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Syntax IV
November 23, 2012
Weekday Update• Syntax homework will be posted after class today
• …due on Wednesday (November 28th)
• Next week, we will start working on the analysis of meaning:
• Pragmatics + Semantics
• Also note that the final exam for this course has been scheduled:
• Monday, December 17th, 3:30-5:30 pm
• EEEL 161
Complementizer Phrases• New lexical category: complementizers (C).
• Ex: if, that, whether
• Complementizers function as the heads of complementizer phrases. (CPs)
• The complement of the CP is another IP (sentence).
• Ex: Marge thinks [that [Homer ate the cake]IP]CP.
• Matrix clause = highest-level sentence
• “Marge thinks…”
• Complement, or embedded clause = within the CP
• “Homer ate the cake.”
IP
NP I’
Marge I VP
[-past] V’ CP
V C’
thinks C IP
that NP I’
Homer I VP
[+past] V’
V NP
ate the cakeCP Example
matrix clause
embedded clause
Infinite Recursion, part 2• It is possible to create infinitely long sentences by embedding complementizer clauses within complementizer clauses…
• John said [that Mary thought [that Robin knew [that Angela hoped [that Quinton wished [that Bronwen believed that…]]]]]
• VP V CP V CP
• CP C IP V C IP
• IP NP VPV C NP VP
• VP V CP V C NP V CP
• etc.
Infinite Recursion, part 3• There is one other (very boring) way to produce inifinitely long sentences in language:
• I like baseball and basketball and hockey and football and soccer and rugby and cricket and ultimate and polo and lacrosse….
• Sentences like this take advantage of the syntactic phenomenon of coordination.
• Coordination combines phrases or words of the same type with a conjunction (and, but, or…)
• to create a phrase or word of the same type.
• General coordination rule: Xn Xn Con Xn
• Where Xn = {XP, X’, or X}
Coordination Examples• NP NP and NP
NP The fat man and the little boy
• VP VP or VP
VP fish or cut bait
• IP IP but IP
IP Ringo plays drums but Paul plays bass.
• Coordination of individual words works the same way:
• P P and P
• She went [[above]P and [beyond]P]P the call of duty.
Ambiguity• Coordination can lead to a very simple kind of structural ambiguity.
• I like green eggs and ham.
• Interpretation #1: just the eggs are green.
• I like [[green eggs]NP and [ham]NP]NP.
• Interpretation #2: both the eggs and ham are green.
• I like [green [[eggs]N’ and [ham]N’]NP.
• Let’s check out the trees…
Interpretation #1• Only the eggs are green:
IP
NP I’
Pro I VP
I [-past] V’
V NP
like NP Con NP
AP N’ and ham
green N
eggs
Interpretation #2• Both the eggs and ham are green:
IP
NP I’
Pro I VP
I [-past] V’
V NP
like AP N’
green N’ Con N’
N and N
eggs ham
Further Ambiguity• Let’s try another one:
• The police shot the terrorists with rifles.
• Why is this sentence ambiguous?
• (How can you describe the ambiguity, structurally?)
• Interpretation #1: the terrorists have rifles.
• [with rifles] is a PP embedded in the object NP.
• Interpretation #2: the police have rifles.
• [with rifles] is a PP that modifies the main VP.
• Let’s check out some more trees…
Interpretation #1IP
NP I’
the police I VP
[+past] V’
V NP
shot Det N’
the N PP
terrorists P’
P NP
with rifles
In this one, the terrorists have the rifles.
Interpretation #2IP
NP I’
the police I VP
[+past] V’ PP
V NP P’
shot Det N’ P NP
the N with rifles
terroristsIn this one, the police are using the rifles to shoot the terrorists.
The PP is a modifier of the VP here, not a complement.
= it’s not required by the verb.
Quick Write Greatest Hits
Quick Write Greatest Hits
More Modifiers• From the Quick Write:
IP
NP I’
She I VP
[-past] V’ AdvP
V CP Deg Adv’
wants IP really Adv
I VP badly
to V NP
play tennis
(I’m glossing over some of the structure here)
In this interpretation, “really badly” modifies “wants”.
More ModifiersIP
NP I’
She I VP
[-past] V’
V CP
wants IP
I VP
to V NP AdvP
play tennis really badly
(I’m glossing over some of the structure here)
In this interpretation, “really badly” modifies “play”.
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