1 french clitics and cognition dick hudson oxford, november 2012
DESCRIPTION
3 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?TRANSCRIPT
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French clitics and cognition
Dick HudsonOxford, November 2012
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Plan
1. Cognition in Word Grammar2. Clitics in Word Grammar3. French clitics4. Conclusions
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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?
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General cognition
• A variety of units:– 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
cat
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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.
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is-a
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
bird
robin
flying
flier
X
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Default inheritance
• Penguins are birds.• A typical bird flies.
– flying is expected– quantity (#) = 1
• But for penguins, there's no flying – # = 0– i.e. They don't fly.
• So X doesn't fly.
bird
penguin
flying
flier
X
0#
1
#
0#
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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'
#
=
flier
actor
argument
value
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Binding
• To 'find' a node, bind it to another one.
• Q. Who is John? A. He's the cook.• Follows activation:
– choose the most active candidate.
John ?= cook
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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
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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.
word-form word
realization
form
affix clitic
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Default morphology• Base is-a realization.• Top is-a realization.
– Top is fully inflected.• By default, Base =
Top.• But for inflections:
– Top is a 'variant' of Base.
word-form word
realization
base
variant
top
inflection
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Affixes and hosts• By default, an affix has a
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
{ } {s}host
2
1 { }
{ } {ur}host
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{ }
1 2 3 4 5 6
{ }{ }
{ }{ }
1
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s-variantsecond part
fourth part
'he/she will be loved'
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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?
affix clitic
top
hostform
host
part
e.g. third part
wordform
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John is/'s late.
realization
JOHN BE,3sg LATE
{John} {i-z} {late}
realization
JOHN BE,3sg,clitic
LATE
{John} {z} {late}
{John-z}
hostpart 2part 1
hostform
Bound to realization of previous word.
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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
host
suffixhostform
{z}2
1
next=
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Summary of apparatus
• Rich relations– realization– host– part 1/2/…
• Forms– hostforms
• Default inheritance• Activation• Binding
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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
clitics underlined
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The football team1 2 3 4 5 6 7
subj neg 1/2/ref 3 dir 3 ind y en
jetuil/ellenousvousils/elles
ne
metesenousvous
lelales
luileur y en
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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 …
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Clitic climbing
• Je ai donné. I have given him it.le lui
le
aux
'make'
• Je te ferai manger. I'll make you eat it.
• Je te laisserai le manger. I'll let you eat it.
• Je te laisserai manger. I'll let you eat it.leOr …
'let', 'send' or perception
• Je le lui donne. I give him it.
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Classifying clitics
• Clitics are classified.– 'subj', 'neg', etc.
• One item per class.• '1/2/ref' is-a 'obj'
– so *me lui– and Donnez-le-moi – = Donnez-le-lui
clitic
subj
ne
obj 3dir
y
en
1/2/ref
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Adding hostforms
• Each clitic brings its own hostform.
• Each clitic class has a position.
• Each verb also has its own hostform.
• Hostforms bind together.
hostform
3dir
host4
hostform
imperative
host<4
?
=
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Classifying hostforms
• Positive imperatives have ordinary order.
• Compare: – Donnez-le-moi– Donnez le livre à
Jean!• But other verbs
are different…
imperative
host<4
obj3dir y en
4 765
hostform1
hostform2
3dir en
Give it to me!
Give the book to John!
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The paradoxes
hostform2
verb
host>7
imperative
host<4
hostform1
4
3dir en
7 1
subj 1/2/ref
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obj
• Positive imperatives are exceptional verbs,
• but they have default hostforms.
• Why?
• Order shows function (direct/indirect) in hostform1,
•but person in hostform2.
•Why?
2
neg
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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.
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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
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Je les fais manger.
I them make eat
How do clitics climb?
• Each clitic brings a hostform.
• But so does each clitic-available verb.
• Then the various hostforms merge.
Je les mange.
I them eat
host
hf
host
hf
host
hf
host
hf
=
=
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Binding again
• Binding in parsing,• and in semantics,• and in clitic
climbing.
He hurt himself.
subj=
referent
=
referent
Je les ai mangés.
host
=
host
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4.Conclusions
• French clitics require only:– default inheritance– binding– unlimited relations
• All these tools are available in general cognition.
• So clitics are ordinary cognition.
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Thank you
• This show is available atwww.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htm