Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Syntax Midterm > Midterm > Flashcards

Midterm Flashcards

1
Q

Distributional definition

A

Parts of speech are classified by their distribution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Morphological distribution

A

Affixes appear only on certain kinds of words.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Syntactic distribution

A

Position relative to other words.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Syntactic distribution of nouns

A
  • after determiners
  • can appear after adjectives
  • follow prepositions -subject of the sentence or as the direct object
  • negated by “no”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Verbs: inflectional morphology

A
  • in the past tense, -ed, -t
  • present tense, third person singular -s
  • progressive -ing,

perfective -en,

passive -ed and -en

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Verbs: syntactic distribution

A
  • follow auxiliaries, modals, and the infinitive marker “to” -follow subjects (careful!)
  • can follow adverbs such as “often” and “frequently” (careful!)
  • negated with not/n’t (as opposed to no and un-)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Adjectives: inflectional morphology

A
  • comparative -er (or follow “more”)
  • superlative -est (or follow “most”)
  • negative by prefix un-
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Adjectives: syntactic distribution

A
  • between determiners and nouns
  • can follow the auxiliary am/is/are/was/were/be/been/being (careful: this distribution overlaps with verbs)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Adverbs

A
  • many end in -ly -generally don’t take inflectional suffixes
  • some can be used comparatively and follow “more”
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Adverbs: syntactic distribution

A
  • can’t appear between a determiner and a noun
  • can’t appear after “is” and its variants
  • otherwise fairly free distribution
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Obligatory = complement

A

If a phrase is obligatory, it is a complement (but optionality does not mean that it’s an adjunct)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Recursivity = adjunct

A

Usually adjuncts can be iterated, while arguments cannot be.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Coordination

A

Complements and adjunct cannot be coordinated. It still needs to be decided whether the coordinated phrases are complements or adjuncts. Also, coordination can fail not only because one tries to coordinate a complement and an adjunct, but also for other reasons.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Constituency = adjunct

A

If proforms can be substituted for the sister of the phrase in question, then the sister of that phrase is an X’ projection. The phrase is then an adjunct, since it’s sister is an X’, and not an X.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

DP-hypothesis

A
  • ’s is the head of determiner phrase
  • D takes NP as a complement
  • NP is ‘s specifier
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Adjunct vs Complement

A
  • head and complement cannot be separated
  • there is only complement but can be multiple adjuncts
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Tense lowering

A

If there is no auxiliary in T, lower T’s tense related features [PAST]/[PRES] to the V head of T’s sister VP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Selection

A

The semantic restrictions that a predicate imposes on its arguments are called the predicate’s selectional restrictions

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Subcategorization

A

The restrictions a predicate imposes on the syntactic category of its arguments are called its subcategorization frame.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Thematic relations

A

Descriptive term for the semantic relation between a predicate and its argument.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Agent

A

Initiator of the action, CAPABLE of volition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Natural phenomenon

A

Initiator of action, INCAPABLE of volition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Experiencer

A

The argument that experiences or perceives the event. The argument of verbs of emotion, perception, or cognition

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Goal

A

The entity towards which motion takes place. Goals may involve abstract motion.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Recipient

A

A kind of goal that involves a change of possession. The possession can be abstract.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Source

A

Entity from which movement occurs (opposite of goal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Location

A

Place where action occurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Instrument

A

The entity with which action occurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Beneficiary

A

The entity for whom the action occurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Theta role

A

A theta role is a BUNDLE of thematic relations associated with a particular argument

31
Q

The theta-criterion

A
  • every phrase in an argument position must have exactly one theta role
  • every theta role must be indexed to only one argument
32
Q

Sentence constituency test

A

If you can answer a question with the string, it’s probably a constituent

33
Q

Clefting test

A

it be B that AC

ex. It is the hungry ghost that raided the fridge today.

34
Q

Pseudo-clefting test

A

B be wh- AC

ex. The hungry ghost is who raided the fridge today.

35
Q

Passive test

A

Any string of words that can become the subject in a passive, or can be introduced after the preposition by in the passive is a constituent.

ex. The hungry ghost raided the fridge. the fridge was raided by the hungry ghost.

36
Q

Coordination test

A

Take two acceptable sentences of the form ABD and ACD

If the string AB and CD is acceptable with the same meaning as ABD and ACD, this is evidence that B and C are both constituents of the same kind

37
Q

Headedness

A

Head - a word that gives its category to the phrase determines the major meaning of the phrase (endocentric)

38
Q

Principle of Modification

A

If an XP modifies some head Y, then it must be dominated by some projection of Y

39
Q

Sentences are TPs

A
  • every sentence contains an expression of tense (T)
  • this can be via an independent word (aux, modals, to)
  • or via an affix on the verb
40
Q

C

A

C is the head of embedded clauses (if, whether, that)

41
Q

Lexical ambiguity

A

A string of words has multiple meanings because one of the words in it has multiple meanings.

42
Q

Structural ambiguity

A

A string of words has multiple meanings because the grammar can assign it multiple structures with different meanings.

43
Q

Node

A

place in a tree that represents either a phrasal or lexical category

44
Q

Label

A

name of the category of a node

45
Q

Branch

A

the connection between two nodes

46
Q

mother

A

node that a branch is going down from

47
Q

daughter

A

node that a branch is pointing up from

48
Q

root node

A

node that no branch is going up from

49
Q

terminal node

A

node that no branch is going down from

50
Q

dominance

A

node A dominated node B if either

  • B is a daughter of A or
  • a daughter of A dominates B
51
Q

sister precedence

A

Node A sister-precedes node B if and only if both are immediately dominated by the same node, and A appears to the left of B

52
Q

Precedence

A

Node A precedes node B if and only if

  • neither A dominates B nor B dominates A and
  • A (or some node dominating A) sister precedes B (of some node dominating a B)
53
Q

C-command

A

Node A c-commands node B if

  • every node dominating A also dominates B
  • and A does not itself dominate B
54
Q

asymmetric c-command

A

A asymmetrically c-commands B, if A c-commands B but B does not c-command A

55
Q

R-expressions

A

[-pronoun]

56
Q

Pronouns

A

you, me, us, him

57
Q

Anaphors

A

itself, herself, yourselves

58
Q

possessive pronouns

A

determiners that are pronouns D[+PRONOUN]

59
Q

Binding

A

A binds B if and only if

  • A c-commands B and
  • A and B are co-indexed
60
Q

Binding Principle A

A

An anaphor (NP[+anaphor]) must be bound in its binding domain

61
Q

Binding domain

A

The TP containing the anaphor

62
Q

Binding Principle B

A

Pronouns ([+pronoun,-anaphor]) must be free in their binding domain

63
Q

Binding Principle C

A

R-expressions must be free everywhere

64
Q

Binding Theory

A

the theory of the conditions under which NPs can be bound

65
Q

Talking about binding

A

Binding is asymmetric. The antecedent binds the pronoun

66
Q

Antecedent

A

thing that provides meaning to a pronominal expression (coindexed)

67
Q

Specifier

A

daughter of XP, sister to X’

68
Q

adjunct

A

daughter of X’, sister to X’

69
Q

complement

A

daughter of X’, sister to X

70
Q

maximal projection

A

the largest syntactic unit headed by a head X is the maximal projection of X

71
Q

Valency

A

number of arguments a predicate takes

monovalent - intransitive

bivalent - trasitive

trivalent - ditransitive

72
Q

Specifiers

A
  • usually on the left
  • determiner to NP
  • negative elements to VP
  • AdvP to AdjP
  • AdvP to PP
73
Q

Theta Grid

A

Syntax Midterm (1 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions