Ling 222: Midterm #2

Question 0

Echo question test

Answer 0

Used in English when someone doesn’t hear part of the sentence
Use an wh- word
Turns the sentence into a question with the fragment replaced by the wh- word
If result is ungrammatical=not a constituent
Ex: I read the book you reviewed on the bus
You read WHAT on the bus?

Question 1

The sentence fragment test

Answer 1

Turning a fragment of a sentence into a question and a good answer would be a constituent
Ex: the kids climbed up the ladder quickly
What did the kids climb up? The ladder

Question 2

The cleft test

Answer 2

A construction used for focus
It + be + [focused element] + that + remnant
If a string can occupy the focus position of a cleft, it must be a constituent
Ex: Sam told a story about Otis
It was A STORY ABOUT OTIS that SAM TOLD

Question 3

Branch

Answer 3

Line connecting two parts of a tree

Question 4

Node

Answer 4

Beginning or end of a branch

Question 5

What are the three types of nodes?

Answer 5

Phrasal node: VP DP etc
Lexical node: V D etc
Terminal node: node with no lower branches

Question 6

Label

Answer 6

Name given to a node

Question 7

Mother

Answer 7

Node above a given node

Question 8

Daughter

Answer 8

Node immediately below a node

Question 9

Sister

Answer 9

Any nodes with the same mother

Question 10

Dominate

Answer 10

To be above another node

Question 11

Immediately dominate

Answer 11

Dominate another node, with no intervening nodes

Question 12

Constituent

Answer 12

A set of nodes forms a constituent if there is a single node that dominates all and only those nodes

Question 13

Pro-form test

Answer 13

Many constituents can be replaced by pro-forms
Pro-DPs=pronouns (ex: the guy with the sweater left. He left)
Pro-VPs=do/did too (ex: Otis played all afternoon. I did too.)
Pro-PPs=there (only for locative PPs ex: I took him to the races. I took him there)

Question 14

Coordination test

Answer 14

Extremely useful/easy to apply
If you can coordinate two strings then they must be constituents of the same type
[[john] and [Mary’s uncle]] or [[john] and [Mary]’s] uncle

Question 15

VP-ellipsis test

Answer 15

Only good for VPs
Coordinate clauses, leave an auxiliary behind
Ex: frank called his mom, and Joe should (call his mom) too

Question 16

X Theory

Answer 16

Evidence that heads and complements form tighter units than heads and adjuncts
X theory is a generalized phrase structure that holds for all phrase types (NP, CP, PP, etc)

Question 17

‘One’ substitution test

Answer 17

Minimally picks out a noun and complement
May include an adjunct but doesn’t have to
If it can be left behind, it must be an adjunct
Ex: I met the STUDENT ~with long hair~, and the ONE ~with curly hair~ too
*i met the student of math, and the one of physics too

Question 18

‘Do so’ substitution test

Answer 18

Minimally picks out a verb and any complement (V VP)
May also include an adjunct but it doesn’t have to
If it can be left behind, it must be an adjunct
Ex: John OPENED THE DOOR ~with a credit card~, and Mary DID SO ~with a crowbar~
*john put the book on the shelf, and Mary did so on the table

Question 19

Psuedo-cleft test

Answer 19

Another focus construction
Focus position must consist minimally of a verb and its complement (V VP)
What + sentence-[focused element]+be+focused element