Transcript Syntax-07-08-29 - Tulane University

PARAMETERS
DAY 5, SEPT. 7, 2012
Introduction to Syntax
ANTH 3590/7590
Harry Howard
Tulane University
COURSE MANAGEMENT
http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/
 If you notify me by email ahead of time of a
scheduled absence, I will not hold it against
you.
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PHOTOS!
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Go over vocabulary in bold face
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1.6 PARAMETERS
INTRODUCTION
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The previous pages argue that much of the
grammar of language is universal.
 If all of grammar were universal, children would
only need to learn words, and all grammars
would be the same.
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THREE PARAMETERS
The null-subject parameter
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Mary thinks that *(they) speak Spanish.
 María piensa que
hablan español.
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The Wh-parameter
What do you think he will say?

Ni xiang ta hui shuo shenme?


The head-position parameter
Close the door ~ desire for change
 Muneul dadara ~ byunhwa-edaehan galmang
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BACKGROUND TO AN EXAMPLE
Well, consider the following sentences, in which
the names have been labelled for thematic role,
as so:
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Ag = Agent, the person or thing that does the action
of the verb
 Pat = Patient, the person or thing that receives the
action of the verb
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REVIEW BASIC WORD ORDER
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
SVO
*SOV
*OVS
*OSV
*VSO
*VOS
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2.
MaryAg kissed JohnPat
MaryAg JohnPat kissed
JohnPat kissed MaryAg
JohnPat MaryAg kissed
kissed MaryAg JohnPat
kissed JohnPat MaryAg
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PRE- VS. POSTPOSITIONS
8.
home at (is where I want to be)


[P N] is
typical of
VO
languages
[N P] is
typical of
OV
languages
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at home (is where I want to be)
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COMPOUND NOUNS
ACT LIKE SMALL SENTENCES
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OVS
 OVS
 OVS
 OVS
 OVS
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man-eating shark
 fire-breathing dragon
 heart-rending story
 Greek-speaking interpreter
 self-cleaning oven

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1.7 PARAMETER SETTING
LEARNING A LANGUAGE
Involves
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learning the morphemes of the language ~ lexical
learning
 setting parameters ~ structural learning
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The latter makes it easy for children to learn the
language.
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EXERCISES
BACKGROUND

Verbs are heads that take a direct object and
maybe other stuff associated with it as a
complement:


has [gone home]
gone [home]
Any variation from this canonical (basic – normal
– underlying) order must be the result of a
movement.
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Sample sentence: John has gone home.
 Auxiliary verbs are heads that take a verb and
the stuff associated with it as a complement:
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EXERCISE 1.1, ELIZABETHAN SYNTAX
‘Seawater shalt thou drink’
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‘seawater’ should be complement to ‘drink’ > ‘drink
seawater’
 ‘drink seawater’ should be complement to ‘shalt’ >
‘shalt drink seawater’
 ‘thou’ should be subject > ‘Thou shalt drink seawater’
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1.1 OTHERS?
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1.2 CHILD SYNTAX (GO OVER EACH ONE)
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Q1
Phrases & clauses
2.1 - 2.3, Ex 2.1
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