Lectures 20 & 21 Flashcards
what type of structuring does syntax involve?
hierarchical structuring (represented by trees)
Are you able to add multiple PPs to a sentence?
yes, there is not limit on number of PP additions
in the case of adjunction, what are adjoined to VP?
PPs
can PPs be adjoined to NPs?
YES
what are adjucts?
an optional element in a sentence, clause, or phrase that provides extra information but is not structurally necessary; its removal doesn’t affect the sentence’s grammaticality
Some verbs also take _________ as an argument
PPs
what are key features of arguments that are not true of adjuncts?
- May be obligatory
- The verb determines what can appear.
- Limited number allowed (as arguments).
A PP may be the ___________ (i.e., a complement) of
a noun phrase (especially with of PPs)
object
Adjunct PPs may also ____________ modify the
whole NP
recursively
what does it mean to be recursive in linguistics?
the ability of a linguistic unit or rule to be repeated or embedded within itself, enabling the creation of an infinite number of sentences and structures
these ambiguities are purely structural
structural ambiguity
whats the difference that causes structural ambiguity?
all of the words have the same meaning
* only difference: where the PP is adjoined
how does lexical ambiguity compare to structural ambiguity?
Depends on differences in word meaning
what is the problem of adjectives?
stems from their potential to be overused, vague, and detract from strong, impactful language.
what is a phrase structure rule that includes adjectives?
N’ → AdjP N’
what does S = ?
the sentence itself, because its a phrase
what does T = ?
Tense
what is a TP?
tense phrase, a phrase structure that represents finiteness in a sentence, typically including tense-related elements like auxiliaries and modals, and where the subject is located in the specifier position
what are the 2 steps in sentence construction?
- Create basic sentence structure
- Transformations apply and move things around
what is movement?
refers to a syntactic operation where a word or phrase appears in a position different from its original, or “base,” position within a sentence’s structure
