S-selection
(semantic selection)
Syntax 3
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
!The oppinion kissed Kim
!The oppinion skidded
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S-selection
– a predicate that assigns an agent and a theme θ-roles
to its arguments has a different meaning from the one
that only assigns a theme θ-role.
– Each θ-role in the predicate’s meaning entails
(requires) that the verb’s argument possess certain
general properties (e.g., be animate, have volition, be
movable, etc.)
– Each predicate also imposes specific requirements on
its arguments – due to its own specific meaning ( e.g.,
be liquid, be edible, etc.)
– If a predicate combines with arguments that do not
satisfy these expectations the result is semantic
anomaly
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
C-selection
(categorial selection)
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!My toothbrush is pregnant
!The pizza is too hot to drink.
pregnant < property >
|
[+female]
drink < agent, theme >
|
[+fluid]
!The witch used her dream to fly out to the forest
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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C-selection
kiss, V [NP, NP]
*Sandy
told to Tom that she is hungry
Sandy told Tom that she is hungry
tell, V [NP, NP, CP]
Sandy said to Tom that she is hungry
*Sandy said Tom that she is hungry
say, V [NP, PP, CP]
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
S-selection
• A part of predicate’s meaning is the type of θ
roles it assigns (its θ
- grid):
Sandy talked to Tom about the movie
*Sandy talked Tom about the movie
skid < theme >
*Sandy kissed
*Sandy skidded Kim
c-selection, s-selection,
Textbook pg. 226-233
X-bar theory – not in textbook
*Sandy kissed to Tom
Sandy kissed Tom
kiss < agent, theme >
Sandy kissed Kim
Sandy skidded
• A part of predicate’s syntax is:
– Information about syntactic category of its
arguments
– This information must be in the lexical entry of
the predicate because it is not predictable
from the meaning of the predicate
talk, V [NP, PP, PP]
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
6
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Neurolinguistic evidence for
semantic and categorial selection
• Violations of s- e
s lection and c- selection can be
detected in electrical activities of the brain
X-bar theory of syntactic
structure
• ERP (brain event related potentials)
Munte et al (1998) have found that there are two
different types of electrical brain activity that
correspond to the two types of selection:
N400 effect associated with semantic violations
P600 effect associated with syntactic violations
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
The structure of NP
I want the book
I want the book on the shelf
DP
DP
D'
D'
DP
D'
D
NP
D
NP
D
NP
this
N'
the
N'
the
N'
N
N'
PP
book
N
P'
book
I want the book on the shelf with a blue cover
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N'
PP
P'
P
DP
N
on
D'
book
I want the one
I want the one with the blue cover and the one with the red cover
PP
N'
P'
P
DP
on
D'
P
NP
with
N'
D
NP
the
N'
D
NP
Adj'
N
N
the
N'
Adj
cover
N
red
shelf
AdjP
N'
shelf
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
9
the big red balls
DP
D'
D'
DP
D'
D
NP
the
N'
N'
Adj'
N
Adj
balls
red
D
NP
D
the
N'
the
AdjP
AdjP
the three big red balls
DP
N'
Mary will eat five apples in the garden
NP
NumP
N'
Num'
AdjP
Mary will eat five apples in the garden every day
N'
AdjP
N'
Num
Adj'
AdjP
N'
Adj
Adj'
N
three
Adj
Adj'
N
big
Adj
balls
big
Adj
balls
red
Mary will eat five apples
I will do so too
Adj'
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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The structure of VP
The structure of NP
the red balls
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
I will do so too
I will do so on the veranda
I will do so on the veranda every week
red
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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2
VP
VP
VP
V'
V'
V'
V
DP
eat
D'
V'
V'
PP
V
DP
eat
D'
The structure of AdjP
DP
V'
P'
PP
P
DP
V
DP
in
D'
eat
D'
D'
P'
D
NP
five
N'
D
NP
N
five
N'
D
NP
D
NP
N
the
N'
five
N'
D
NP
N
N
the
N'
garden
apples
apples
apples
P
DP
in
I saw an excellent film
D
NP
every
N'
D'
I saw a really excellent film
John is fond of Mary
N
day
John is very fond of Mary
John isn’t that fond of Mary
N
garden
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Structure of PP
DP
DP
D'
D'
D
an
NP
He is so out of touch in some ways
PP
D
NP
PP → P PP
AdjP
N'
an
Adj'
N
AdvP
Adj'
N
Adj
film
Adv'
Adj
film
excellent
AdjP
Adv
N'
AdjP
AdjP
AdvP
Adj'
Adj
excellent
PP
fond
really
Adv'
P'
P
Adv
DP
Adj
PP
fond
P'
very
of Mary
PP → Deg P’
P’ → P’ PP
Adj'
P
PP
PP
|
|
P'
P'
DEGP
PP
PP
P
DP
DEG'
P
DP
DEGP
out
P'
in
D'
DEG
out
D'
DEG'
P
DP
P
DEG
out
D'
in
P
DP
D
NP
of
D'
some
N'
so
D
NP
of
N'
N
NP
ways
N'
so
P'
P'
DP
D'
D
NP
D
NP
of
N'
some
N'
N
touch
N
N
N
of Mary
PP
P'
P
D
DP
PP
touch
ways
touch
PP → PP PP
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
15
XP
X-bar theory of
syntactic structure
XP
ZP
adjunct
All syntactic categories
follow the same schema.
We can eliminate
category specific rules
UP
John is a student from Italy
¾ John is a student
¾ John is from Italy
X'
X'
WP
a student from Italy is a constituent that
expresses two separate properties of John
adjunct
X
YP
complement
Ö the PP from Italy is an adjunct of the noun
student
head
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Adjuncts
adjunct
specifier
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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18
3
Complement vs. Adjunct
Complements
Rough approximation:
• Complement
John is a student of physics.
– completes the meaning of a predicate
– Can not be reiterated
¾ John is a student
¾ *John is of physics
• *buy a book a magazine
• *a student of physics of math
• Adjunct
a student of physics is a constituent that
expresses only one property of John
– adds more information to the already complete
predicate
– Can be reiterated
Ö the PP of physics is a complement of the
noun student
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
• buy a book a day on the street
• a big red fluffy cover
• A student of physics from Italy in my class
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Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
N
V
Original motivation for X-bar theory
XP
XP
ACTIVE
•
The Romans destroyed the city
•
the Roman’s destruction of the city
DP
X'
D'
PASSIVE
•
The city was destroyed by the Romans
•
the city’s destruction by the Romans
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DP
X
DP
destroyed
D'
X'
D'
D
NP
the
N'
D
NP
N
the
N'
N
Romans'
Romans
X
PP
destruction
P'
D
NP
the
N'
P
N
of
city
DP
D'
D
NP
the
N'
N
city
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
Grammar (revised)
Ambiguities
• Lexicon
– Morphemes augmented with
• syntactic category information (A, N, V, P, C, …)
• Subcategorization frames (c-selection)
• Theta grid (s-selection plus specific semantic
constraints)
Lexical
Syntactic
He gave her a slip.
At a Santa Fe gas station:
We will sell gasoline to
anyone in a glass container
She saw a bat.
– Morphological rules
Dry cleaners ad:
“38 years on the same spot”
• X-bar schema
To be augmented further
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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23
A Maine shop:
Our motto is to give our
customers the lowest
possible prices and
workmanship
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4
T nsP
T ns P
D P
DP
T ns '
D '
T ns
V P
D
w ill
V '
w e
V
D P
s e ll
D '
D
T ns'
D'
T ns
VP
D
w ill
V'
we
N P
DP
s e ll
D'
D
DP
D'
D
NP
N'
P '
P
D P
to
PP
N'
PP
N
P'
P'
N P
N '
D'
NP
D
P
NP
in
N'
N'
P P
N
P '
g a s o lin e
P
N P
in
N '
P
DP
to
D'
D
A d jP
N '
A d j'
N
A d j
c o n ta i n e r
A d jP
A d j'
N
N'
Adj
c o n ta i n e r
N
g la s s
NP
the
N'
AdjP
N'
N'
Adj'
N
prices
Adj'
N'
Conj
Adj
N
Conj
N'
N
lowest
prices
and
workmanship
N
workmanship
lowest
N'
NP
NP
D
N'
AdjP
Adj
N '
a ny o ne
the
N'
D '
D
DP
and
P P
N
DP
D'
V
N '
N '
g a s o lin e
DP
a nyo ne
g la s s
Brown University -- CG41
Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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Svetlana Godjevac -- Syntax 3
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