CAS LX 522 Syntax I

CAS LX 522Syntax I Week 11. Interim summary and some things to do in class.

The Y model • We’ve covered most of the components—let’s walk slowly through a derivation to illustrate everything. • What does every student want me to be reading? q TheorySubcategorization DS Overt movement,Expletive insertion X-bar theory Case theory, EPP SS Covert movement Phonology/Morphology PF LF Binding theory

DS Walking through a derivation SS PF LF • What does every student want me to be reading? • Read:Agent, Theme • Want:Agent, Proposition • Agents go in SpecVP, objects (Theme and Proposition) are sister to their verb at DS.

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • To start with, figure out the skeleton. • There are two clauses, every student wants (something) and me to be reading what. • The top clause has a +Q, +WH C, since it is a wh-question. VP T [PRES] V V TP want T VP T to V V VP be V V reading

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Then start filling in the q-roles for the verbs. • Remember: • Each verb needs to assign its q-roles within its own VP. • Auxiliaries (be, have) do not assign q-roles. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want T VP T to V V VP be DP V me V DP reading what

CP DS DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Are all the q-roles assigned? • reading: • Agent:me • Theme:what • want: • Experiencer: Bill • Proposition: TP • It’s a good DS. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want T VP T to V V VP be DP V me V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Now, we move things around in order to have a satisfactory SS. • All DPs need Case. • Every SpecTP needs to be filled. • A [+Q, +WH] C needs to have a [wh] element in its specifier. • Matrix [+Q] C needs T to move up to it. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want T VP T to V V VP be DP V me V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Case: So far, only one DP has Case, what. • Reading is an active transitive verb, it assigns accusative Case to its sister. • Moving up the tree, me needs Case, and SpecTP needs to be filled. Both problems can be solved by moving me to SpecTP. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want T VP T to V V VP be DP V me V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Case: How does me get Case? • Nonfinite T (to) does not assign Case to its specifier. • However, me is governed bywant. Want assigns accusative Case to me. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q][+WH] PF LF T • Case: Now, every student needs Case and the higher SpecTP needs to be filled. • Both problems can be solved by moving every student to SpecTP. VP T [PRES] DP V ev.st. V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C TP [+Q,+WH] PF LF DPj T • Every student gets nominative Case from the finite T. • What’s left? • Matrix [+Q] C needs to have T move to it. • A [+Q, +WH] C needs a [wh] element in its specifier. ev.st. VP T [PRES] tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V DP reading what

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? C SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • T moves up to C. • What’s left? • A [+Q, +WH] C needs a [wh] element in its specifier. • The only [wh] element we have is what, which we’ll need to move into SpecCP. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V DP reading what

CP DS SS What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • What moves up to SpecCP. • Now: • Every DP got Case (along the way). • All SpecTPs are filled. • T moved to [+Q] C. • SpecCP has a [wh] element. • This is a good SS. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • Now, the derivation splits. • This (the SS) is the “pronunciation focus” of the derivation. • First let’s head off toward PF. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DS What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • The only problem with pronouncing this structure is that we have a “stranded affix”—the present tense suffix is in C, and cannot attach to a verb. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DS PF What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP do-s PF LF DPj T • So, we have to insert do to support the stranded affix. • This is the pronounced form of the sentence: What does every student want me to be reading? ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DS SS What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • We’re not done yet… • At SS, the derivation splits, one set of steps leads to PF. This is where do-support (and also affix lowering) happens. • But we also must compute the meaning, the logical form (LF). • So we need to return to SS and consider the LF branch. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DS SS What does every student want me to be reading? DPm C what SS C+Tk TP -s PF LF DPj T • We have a quantifier, every student, and all quantifiers need to move out of TP before we have a valid LF. (Quantifiers need to leave a trace to serve as a variable) • So every studentneeds to adjoin to TP. ev.st. tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

CP DPm C DS LF what What does every student want me to be reading? C+Tk TP -s SS DPj TP ev.st. PF LF tj T • The quantifier is not moving very far, but it is now no longer contained in TP. (TP does not dominate DPj) • The requirements on LF are now met, this is a valid LF. • What is the x such that for every student y, y wants me to be reading x? tk VP tj V V TP want DPi T me VP T to V V VP be ti V V tm reading

Some others Opi that we might want PROsubto do ti • What is likely to be served at Thanksgiving? • Who should not expect to eat every drumstick? • Most students know where to go.

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CAS LX 522 Syntax I