by phrase structure rules in limited ways • prevent PS rules from becoming overly complicated • can account for syntactic discontinuity

  3. Model of syntax P-S rules generate: ‘deep’ syntactic structure transformational rules:  ‘surface’ syntactic structure Not every sentence contains evidence of transformational rules!

  4. Some transformational rules of English • Subject – Aux inversion • Dative shift • Particle movement

  5. Subject – Aux inversion NP[The student who slept through the last lecture] Aux[should be] VP[studying]. Subject – Aux inversion: S[NP Aux[X Y] S[X NP Aux[Y Should the student who slept through the last lecture be studying?

  6. Dative shift • The TA gave a prize to the best student. • The TA gave the best student a prize. • The student left the homework assignment for their TA. • The student left their TA the homework assignment. • I’ll find the right size for you. • I’ll find you the right size.

  7. Two possible accounts of dative shift 1. Modify the PS rules: VP  V NP NP But: *The student V[put] NP[the assignment] NP[the TA’s box]. 2. Modify the output of the PS rules. The Dative Shift transformation: V NP1 P-NP2 V NP2 NP1 :

  8. Dative shift PS rules: VP  V NP PP The TA VP[V[gave] NP[a prize] PP[P[to]] NP[the best student]]]. Dative shift: V NP1 P-NP2 V NP2 NP1 The TA V[gave] NP[a prize] PP[to the best student]. Output:  The TA VP[V[gave] NP[the best student] NP[a prize]].

  9. Restrictions on Dative shift • Dative shift transformation lexically restricted to: • bring...to, give...to, show...to, read...to, ... • do...for, find...for, make...for, save...for, ... • ask (a question) of • Not every V NP PP: - The magician touched the girl with the wand. - *The magician touched the wand the girl. • Not every V NP PP[to NP] - Paul Allen donated a million dollars to the university. - *Paul Allen donated the university a million dollars. • Not every V[give] NP PP - They gave themselves up to the police. - *They gave the police themselves (up).

  10. Verb - particle movement • Two types of V P NP in English • V PP: VP[V PP[P NP]] V[look] PP[at the solution] V[rely] PP[on the help] V[wait] PP[for the next best thing] V[defer] PP[to a higher authority] V[run] PP[up the hill]

  11. Phrasal verbs 2. Phrasal verb: VP[V[V P] NP] V  V (P) (P = preposition, “particle”) V[V[put] P[on]] NP[a coat] V[V[put] P[off]] NP[the decision] V[V[give] P[out]] NP[the exam] V[V[call] P[up]] NP[the dean] V[V[get] P[out]] NP[a pencil] V[V[stand] P[up]] NP[a date] V[V[run] P[up]] NP[the bill]

  12. Differences between V PP, phrasal verbs 1. Position of pronominalized NP:

  13. Phrasal verbs and ‘particle movement’ Optional with full NP: put on a coat, put a coat on Obligatory with pronoun: *put on it,put it on run up a bill, run it up put off the decision, put it off give out the exam, give it out call up the dean, call him up

  14. V PP vs. phrasal verbs 2. Entire PP can be moved to the beginning of the sentence (‘preposed’):

  15. V PP vs. phrasal verbs • 3. Sentence fragment test: • Only a constituent can substitute for a sentence.

  16. V PP vs. phrasal verbs 4. Separability of V, P

  17. V PP vs. phrasal verbs 5. Possibility of coordinating PP

  18. Summary and analysis • The linear string • V P NP • has two possible analyses: • V [P NP] V + PP • [V P] NP phrasal verb

  19. Position of nominal vs. pronominal objects

  20. Position of pronominalized NP Particle Movement (transformation) Verb P]V NP 1 2 3  1 3 2 (optional unless NP is pronoun (then obligatory))

  21. Transformational vs. PS approach to Particle Movement Purely phrase structure approach VP  V (P) (NP) (run up the bill) VP  V (NP) (P) (run the bill up)

  22. Drawbacks of purely PS approach • doesn’t represent phrasal verbs as syntactic or lexical unit • no savings in # rules needed (1 PS rule + 1 transformation) • additional rule would be needed (VP  V P PP) for phrasal verb + PP: [V[put] P[up]] PP[with the situation] [V[let] P[up]] PP[on the pedal]

  23. [V P] PP • Preposing: on the pedal we let up • Sentence fragment: did you let up on the pedal? No, (on) the brake. • Separability: let up carefully on the pedal. • Coordination: let upon the clutch and (on) the accelerator • (No Particle movement: let up on it, *let on it up)

  24. Summary • Sentences are not just unstructured strings of words • Two kinds of syntactic rules • Phrase structure rules • Transformational rules: • Some transformational rules of English • Subject – Aux inversion • Dative shift • Particle movement

More Related