Syntax VI
November 29, 2010
Announcements!
• The time and place of the final exam will be:
• Craigie Hall C 105
• Wednesday, December 15th
• 8-10 am
• Also note: USRIs will take place at the end of class on
Wednesday, December 8th.
Quick Write Greatest Hits
Quick Write Greatest Hits
An Earlier Quick Write
•
We looked at the grammaticality of the following
sentences:
1. Jack and Jill ran up the hill.
•
0 out of 68 disapproved.
2. Jack and Jill ran the hill up.
•
64 out of 68 disapproved.
3. Up the hill ran Jack and Jill.
•
2 out of 68 disapproved.
4. Jack and Jill ran up the bill.
•
15 out of 68 disapproved.
An Earlier Quick Write
5. Jack and Jill ran the bill up.
•
24 out of 68 disapproved.
6. Up the bill ran Jack and Jill.
•
•
•
45 out of 68 disapproved.
Note the following combination:
•
Jack and Jill ran the bill up.
•
*Jack and Jill ran the hill up.
And also this combination:
•
Up the hill ran Jack and Jill.
•
*Up the bill ran Jack and Jill.
An Earlier Quick Write
• It’s okay to move a PP to the front of the sentence:
• Up the hill ran Jack and Jill.
• But you can’t move just the P to the end of the sentence:
• *Jack and Jill ran the hill up.
• Note that “up” behaves differently in the other sentences:
• *Up the bill ran Jack and Jill.
• Jack and Jill ran the bill up.
• In the “bill” sentences, “up” is not a preposition, it’s a
particle.
• …and it’s okay to end a sentence with a particle.
Back to Inversion
CP
• Note: the auxiliary verb moves
from one head slot to another.
C’
C
IP
I’
NP
Det
N’
I
VP
the
N
is
V’
boy
V
sleeping
• Rule: move the I head to the C node.
• This “inversion” rule creates a yes/no question.
Inversion Results
CP
C’
C
The movement leaves a
“trace” (t) behind in the I
I’ slot.
IP
is
NP
Det
N’
I
VP
the
N
t
V’
boy
• The C slot has to be marked
with a [+Q] (for “question”) to
make this movement happen.
V
[+Q]
• …like the I slot being marked
for tense.
sleeping
Wh-Movement
The Wh- particle moves
from a non-head position to
another non-head position.
CP
C’
NP
What C
did
IP
I’
NP
Bart
(so it doesn’t cross paths
with move #1)
I
VP
t
V’
V
kick
NP
t
Questions around the World
• In other languages, questions can be formed by moving
any verb (not just an auxiliary) to the front of the sentence.
• Dutch:
Femke leest veel boeken.
“Femke reads many books.”
• Q:
Leest Femke veel boeken?
reads Femke many books
“Does Femke read many books?”
Wh non-movement
• Some languages form Wh questions without moving
anything.
• Japanese:
Taro-ga
nani-o
mitsuketa-no?
Taro-subject
what
found-question marker
“What did Taro find?”
• Swahili:
Ulipatia
nani
kitabu
you gave
who
a book
“Who did you give a book?”
Principles and Parameters
• Language has universal features = principles
• Nouns, verbs, etc.
• Phrases with heads and complements.
• Individual languages have options = parameters
• Head-first or head-last?
• Wh-movement or no Wh-movement?
• Kids acquiring language get the universal principles for
free;
• it’s part of Universal Grammar (UG)
• …but they have to figure out the “parameters” from what
they hear in the world around them, as they grow up.