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Syntax IV

Syntax IV. November 23, 2012. Weekday Update. Syntax homework will be posted after class today …due on Wednesday (November 28th) Next week, we will start working on the analysis of meaning: Pragmatics + Semantics Also note that the final exam for this course has been scheduled:

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Syntax IV

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  1. Syntax IV November 23, 2012

  2. Weekday Update • Syntax homework will be posted after class today • …due on Wednesday (November 28th) • Next week, we will start working on the analysis of meaning: • Pragmatics + Semantics • Also note that the final exam for this course has been scheduled: • Monday, December 17th, 3:30-5:30 pm • EEEL 161

  3. Complementizer Phrases • New lexical category: complementizers (C). • Ex: if, that, whether • Complementizers function as the heads of complementizer phrases. (CPs) • The complement of the CP is another IP (sentence). • Ex: Marge thinks [that [Homer ate the cake]IP]CP. • Matrix clause = highest-level sentence • “Marge thinks…” • Complement, or embedded clause = within the CP • “Homer ate the cake.”

  4. matrix clause IP NP I’ Marge I VP [-past] V’ CP V C’ thinks C IP that NP I’ Homer I VP [+past] V’ V NP ate the cake CP Example embedded clause

  5. Infinite Recursion, part 2 • It is possible to create infinitely long sentences by embedding complementizer clauses within complementizer clauses… • John said [that Mary thought [that Robin knew [that Angela hoped [that Quinton wished [that Bronwen believed that…]]]]] • VP  V CP V CP • CP  C IP V C IP • IP  NP VP V C NP VP • VP  V CP V C NP V CP • etc.

  6. Infinite Recursion, part 3 • There is one other (very boring) way to produce inifinitely long sentences in language: • I like baseball and basketball and hockey and football and soccer and rugby and cricket and ultimate and polo and lacrosse…. • Sentences like this take advantage of the syntactic phenomenon of coordination. • Coordination combines phrases or words of the same type with a conjunction (and, but, or…) • to create a phrase or word of the same type. • General coordination rule: Xn Xn Con Xn • Where Xn = {XP, X’, or X}

  7. Coordination Examples • NP  NP and NP • NP  The fat man and the little boy • VP  VP or VP • VP  fish or cut bait • IP IP but IP • IP  Ringo plays drums but Paul plays bass. • Coordination of individual words works the same way: • P  P and P • She went [[above]P and [beyond]P]P the call of duty.

  8. Ambiguity • Coordination can lead to a very simple kind of structural ambiguity. •  I like green eggs and ham. • Interpretation #1: just the eggs are green. • I like [[green eggs]NP and [ham]NP]NP. • Interpretation #2: both the eggs and ham are green. • I like [green [[eggs]N’ and [ham]N’]NP. • Let’s check out the trees…

  9. Interpretation #1 • Only the eggs are green: • IP • NP I’ • Pro I VP • I [-past] V’ • V NP • like NP Con NP • AP N’ and ham • green N • eggs

  10. Interpretation #2 • Both the eggs and ham are green: • IP • NP I’ • Pro I VP • I [-past] V’ • V NP • like AP N’ • green N’ Con N’ • N and N • eggs ham

  11. Further Ambiguity • Let’s try another one: • The police shot the terrorists with rifles. • Why is this sentence ambiguous? • (How can you describe the ambiguity, structurally?) • Interpretation #1: the terrorists have rifles. • [with rifles] is a PP embedded in the object NP. • Interpretation #2: the police have rifles. • [with rifles] is a PP that modifies the main VP. • Let’s check out some more trees…

  12. Interpretation #1 IP NP I’ the police I VP [+past] V’ V NP shot Det N’ the N PP terrorists P’ P NP with rifles In this one, the terrorists have the rifles.

  13. Interpretation #2 IP NP I’ the police I VP [+past] V’ PP V NP P’ shot Det N’ P NP the N with rifles terrorists In this one, the police are using the rifles to shoot the terrorists. The PP is a modifier of the VP here, not a complement. = it’s not required by the verb.

  14. Quick Write Greatest Hits

  15. Quick Write Greatest Hits

  16. More Modifiers • From the Quick Write: • IP • NP I’ • She I VP • [-past] V’ AdvP • V CP Deg Adv’ • wants IP really Adv • I VP badly • to V NP • play tennis In this interpretation, “really badly” modifies “wants”. (I’m glossing over some of the structure here)

  17. More Modifiers IP NP I’ She I VP [-past] V’ V CP wants IP I VP to V NP AdvP play tennis really badly In this interpretation, “really badly” modifies “play”. (I’m glossing over some of the structure here)

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