Transcript Document

French clitics and cognition
Dick Hudson
Oxford, November 2012
1
Plan
1.
2.
3.
4.
Cognition in Word Grammar
Clitics in Word Grammar
French clitics
Conclusions
2
1. Cognition in Word Grammar
• Language is part of cognition
– both competence and performance.
• All of general ability is available
– so let's assume language can use it all.
• Maybe language needs nothing else?
– This is a question for research.
• So what does general cognition offer?
3
General cognition
• A variety of units:
cat
– concepts, e.g. 'cat'
– percepts, e.g. cat purring
– motor-programs, e.g. how
to stroke
– feelings, e.g. liking for cats
• A network structure
– linking units
– defining concepts
4
Networks and activation
• The brain is a 'neural'
network
– which carries activation.
• The mind is a 'mental'
network
– built on the neural network
– and therefore affected by
activation.
• But the mental network
has special properties too.
5
The mental network
• Nodes are classified
in 'is-a' hierarchies
• Properties are links to
other nodes.
• All links are
classified.
• These hierarchies
allow generalisations
– so a token X inherits
properties by default
flier
flying
bird
is-a
robin
X
6
1
Default inheritance
• Penguins are birds.
• A typical bird flies.
– flying is expected
– quantity (#) = 1
flying
bird
0
#
penguin
• But for penguins,
there's no flying
– #=0
– i.e. They don't fly.
#
flier
0
#
X
• So X doesn't fly.
7
Types of link in cognitive networks
• Basic (?innate?) links
–
–
–
–
is-a (classification)
quantity (how many? true/false?)
identity (binding – more later)
argument, value
• Relational concepts
– in an is-a hierarchy
– e.g. 'flier' is-a 'actor'
argument
#
value
=
actor
flier
8
Binding
• To 'find' a node, bind
it to another one.
• Q. Who is John?
A. He's the cook.
• Follows activation:
John
=
?cook
– choose the most active
candidate.
9
Limitless cognitive networks
• Limitless creation of relations as needed
– e.g. for kinship
• Limitless creation of properties as needed
– e.g. for people
• Limitless exceptionality as needed
– e.g. for birds
• Limitless binding as needed
10
2. Clitics in Word Grammar
• By default, a word
is realized by a
word-form.
• But a clitic is
realized by an
affix.
• Default
inheritance allows
this.
form
realization
word-form
word
affix
clitic
11
Default morphology
realization
• Base is-a realization.
• Top is-a realization.
– Top is fully inflected.
top
• By default, Base =
Top.
• But for inflections:
– Top is a 'variant' of
Base.
word
word-form
base
variant
inflection
12
second part
s-variant
Affixes and hosts
1
'he/she will be
• By
default, an affix has a
loved'
host
host
{}
– the wordform it defines.
• Every affix has a
position within its host
– at least as prefix or suffix
– but the position may be
defined by a template
– e.g. Latin am-a-b-i-t-ur
1 23456
{}
{s}
2
fourth part
{}
1
{}
2
3
{}
4
5
{}
{}
host
{}
{ur}
6
13
Clitics and hostforms
• A clitic is fully realized
by an affix.
• The affix needs a host.
• So the host is a special
'hostform'.
• Maybe this inherits a
template structure from
inflections?
– special clitics always
combine with complex
morphology?
top
clitic
affix
part
host
e.g. third part
hostform
wordform
14
John is/'s late.
JOHN
BE,3sg
LATE
realization
{John}
{i-z}
JOHN
BE,3sg,
clitic
LATE
realization
{late}
part 1
Bound to realization of
previous word.
{z}
{John}
{late}
host
part 2
{John-z}
hostform
15
The entry for {z}
•
•
•
•
•
{z} is-a suffix.
So it has a host.
Its host is-a hostform
whose part2 it is
and part1is bound to
the preceding
wordform.
form
suffix
hostform
host
{z}
2
1
=
next
16
Summary of apparatus
• Rich relations
– realization
– host
– part 1/2/…
• Forms
– hostforms
• Default inheritance
• Activation
• Binding
17
clitics
underlined
3. French clitics
• Je ne me
les y
ai pas mis.
I not for-me them there have not put.
• Clitics combine in an order which is
– rigidly fixed
– different from full NPs:
• J'ai mis les lettres sur la table.
I have put the letters on the table
18
The football team
1
2
subj
neg 1/2/ref
je
tu
il/elle
ne
nous
vous
ils/elles
3
me
te
se
nous
vous
4
5
6
3 dir
3 ind y
en
le
la
les
lui
leur
en
y
7
19
The challenges of French clitics
A. Positive imperatives: Verb + clitics.
Donnez-le-moi! (*Me le donnez!) "Give it to me!"
B. Only one per column.
*Je te me présenterai. "I'll introduce myself to
you"
C. *3 + 5 (*1/2/ref + 3 ind)
*Je me lui présenterai."I'll introduce myself to her."
D. and …
20
aux
Clitic climbing
• Je le lui donne. I give him it.
• Je
ai le lui donné. I have given him it.
'make'
• Je te
ferai le manger. I'll make you eat it.
'let', 'send' or perception
• Je te
laisserai le manger. I'll let you eat it.
Or …
• Je te
laisserai le manger. I'll let you eat it.
21
Classifying clitics
• Clitics are classified.
clitic
– 'subj', 'neg', etc.
• One item per class.
• '1/2/ref' is-a 'obj'
– so *me lui
– and Donnez-le-moi
– = Donnez-le-lui
subj
en
ne
y
obj 3dir
1/2/ref
22
Adding hostforms
• Each clitic brings
its own hostform.
• Each clitic class
has a position.
• Each verb also has
its own hostform.
• Hostforms bind
together.
3dir
4
host
hostform
imperative
<4
host
hostform
=
?
23
Give it to me!
Classifying hostforms
• Positive imperatives
have ordinary order.
• Compare:
– Donnez-le-moi
– Donnez le livre à Jean!
• But other verbs are
different…
imperative 3dir obj
<4
host
4
5
y
6
en
7
hostform1
hostform2
Give the book to
John!
24
The paradoxes
• Positive imperatives are
exceptional verbs,
imperative
• but they have default
hostforms.
<4
verb
host
>7
host
• Why?
• Order shows function
(direct/indirect) in
hostform1,
hostform1
4
5
7
hostform2
1
2
3
•but person in
hostform2.
•Why?
3dir obj
en
subj neg 1/2/ref
25
Why positive imperatives?
Why do positive imperatives have default
order?
• Because they don't include subjects and
negatives.
• subjects contrast before/after verb.
• negatives contrast ne ….. pas.
• So subj and neg drag hostword1 before the
verb.
26
Why function > person?
• Pos imperatives: Donnez-le-moi/lui!
– follows non-clitic order: Donnez le livre à Jean!
• Others: Il me le donne ~ Il le lui donne
– follows semantic link to subject:
• reflexive > non-reflexive
– also animacy hierarchy:
• 1>2>3
27
How do clitics climb?
=
hf
• Each clitic brings
a hostform.
• But so does each
clitic-available
verb.
• Then the various
hostforms merge.
hf
host
host
Je
les
mange.
I
them
eat
=
hf
host
Je
les
I
them
hf
host
fais manger.
make
eat
28
Binding again
=
• Binding in parsing,
• and in semantics,
• and in clitic
climbing.
referent
referent
He
=
hurt
himself.
subj
=
host
Je
les
host
ai mangés.
29
4.Conclusions
• French clitics require only:
– default inheritance
– binding
– unlimited relations
• All these tools are available in general
cognition.
• So clitics are ordinary cognition.
30
Thank you
• This show is available at
www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htm
31