Transcript Morph & Synt slides 10 - Linguistics and English Language

Morphology and
Syntax
More on sentence structure
The head of sentences
Two unresolved questions:
A.
What is the head of a sentence?
B.
What is the position of modals and auxiliary
verbs in the sentence structure?
Maybe these questions are related.
In English, modals and auxiliaries do not occupy the same
position as main verbs. They are further to the left:
Sara does not watch that program.
*Sara watches not that program.
Sara will not watch that program.
*Sara not will watch that program.
Idea: the ‘auxiliary’ position is the
head position of the sentence.
general X-bar schema:
XP
specifier(s)
X’
X
sentences:
complement(s)
S (= AuxP)
NP
Aux’
Aux
VP
Another special property of modal auxiliary verbs
in English: they must be inflected for tense and
agreement.
*The carpenter hopes to can build the house.
*She has could reading that book.
So we relabel the ‘Aux’ position in the sentence as
the ‘Infl’ position.
Full sentence structure
CP
C’
C
S (= InflP)
NP
Infl’
Infl
VP
V’
V
What happens if there is no auxiliary to fill up the
Infl position?
In English: nothing, really.
John will never read the paper in the afternoon.
John never reads the paper in the afternoon.
What happens if there is no auxiliary to fill up the Infl position?
In French: the main verb goes into the Infl position.
Jean a souvent donné une pomme à Marie.
John has often
given an apple to Mary
*Jean souvent donne une pomme à Marie.
John often
gives an apple
to Mary
Jean donne souvent une pomme à Marie.
John gives often
an apple
to Mary
CP
C’
C
S (= InflP)
NP
Infl’
Infl
VP
souvent
V’
V
Subject-verb inversion
What has Geraldine read?
*What Geraldine has read?
Why would you do a thing like that?
*Why you would do a thing a like that?
CP
Wh-phrase
C’
C
S (= InflP)
NP
Infl’
Infl
VP
V’
V
No subject-verb inversion in embedded questions:
I wonder [if Frederick has ever heard that song].
*I wonder [if has Frederick ever heard that song].
Fronted auxiliaries and complementizers are in
complementary distribution, because they both
occupy the C position.
Generalized verb movement to C
In English, verb movement to the C position is limited to
(i)
Interrogative sentences
and
(ii) Auxiliary verbs
*Which string quartet heard George yesterday?
Which string quartet did George hear yesterday?
In some other languages, verb movement to C can also
apply to main verbs...
Hvad koster en billet?
what costs a ticket
‘What does a ticket cost?’
*Hvad gør en billet koste?
what does a ticket cost
... and verb movement to C also occurs in declarative sentences:
Denne film har børnene set.
this film have children seen
‘The children have seen this film (rather than another one)’.
*Denne film børnene har set.
this
film children have seen
*This film have the children seen.
This film the children have seen.
CP
NP
denne film
C’
C
har
S (= InflP)
NP
børnene
Infl’
Infl
e
VP
V’
V
set
NP
e
German: OV or VO?
Er glaubt [CP dass seine Vorfahren diese Philosophie begründeten].
he believes
that his ancestors this philosophy established
‘He believes that his ancestors established this philosophy.’
*Er glaubt [CP dass seine Vorfahren begründeten diese Philosophie].
he believes
that his ancestors established
this philosophy
Seine Vorfahren begründeten diese Philosophie.
his ancestors established this philosophy
‘His ancestors established this philosophy.’
*Seine Vorfahren diese Philosophie begründeten.
his
ancestors this philosophy established
So is German OV in embedded clauses but VO in main clauses? Not really:
Seine Vorfahren hatten diese Philosophie begründet.
his ancestors had
this philosophy established
*Seine Vorfahren hatten begründet diese Philosophie.
his ancestors had established this philosophy
Seine Vorfahren würden diese Philosophie begründen.
his ancestors would this philosophy establish
*Seine Vorfahren würden begründen diese Philosophie.
his
ancestors would establish this philosophy
Conclusion: German is really OV.
So how come the finite verb ends up in the second
position of main clauses?
Because of generalized verb movement to C!
CP
C’
C
dass
S (= InflP)
NP
seine Vorfahren
Infl’
Infl
VP
V’
NP
diese Philosophie
V
begründeten
CP
NP
seine Vorfahren
C’
C
S (= InflP)
begründeten
NP
Infl’
e
Infl
VP
V’
NP
diese Philosophie
V
e