ENGL 384: Syntax
Fall, 2015/1436
pages: 293 - 307
1. Head movement. Pages 293 – 295
Movement of a word from the head position in one phrase into the head position in another
phrase is known as head movement. For examples:
If the president was lying.
Was the president lying?
CP
CP
C
If
TP
C
DP
The president
TP
T'
DP
T
V
Was
lying
T'
The president
T
V
Was
lying
Exercise: draw a tree for the following sentences.
a- If your sister was happy.
b- The poor were looking for some food.
How T can become a C? Auxiliaries move out of their normal post-subject position into presubject position by an operation often referred to as inversion.
CP
C
TP
DP
The president
T'
T
Was
V
lying
Copy and Trace. Page 295
When a constituent moves from one position in a structure to another,the position out of
which it moves remains intact (complete) and is filled by a silent copy of the moved
constituent (sometimes referred to as a trace of the moved constituent, abbreviated to t).
Note: the silent copy cannot be filled by another auxiliary. For example, we cannot say (Was
the president is lying?)
The next example is showing a silent copy in adult sentences.
Movement
1 Ms. Rasha Ali
ENGL 384: Syntax
Fall, 2015/1436
pages: 293 - 307
CP
C
TP
Was
DP
T'
The president
T
V
Was
lying
The next example is showing the different between adults and children in case of copy and
trace. For children the copy is overt (clear).
CP
C
TP
Can
DP
Its wheels
T'
T
can
V
spin
Another example:
They have gone. = They've gone. √
Will they have gone? = will they've gone?  Why cliticisation here is wrong!
Because
[CP[C Will][TP they [T will] have gone]]? So the presence of the intervening
silent copy will in T prevents have from cliticising onto they in inversion structures.
2. Operator movement. Pages 297-301
a- (Wh-operator) what languages can you speak? You can speak what languages.
b- (negative-operator) No other colleague would I trust. I would trust no other colleague.
Booth operators here function as a complement of the verb in their sentences.
What is an echo question? For example, You can speak what languages?
When you echo and question something previously said by someone else.
Movement
2 Ms. Rasha Ali
ENGL 384: Syntax
Fall, 2015/1436
pages: 293 - 307
CP
C'
TP
T'
VP
DP
C
D
T
V
DP
What languages
can
you
t
speak
t
No other colleague
would
I
t
trust
t
You can look at more examples in pages 299 & 300
c- Economy principle. Read please in page 301
3. Yes-No questions. Pages 302 & 303
Questions started with Wh are CPs, but what about yes/no questions like this one:
Are you having any problems?
In yes/no questions, the specifier position within CP is filled by a silent yes/no question
operator, which we might symbolize as (?) If we take (?) to be an adverb of some kind, this
would mean:
CP
ADV
?
C'
C
Are
TP
D
You
T'
T
t
VP
V
Having
DP
D
N
Any
Movement
problems
3 Ms. Rasha Ali
ENGL 384: Syntax
Fall, 2015/1436
pages: 293 - 307
Polarity items
Some English questions have the negative/interrogative polarity = any-some
For example: Nobody has any money.
Do you have some apples?
Then the polarity phrase is a TP and the head of the sentence will be ADV (?). Read more in
page 303.
4. Other types of movement. Pages 304-306
a- topicalisation:
This kind of behavior no teacher can tolerate. This sentence has a movement
"topicalisation". The original is: No teacher can tolerate this kind of behavior. The italicised
phrase has been moved into more prominent position at the front of the clause.
CP
DP
This kind of behavior
C'
C
TP
ᵠ
DP
T'
No teacher
T
VP
Can
V
Tolerate
DP
This kind
of behavior
b- Passive movement:
A-movement
(Argument movement)
A-bar movement
(non-argument movement)
1. The press reported [that the thieves stole the jewels].
2. The press reported [that the jewels were stolen (by the thieves)].
Which sentence is passive?
Movement
4 Ms. Rasha Ali
ENGL 384: Syntax
Fall, 2015/1436
pages: 293 - 307
In syntax there are 4 prosperities to distinguish passive clauses:
1- Verb (be)
3- May include (by phrase)
2- Participle forms
4- complement in active sen.
Subject in passive sen.
CP
C
That
TP
DP
T'
The jewels
T
Were
VP
V
Stolen
DP
the jewels
Assignment: page 307
Exercise (1) b & d
Movement
5 Ms. Rasha Ali