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Linguistics > Syntax > Flashcards

Syntax Flashcards

1
Q

Universal Grammar

A

hypothesized system of categories, operations + principles shared by all languages

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2
Q

Lexicon

A

mental dictionary provide list of words along with info on pronunciation, category + meaning

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3
Q

Computational system

A

combining + arranging words in right way

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4
Q

Merge

A

combines elements to create phrases + sentence

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5
Q

Move

A

transports element to a new position within the sentence

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6
Q

Syntactic categories

A

Type of meaning, affixes they take, structures they can occur

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7
Q

Categories of Words

A
  • Noun, verb, adjective, preposition, adverb=lexical categories
  • Functional categories: determiner (det), auxiliary verb (aux): modal/non modal, conjunction (con), degree word (deg), harder to define + paraphrase
  • Some items can belong to more than 1 lexical category (comb)
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8
Q

Degree Word

A

too, so, very, more, quite

specifier of A or P

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9
Q

Aux

A

modal: will, would, can, could, may, must, should

non modal: be, have, do

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10
Q

Conjuntion

A

and, or, but

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11
Q

Qualifier

A

specifier of V

never, perhaps, often, always

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12
Q

Distribution

A
  • Type of elements (functional categories) with which can co-occur
  • Nouns can appear with determiner (a car), verb with auxiliary (has gone), adjectives with degree (very rich)
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13
Q

Phrase Structure

A
  • The doctor arrived quickly/those students ride bicycles
  • The doctor/those students=subject
  • Arrived quickly/ride bicycles=predicate
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14
Q

transitive vs. intransitive

A

transitive: takes direct object (devour)
intransitive: no direct object (arrive)

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15
Q

The Blueprint

A

Head to complement to specifier

  1. All phrases have 2 level structure (X, X’, XP)
  2. All phrases contain a head (X)
  3. If there is a complement, it is attached at intermediate X’ level, as sister of head
  4. If there is a specifier, attached to XP level
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16
Q

Heads

A

•obligatory nucleus (nous, verbs, adjectives + preposition), may form phrase by itself

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17
Q

Specifiers

A
  • determiner for N, qualifier for V, degree for A/P
  • mark phrase boundary, occur at beginning in English
  • make meaning more precise
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18
Q

Complements

A
  • provide info about entities + locations implied by meaning of head
  • in=head [the house]=complement naming location
  • possible to have phrases with just head + compliment=bottom heavy structures
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19
Q

Merge Operation

A
  • combine words in manner compatible with X’ schema

* det (the) + N’ (house) = NP (the house) + preposition (in) = P’ + PP (in the house)

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20
Q

Sentences

A
  • largest unit of syntactic analysis
  • subject (NP) + VP linked together by I/Infl that indicates tense
  • +Pst must contain verb marked for past tense
  • IP consists of a subject and a predicate, and of inflectional material that constitutes the ‘glue’ that holds the subject and predicate together
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21
Q

Constituent

A

syntactic units

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22
Q

Substitution test

A

phrases can be replaced by they, it/do so
•The children stopped at the corner if they see us do so
•The children stopped at the corner + we stopped there too

23
Q

Movement Test

A

can be moved as single unit

They stopped at the corner= at the corner, they stopped

24
Q

Coordination Test

A

if it can be joined to another group by a conjunction (and, or, but)
•The children stopped at the corner, but didn’t look both ways

25
Q

Coordinate structures

A

patterns built around a conjunction

26
Q

Complement Options

A
  • Info about complements included in entry in lexicon

* Subcategorization: info about word’s complement options

27
Q

Complement Options for Verbs

A
  • Word can belong to more than 1 subcategory

* Some heads can take more than 1 complement the librarian put [NP the book] [PP on the shelf]

28
Q

Complement Options for Other Categories

A
  • Subcategorization ensures particular heads can appear in tree structures only if there is an appropriate type of complement
  • Sick with cafeteria food/sick of cafeteria food
29
Q

Complement Clauses

A
  • Allow sentence-like constructions/clauses to function as complements
  • Complement clause: smaller [that/whether/if the team will win]
  • No limit on # of embedded clauses that can occur in a sentence
30
Q

Matrix clause

A

bigger [the coach knows [that/whether/if the team will win]]

31
Q

Complement clause

A

smaller [that/whether/if the team will win]

32
Q

Yes-No Questions

A
  • Move transports auxiliary verb in the I position to left of subject
  • The guy should go-should the guy go?
  • There is only 1 type of auxiliary verbs, those left of subject just undergoes extra process of move
33
Q

A Landing Site for I

A
  • IPs occur within larger CPs
  • CP: shell that forms outer layer structure around an IP, can contain overt complementizer (that/whether)
  • C position contains info about whether sentence is statement/question (+Q)
34
Q

Inversion

A

move I to C

-Does not apply if nowhere for moved auxiliary verb to land, only one word can be in C position

35
Q

Inversion

A
  • Move does not change categories/eliminate any part of structure created by Merge
  • Trace: marked by t, records fact that moved element comes from head position within IP
36
Q

Deep Structure

A

formed by Merge operation

37
Q

Surface Structure

A

second level, final syntactic form, results from applying whatever other operations are appropriate for sentence

38
Q

Derivation

A

process whereby syntactic structure is formed

entire ‘journey’ from the Lexicon through Merge/Project to D-structure, through Move to S-structure

39
Q

Do Insertion

A

into sentences that don’t already have an auxiliary verb, making effects of inversion visible
interrogative do into empty I position

40
Q

Wh Movement

A
  • Attracted to Q feature which triggers second Move operation
  • Languages can jerry speak which-which languages can Jerry speak
41
Q

Wh Movement

A

Move a wh phrase to the specifier position under CP
•Cannot eliminate any part of previously formed structure
•Wh phrase remain as trace

42
Q

Verb Raising

A
  • Move V to I (French)
  • Paul travaille toujours
  • French can form question by moving auxiliary leftward + allows inversion of non auxiliary Vs
43
Q

Verb Raising in English

A
  • To have/be
  • The children should have waited
  • Modal auxiliary verb moves to the C position: [CP should [IP the children t have waited]
44
Q

Verb Raising in English

A
  • Non-modal auxiliary can undergo Inversion when no modal auxiliary
  • The dog is sleeping-is the dog sleeping?
  • auxiliary must have to the I position then it can undergo inversion
  • Verb raising: a) any type of verb raises in French b) only auxiliary verbs raise in English
45
Q

Modifiers

A
  • Words + phrases that denote properties of heads
  • APs modifiers of Ns, AdvPs modify Vs
  • Attach at the XP level of phrase structure as sisters of X’
  • Adj on left of head, adv. On right
  • Modifier after head will normally occur to right of complement
46
Q

Relative Clauses

A

provides info about N to its left
•The car [CP which Leslie bought_] was a lemon
•can begin with wh word/which (relative pronoun)

47
Q

Relative Clauses

A
  • empty position within sentence from which wh has been moved
  • attached at XP level, +Rel feature in C position indicates
  • Wh movement rule triggered buy +Rel
48
Q

Wh Deletion

A
  • Must delete wh word when relative clause contains wh + that
  • Can even delete when that isn’t present
  • Can’t delete if wh word corresponds to subject of relative clause
49
Q

Passives

A
  • A thief stole the painting (active)
  • The painting was stolen (by the thief).
  • Involve major reduction in importance of agent
  • NP Movement: Move NP into subject position
50
Q

Coordinate Structure Constraint

A

Wh-words cannot be extracted from a coordinate structure.

51
Q

competence vs. performance

A

internal knowledge of grammar is referred to as our competence
use of it is performance

52
Q

Pied Piping

A

Some pied-piping is optional, e.g. whether a preposition moves along with a wh complement or not

53
Q

Wh-island Constraint

A

cannot extract a wh-word from an embedded sentence that has a wh word in its specifier of CP

54
Q

by-phrase

A

agent

hangs off of V’

Linguistics (11 decks)

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