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Syntax Tests for constituent structure

Syntax Tests for constituent structure. LING 200 Spring 2006. Constituent structure. phrase structure rule: VP  V (NP) (PP) tree: VP V NP PP put Det N P NP the car in Det N

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Syntax Tests for constituent structure

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  1. SyntaxTests for constituent structure LING 200 Spring 2006

  2. Constituent structure phrase structure rule: VP  V (NP) (PP) tree: VP V NP PP put Det N P NP the car in Det N the garage

  3. Constituent structure • Where do the PS rules come from? • Some tests • Structural ambiguity • Coordination • Substitution • Movement

  4. Compositionality • Meaning of complex expressions is compositional • Meaning of morphologically complex words, phrases is determined by: • morpheme meaning • morphological or syntactic structure

  5. Structurally ambiguous words Adj Adj un Adj V Adj V Adj un V able fold able fold 2 readings (interpretations) of unfoldable: ‘not capable of being folded’ ‘capable of being unfolded’ un- negative: Adj[___Adj[ un- ‘reverse’: V[___V[

  6. Announcements and reminders • Syntax homework posted after class, due next Thurs in section • Clicker data will be tabulated and posted as soon as possible • Midterm next Friday • multiple choice • material covered in text, lecture, section through morphology • review in sections next week

  7. The idea behind compositionality is that • the meaning of a complex expression is essentially unpredictable • the meaning of a complex expression < solely the meaning of its parts • the meaning of a complex expression < the meaning of its parts + the way the parts are structured • none of the above

  8. Structurally ambiguous headlines • DEALERS WILL HEAR CAR TALK AT NOON • 2 SISTERS REUNITED AFTER 18 YEARS AT CHECKOUT COUNTER • HOSPITALS ARE SUED BY 7 FOOT DOCTORS • SQUAD HELPS DOG BITE VICTIM • HERSHEY BARS PROTEST • ENRAGED COW ATTACKS MAN WITH AXE

  9. ‘long vowels or diphthongs in accented syllables have falling tone, high to normal.’ Note: Sahaptin has both long and short diphthongs. Short: [Aj Aw iw uj]. Long: [AAj AAw iiw uuj]. • ‘long vowels or diphthongs’ is not ambiguous • 2 possible meanings: ‘long vowels or long diphthongs’, ‘diphthongs or long vowels’ • 2 possible meanings: ‘vowels or long diphthongs’, ‘diphthongs or long vowels’ • 2 possible meanings: ‘long vowels or diphthongs’, ‘diphthongs or long vowels’

  10. Structural ambiguity and constituency “Enraged cow attacks man with axe.” the real world reading: S NP VP Adj N V NP enraged cow attacks N PP man P NP with N axe

  11. “Enraged cow attacks man with axe.” the humorous(?) reading: S NP VP Adj N V NP PP enraged cow attacks N P NP man with N axe

  12. Structural ambiguity and constituency • “The nomination of Dr. Henry Foster to the Surgeon General’s office appears to be in trouble after he admitted that he had performed at least 39 abortions on TV last night.” • “he admitted...last night” vs. “he performed abortions…last night”

  13. Structural ambiguity and constituency • More phrase structure rules • VP  V (NP) (PP) (Adv) (CP) • CP = “Complementizer phrase” • CP  Comp S • Comp = “Complementizer” • Comp  that, if, whether

  14. Structural ambiguity and constituency ‘ he performed last night’ reading: S NP VP N V CP he admitted Comp S NP VP N V NP Adv that he performed N last night abortions

  15. ‘he admitted ... last night’ reading S NP VP N V CP Adv he admitted Comp S last night that NP VP N V NP he performed N abortions

  16. Structural ambiguity • Adverb placement • Adverbs are an optional VP constituent • Ambiguity results < 2 VPs in this sentence, multiple possibilities for Adv placement

  17. Summary of structural ambiguity • Meaning is compositional: meaning of whole < meaning of parts + structure of parts • Structural ambiguity as a test for syntactic structure • Reading1 < Structure1 • Reading2 < Structure2

  18. Coordination test for constituency • Only identical categories, lexical or phrasal, can be conjoined. • PS rule schema for conjoined (coordinated) categories • X  X Conj X • XP  XP Conj XP • Conj (= Conjunction) and, or, but, as well as, etc.

  19. Conjoined lexical categories PP P NP P Conj P Det N PP above and beyond the call P NP of N duty

  20. Conjoined phrasal categories NP  NP Conj NP NP  (Det) (Adj) N NP[Adj[so-so] N[coffee]] NP[Adj[excellent] N[desserts]] They have NP[NP[Adj[so-so] N[coffee]] Conj[but] NP[Adj[excellent] N[desserts]]].

  21. “The student wrote a message and to the professor.” Native speakers, is this a grammatical sentence? • The sentence is grammatical. • The sentence is ungrammatical.

  22. Ungrammatical coordination 1. If conjoined elements do not belong to the same category: write: V: ___ (NP) (PP) Julia wrote NP[a memo]. Julia wrote PP[to the dean]. *Julia wrote NP[a memo] and PP[to the dean].

  23. Ungrammatical coordination 2. If conjoined elements are not constituents: Julia wrote NP[a memo]. Julia wrote PP[to the dean]. *Julia wrote NP[a memo] and *[to the].

  24. “John sings badly but plays the guitar beautifully.” Native speakers, is this a grammatical sentence? • The sentence is grammatical. • The sentence is ungrammatical.

  25. Coordination and constituency Virginia loves syntax. Virginia listened enthusiastically. Virginia loves syntax and listened enthusiastically. Conclusion: [loves syntax] and [listened enthusiastically] are the same kind of constituent (VP):

  26. VP VP Conj VP V NP and V Adv loves N listened enthusiastically syntax

  27. Coordination and constituency • I wanted a green truck. • I wanted the same kind of canopy that Virginia bought. • I wanted a green truck and the same kind of canopy that Virginia bought. • Conclusion: [a green truck] and [the same kind of canopy that Virginia bought] are the same kind of constituent:

  28. NP  NP CP (relative clause) S NP VP N V NP I wanted NP Conj NP a green truck and NP CP the same kind of canopy Comp C that Virginia bought

  29. Coordination and constituency Virginia wants dinner. Virginia wants Dave to start cooking. *Virginia wants dinner and Dave to start cooking. Conclusion: [Dave to start cooking] is not an NP NP[dinner] CP[Dave to start cooking]

  30. Summary of coordination test • Only like categories can be conjoined. • Coordination test reveals information about • whether a grouping of words is a constituent • what kind of constituent it is

  31. Substitution test for constituency • Do you know Virginia? No, I haven’t met her yet. • Only constituents can be substituted for with shorter expressions. • Words that substitute: pro-forms.

  32. NP: substitute with pronoun A: Old Betsy here just won’t start any more and my wife says to get her out of here. B: Why don’t you donate her? A: My wife? • her is a pronoun (or anaphoric pronoun, or anaphor) that substitutes for the NP Old Betsy. The antecedent of her is Old Betsy. • pronominal substitution normally involves third person pronouns • pronouns are one type of pro-form

  33. Pronominal paradigms

  34. PP: substitute with there Last night I dreamed I was in the HUB, but I was the only one there. Did you check on the memory stick for your file? Yes, and it wasn’t there.

  35. Adjective Phrase: substitute with so • Virginia is anxious for Dave to cook dinner and so am I. • The students are tired of waiting for the projector to work. So are the TAs.

  36. Sentence (/CP): substitute with it, that, so • [p] and [ph] are in complementary distribution in English. Can you believe it? (Can you believe that [p] and [ph] are in complementary distribution in English?) • [p] and [ph] are in complementary distribution in English. I understand that. • Are [p] and [ph] in complementary distribution in English? Yes, I think so.

  37. Verb Phrases and the substitution test Verb phrases: substitute with as, so, and so, do so: Joyce has studied Arabic, as has Julia. Joyce has studied Arabic, and so has Julia. Joyce has studied Arabic. So has Julia. Joyce has studied Arabic, and Julia has done so as well. If pro-forms substitute for constituents, then studied Arabic in has studied Arabic must be a constituent.

  38. Verb Phrases and the substitution test What is leftover after VP substitution? Joyce is studying Arabic, and so is Julia. Joyce will study Arabic, and so will Julia. S  NP (Aux) VP (textbook: S  NP Aux VP) Aux  have, be, will, can/could, may/might, will/would, shall/should Joyce Aux[is] VP[studying Arabic], and VP[so] Aux[is] Julia.

  39. so substitutes for VP if so substitutes for entire VP: Joyce Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic], and VP[so] Aux[has] Julia. if so substitutes for part of VP: *Joyce has studied Arabic, and so has Stephen Khmer. (Joyce has studied Arabic, and Stephen Khmer.)

  40. Some properties of Aux Aux  have, be, will, can/could, may/might, will/would, shall/should 1. Negation follows Aux: positive negative negative (contracted form) has studied has not studied hasn’t studied is studying is not studying isn’t studying will study will not study won’t study studies *studies not *studiesn’t

  41. Some properties of Aux 2. In yes/no questions, only Aux is “moved” to the beginning of the sentence: Is Joyce studying Arabic? Has Joyce studied Arabic? Will Joyce study Arabic? result of “moving” Aux and V to beginning of sentence: *Will study Joyce Arabic?

  42. VP substitution test again • (again) pro-forms which can substitute for VP Joyce Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic], VP[as] Aux[has] Julia. Joyce Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic], VP[and so] Aux[has] Julia. Joyce Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic]. VP[So] Aux[has] Julia. Joyce Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic], and Julia Aux[has] VP[done so] as well.

  43. Aux has structure The do so pro-form again. What can it substitute for? Julia Aux[has] VP[studied Arabic], and Joyce Aux[has] VP[done so] too. Julia Aux[has been] VP[studying Arabic], and Joyce Aux[has been] VP[doing so] too. Julia Aux[must have been] VP[studying Arabic], and Joyce Aux[must have been] VP[doing so] too.

  44. Aux-less sentences • “Do-support”: Aux  do

  45. Caveat on do: Aux vs. V V Aux pro-form

  46. Summary of substitution test • Pro-forms can substitute for other constituents • Substitution reveals information about constituency • There is a VP constituent. • There is an Aux constituent. • Properties of Aux, do as Aux

  47. Movement test • Only single constituents can be “moved”. • promise, V: __ NP NP (a ditransitive verb) S NP VP V NP NP | N Det N Dave promised Virginia a latte. • A latte, Dave promised Virginia. • Virginia, Dave promised a latte. • *Virginia a latte, Dave promised.

  48. Aux and movement test • In questions, Aux is “moved” to the beginning of the sentence. • Aux  Modal havebe • Aux do • Modal  will, can/could, may/might, will/would, shall/should, must

  49. Modal vs. non-modal Aux 1. Non-modal Aux require special form of verb BE + -ing form (‘gerund’): ‘progressive’ construction is going: present progressive was going: past progressive will be going: future progressive HAVE + -ed form (‘past participle’): ‘perfect’ construction has gone: present perfect had gone: past perfect will have gone: future perfect

  50. Modal vs. non-modal Aux 2. Non-modals have 3.sg.present, infinitive, gerund, and past participle forms has, to have, having, had is, to be, being, been Modals lack these forms: *shoulds, *to should, *shoulding, *shoulded *musts, *to must, *musting, *musted

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