A movement 2
Oct. 31, 2012 – Day 26
Introduction to Syntax
ANTH 3590/7590
Harry Howard
Tulane University
COURSE MANAGEMENT
10/31/12
http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/
 We need to spend our $150 from the Provost’s
Undergraduate Activities Fund.

ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
2
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3
Radford §6
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A-MOVEMENT
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4
Radford §6.1-3
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
REVIEW
DEDUCTIVE INTRODUCTION:
RECALL PREPOSITION STRANDING
CP
C’

TP

PRN
he

T’
What is left out?

VP
T
will
----
V
refer
P, T, and C.
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
-----TNS]
---[EF,
will+ ø
Which categories
have a specifier?
10/31/12
PRN
who

V.
The topic of this
chapter really is, can
V have a specifier?
PP
PRN
-----who
P’
P
-----[EF]
to
PRN
-----who
5
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FIRST PIECE OF EVIDENCE: A VP-INTERNAL
SUBJECT IN BELFAST ENGLISH THERE CLAUSES
(6.4)
CP
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
TP
PRN
there
T’
T
should
VP
QP
some
students
V'
V
get
QP
ø distinctions
6
SECOND PIECE OF EVIDENCE: SUBJECT IDIOMS
CAN BE INSERTED AS A UNIT IN VP (6.12)
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CP
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
TP
QP
all hell
T’
T
will
VP
QP
---------all hell
V'
V
break
AP
loose
7
THIRD PIECE OF EVIDENCE: NEGATION
HAS SCOPE OVER A VP-INTERNAL SUBJECT
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CP
TP
QP
everyone
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
T’
T
did
NegP
n’t
Neg'
VP
Neg
ø
QP
----------everyone
V'
V
finish
DetP
the assignment
8
CONCLUSION: ALL SUBJECTS START OUT IN
THE SPECIFIER OF V (6.5)
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ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
CP
C
ø
TP
QP
some
students
T’
T
should
VP
QP
some
------students
-----------
V'
V
get
QP
ø distinctions
9
Table of thematic (Θ) roles (15)
Example
AGENT
Entity that performs the
action
Mary kissed John.
Mary sneezed.
THEME
Entity affected by the action
Mary kissed John.
Mary fell over.
EXPERIENCER
Entity that experiences a
psychological state
Death scares Mary.
Mary likes syntax.
It seems to me that …
LOCATIVE
(Stationary) place
Mary lives in Idaho.
GOAL
Destination of a motion
Mary went to Idaho.
SOURCE
Origin of a motion
Mary came from Idaho.
INSTRUMENT
Means used to perform
action
Mary hit it with a
hammer.
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
Gloss
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Thematic role
10
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11
Radford §6.4
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
ARGUMENT STRUCTURE &
THEMATIC or Θ ROLES
THEMATIC MECHANISMS
Theta/θ criterion: Each argument bears one and only one
θ role, and each θ role is assigned to one and only one
argument. (18)
 Predicate-internal theta-marking hypothesis: An
argument is theta-marked via merger with a predicate.
(19)


Argument classification
The complement is the internal or first-merged
argument of a verb;
 the subject is the external or second-merged argument
of a verb.

ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane

θ roles have been implicated in many grammatical
phenomena, but we do not have time to review them
here.
It is enough to say:
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
12
EXAMPLE (6.21)
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CP
TP
DP
the police
T’
T
will
VP
DP
-----------the
police
V assigns AGENT to its
external or secondmerged argument
V'
V
arrest
V assigns THEME to
its internal or firstmerged argument
DP
the suspect
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
13
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14
Radford §6.5
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
UNACCUSATIVE
PREDICATES
INDUCTIVE INTRODUCTION
Two kinds of intransitive verbs


We call the verbs of the first group unaccusative
and those of the second group unergative.
What is the thematic role of the intransitive
argument?
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
22a) There have arisen several complications.
22b) There could have occurred a diplomatic incident.
22c) There does still remain some hope of finding survivors.
31a)* There complained many passengers.
31b)* In the dentist’s office, there groaned a toothless patient.
31c)* Every time the general goes past, there salutes a soldier.
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
THEME
for the unaccusatives;
AGENT for the unergatives.
15
MORE DISTINCTIONS
Belfast English A

Auxiliary selection in Shakespeare
34a) Mistress Page is come with me.
34b) Is the Duke gone? Then is your cause gone too?
34c) How chance thou art returned so soon?
34d) She is fallen into a pit of ink.
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
32a) Leave you now!
32b) Arrive you before 6 o’clock!
32c) Be going you out of the door when he arrives!
33c) *Always laugh you at his jokes!
33a) *Read you that book!
33b) *Eat you up!
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
16
UNERGATIVE INTRANSITIVE VERBS HAVE
AGENT SUBJECTS
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CP
TP
DP
the police
T’
T
will
VP
DP
-----------the
police
V assigns AGENT to its
external or secondmerged argument
V'
V
complain
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
17
HYPO: UNACCUSATIVE SUBJECTS
ORIGINATE AS COMPLEMENTS (6.35-7)
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CP
TP
QP
several
complications
T’
T
could
VP
V assigns THEME to
its internal argument
V
arise
QP
several
-----------complications
-----------------
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
C
ø
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Radford §6.6
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
PASSIVE PREDICATES
INDUCTIVE INTRODUCTION
Examples

Properties of the passive voice
1.It
requires the auxiliary be …
2.plus the passive participle (= perfect participle).
3.The verb's subject may appear in a by phrase.
4.The verb's complement appears as the subject.
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
42a) Hundreds of people saw the attack.
42b) The attack was seen by hundreds of people.
43a) Lex Luthor stole the kryptonite.
43b) The kryptonite was stolen by Lex Luthor.
44a) They took everything.
44b) Everything was taken.
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
20
PASSIVES AS UNACCUSATIVES
Passives accept there

Hypothesis
The
passive omits a verb’s subject – see next two
slides.
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
45b) There was found no evidence of any corruption.
46b) There have been reported several cases of
syntactophobia.
47b) There has been announced a significant change of
policy.
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
21
PASSIVE WITH THERE AS
UNACCUSATIVE (48)
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C
ø
TP
PRN
there
T’
T
were
VP
V assigns THEME to
its internal argument
V
reported
QP
several cases
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
CP
22
PASSIVE AS UNACCUSATIVE (49)
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C
ø
TP
QP
several cases
T’
T
were
VP
V assigns THEME to
its internal argument
V
reported
QP
-------------------several cases
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
CP
23
10/31/12
Continue from §6.8 on raising
24
ANTH3590/7590, Harry Howard, Tulane
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