Introduction to

English Linguistics (I)

Professor Seongha Rhee

[email protected]
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 Ch. 2. Syntax (3) (109-127)
1. Structural Ambiguities
2. More Structures
3. Sentence Relatedness
4. Further Syntactic Dependencies
5. UG Principles and Parameters
6. Sign Language Syntax

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 1. Structural Ambiguities
The boy saw the man with the telescope.
The boy saw the man with the telescope.
The boy saw the man with the telescope.

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The boy saw the man with the telescope.

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The boy saw the man with the telescope.

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• The boy saw the man with the telescope.
(a) The boy saw the man with the telescope.
(b) The boy saw the man with the telescope.

→ a. “The boy used a telescope to see the man.”

VP → VP PP

→ b. “The boy saw a man who had a telescope.”

NP → NP PP

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• PS-Rules

1. S → NP VP 8. VP→V
2. NP→ Det N‘ 9. VP→V NP
3. NP→ N‘ 10. VP→V CP
4. NP→ NP's N‘ 11. VP→Aux VP
5. NP→NP PP 12. VP→VP PP
6. N'→Adj N‘ 13. PP→P NP
7. N'→ N 14. CP→C S

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 2. More Structures
1. The dog completely destroyed the shoe.
2. The cat and the dog were friends.
3. The cat is coy.

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• A. completely: adverb; modifier, sister to VP

The dog completely destroyed the house.

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The dog destroyed the house yesterday.

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Probably the dog has fleas.

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B. Coordinate Structure

4. Caley bought a book and a CD yesterday.

5. Caley bought a book yesterday and a CD.
6. *Caley bought a book and yesterday a CD.
“and a CD” is a unit (cf. “Move as a Unit” test)

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• → How about:
a. Michael writes poetry and surfs.
[VP and VP]

b. Sam rode his bicycle to school and to

the pool.
[PP and PP]

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C. Adjective

The cat is coy. (T' → T AdjP)

cf. The cat is a feline. (T' → T NP)
The cat is in the tree. (T' → T PP)

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D. Other Cases

a. Hilary is waiting for you to sing.

(cf. You sing.)

b. The host wants the president to leave early.

(cf. The president leaves early.)

c. The host believes the president to be punctual.

(cf. The president is punctual.)

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 3. Sentence Relatedness

The boy is sleeping.

Is the boy sleeping?

• How are they related?

• Are they separately generated?
• Are they from the same underlying structure?

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 3.1 Transformational Rules
The boy is sleeping. Is the boy sleeping?

The boy has slept. Has the boy slept?

The boy can sleep. Can the boy sleep?

The boy will sleep. Will the boy sleep?

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• “Move Aux” transformation rule:

• “Move the highest Aux to adjoin to (the root) S.”

The boy is sleeping. Is the boy ___ sleeping?

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Attachment by “Adjunction”

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• Two Steps in Question-Formation:

a. The PS-Rules generate a basic structure.

☜ deep-structure (= d-structure)

b. Aux movement applies to produce

the derived structure.
☜ surface-structure (= s-structure)

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• Many sentence types are accounted for
by transformation:

moving, adding, deleting…

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Other transformations

• Passive
• there-insertion
• PP Preposing

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• Passive

The cat chased the mouse.

→ The mouse was chased by the cat.

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• There-insertion

A man was on the roof.

→ There was a man on the roof.

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• PP Preposing

The astronomer saw the quasar with the telescope.

→ With the telescope, the astronomer saw the quasar.

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3.2. Structural Dependency of Rules

• PP-preposing is structure-dependent

The boy saw the man with a telescope.

(ambiguous)
With a telescope, the boy saw the man.
(not ambiguous)

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The boy saw the man with the telescope.

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The boy saw the man with the telescope.
With the telescope, the boy saw the man.

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The boy saw the man with the telescope.
*With the telescope, the boy saw the man.

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※ PP preposing transformation applies to
VP-PP structure, NOT NP-PP structure.
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• That-omission is structure-dependent.

I know that you know.

I know you know.

That you know bothers me.

*You know bothers me.

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• Agreement
a. This guy seems kind of cute.
b. These guys seem kind of cute.

a'. The guy we met at the party next door

seems kind of cute.
b'. The guys we met at the party next door
seem kind of cute.
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a". The guy we met at the party next door that
lasted until 3 a.m. and was finally broken up
by the cops who were called by the
neighbors seems kind of cute.

b". The guys ....... seem.......

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• The guy …… seems kind of cute.

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• Structure-dependence and movement

• The boy is dreaming.

• Is the boy dreaming?

• How about: "Move the first Aux"?

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• Structure-dependence and movement

a. The boy who is sleeping was dreaming.

a'. Was the boy who is sleeping dreaming?
a". *Is the boy who sleeping was dreaming?

b. The boy who can sleep will dream.

b'. Will the boy who can sleep dream?
b". *Can the boy who sleep will dream?

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The boy who is sleeping was dreaming.
Was the boy who is sleeping dreaming?
*Is the boy who sleeping was dreaming?

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 4. Further Syntactic Dependencies
(Wh-Questions)

(1) a. What will Max chase?

b. Where has Pete put his bone?
c. Which dog do you think loves balls?

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>> Omission of wh-phrases?

(2) a. *will Max chase _____?

b. *has Pete put his bone _____?
c. *do you think _____ loves balls?

• Wh-phrases act like an object NP, PP, and

subject NP.

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(3)Original sentences:
a. Max will chase what?
b. Pete has put his bone where?
c. You think (that) which dog loves balls?

(4) "Move wh" rule:

a. What will Max chase?
b. Where has Pete put his bone?
c. Which dog do you think loves balls?

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• I wonder who Mary likes. > CP
• Who does Mary like? > CP

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• Three steps in wh-movement

1. PS-Rules generate CP d-structure with the wh

phrase occupying an NP position within the S.

2. "Move Aux" adjoins the auxiliary to S.

3. "Move wh" moves the wh phrase to Comp.

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• What will Max chase?

1. PS-Rules generate CP d-structure with the wh phrase

occupying an NP position within the S.
2. "Move Aux" adjoins the auxiliary to S.
3. "Move wh" moves the wh phrase to Comp.

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• Which dog did Michael feed?

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"Move wh" rule can move the wh phrase
outside its own clause.

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1. a. Who did Helen say the senator wanted to hire _____?

b. Who did Helen say the senator wanted the congressional

representative to try to hire _____?

c. Who did Helen say the senator wanted the congressional

representative to try to convince the Speaker of the
House to get the Vice President to hire _____?

>> There is no limit to the distance.

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5. UG Principles and Parameters

• Many rules of English applies to other

languages. (UG: Universal Grammar)

• UG is the same, but parameters may vary.

cf. English word order and Korean word order.

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• Korean does not have wh-movement.

• 철수가 집에서 빵을 먹었다. and 철수가 집에서 뭘 먹었어?

• 철수가 집에서 빵을 먹었다. and 철수가 어디서 빵을 먹었어?
• 철수가 집에서 빵을 먹었다. and 누가 집에서 빵을 먹었어?

• In all languages with wh-movement,

the wh phrase moves to C.

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• However, wh movement has constraints.

2. a. Emily paid a visit to the senator that

wants to hire who?
b. *Who did Emily pay a visit to the senator
that wants to hire _____?

>> Wh phrase cannot move out of an NP.

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3. a. Miss Marple asked Sherlock whether Poirot had solved
the crime.
b. Who did Miss Marple ask _____ whether Poirot had solved
the crime?
c. *Who did Miss Marple ask Sherlock whether _____ had
solved the crime?
d. *What did Miss Marple ask Sherlock whether Poirot had
solved _____?

• who in (3b) is from the higher clause

• who in (3c) & (3d) is from the lower clause (whether clause)

>> not a matter of distance but of structure

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4. a. Sam Spade insulted the fat man's henchman.
b. Who did Sam Spade insult?
c. Whose henchman did Sam Spade insult?
d. *Whose did Sam Spade insult henchman?

>> Even short distance movements can be blocked.

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5. a. John ate bologna and cheese.
b. John ate bologna with cheese.
c. *What did John eat bologna and?
d. What did John eat bologna with?

>> not a matter of meaning, but of structure

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 6. Sign Language Syntax
• All sign languages have rules of syntax.
• All sign languages have PS rules that show
hierarchical structure and order constituents.
• ASL has Aux.

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• ASL has topicalization, which has constraints.
• ASL wh phrases may move or remain in place.
• Sign languages show an interaction of universal and
language-specific properties, just as spoken languages
do.

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Thank you!

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