BBN-ANG-251 Syntax
Spring Term, 2013/2014
THE DETERMINER PHRASE II. AND THE NOUN PHRASE
1
The Projection Headed by N: Intermediate Levels
1a
b
c
d
e
f
the king of England
the English king
he became king of England
the present king of England and the last one
*the king of England and the one of France
students of Physics
2a
b
c
d
*the student of Physics and the one of Mathematics
the student with long hair and the one in jeans
Which student of Physics? The one with long hair?
Which student of Physics? The one behind the tree?
1.1
Postmodification: the order and category of complements and adjuncts, restrictions on
the number of complements and adjuncts
3a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
4a
1.1.1
5
1.1.2
6a
b
c
the student
the student of Physics
the student with long hair
the student of Physics with long hair
*the student with long hair of Physics
*the student of Physics of Mathematics
the student with long hair in blue jeans
the student in blue jeans with long hair
the suggestion that we should abandon cruise missiles
b the demand for him to resign
c the question whether euthanasia is ethical
Structural ambiguity
a student of high moral principles
(i)
a person who studies high moral principles
(ii)
a person who has high moral principles
Coordination
the students of Chemistry and the professors of Physics
the students with long hair and professors with short hair
the students of Chemistry and professors with short hair
BBN-ANG-251 Syntax
Spring Term, 2013/2014
1.1.3
7a
b
c
d
1.2
Semantic Restrictions
a student of Physics
*a man of Physics
a student with long hair
a man with long hair
Premodification
8a
b
c
d
e
a Cambridge Physics student
*a Physics Cambridge student
some Physics and Cambridge students
some Oxford and Cambridge students
*some Oxford and Physics students
9a
b
Hillary Clinton’s drugs campaign
Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign
10 a
b
c
d
a lover of classical music
a classical music lover
a lover of the opera
*a the opera lover
11 a
b
c
d
a Paris nightclub
a Parisian nightclub
a metal finish
a metallic finish
12 a
b
c
a Japanese toy plastic duck
a toy Japanese plastic duck
a toy plastic Japanese duck
14 a
b
the best possible use
the best use possible
15 a
b
c
d
e
he has a similar car
*he has a car similar
*he has a similar to mine car
he has a car similar to mine
he has a similar car to mine
Source: Radford, 1988:187-213