C-commandDay 8, Sept. 14, 2012Introduction to Syntax

ANTH 3590/7590

Harry Howard

Tulane University

Course management

http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/ The website is finally back up, and all of the

course material is available there. The grades have been uploaded to

Blackboard’s grade book. Please check them! If there is a problem, bring

your quiz to class to show me.

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Who is missing?9

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Review

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The tests

1. Co-ordination condition (30) Only constituents of the same type can be

coordinated.

2. Proform/substitution condition (-) Only a string of words that is a constituent can

be replaced with a proform.

3. Preposing condition (37) When material is preposed in order to highlight

it, what is preposed is the smallest possible maximal projection containing the highlighted material.

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Other principles

Economy condition (36) Syntactic structures should contain as few words

as possible, and syntactic operations should affect as few words as possible.

Functional head constraint (simplified) (39) The complement of a functional head cannot be

moved without moving its head also.

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Draw trees for ex. 2.1

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§2.6 Syntactic relations

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NEGATIVE POLARITY

1. No student has any idea how to solve this problem.

2. Mary has any idea how to solve this problem.

3. Few students have any idea how to solve this problem.

4. Five students have any idea how to solve this problem.

5. If you have any idea how to solve this problem, tell me.

6. When you have any idea how to solve this problem, tell me.

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MORE TYPES

Take a moment to think of other negative polarity items like any. ever, to dare, to need

Take a moment to think of other negative polarity/affective environments like no, few & if. how often

Positive polarity? John liked it somewhat. John didn't like it somewhat. I am well/fine. I am not well/fine.

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WHERE CAN THE TRIGGER BE?

1. Few of my friends know any politicians.2. The wives of few of my friends know any

politicians.3. The writer that few of my friends admire

has any money.4. Any politicians are known by few of my

friends.5. Few of my friends’ wives have any money.

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C-COMMAND

Polarity items need to be licensed by another constituent. This licensing is asymmetric.

The branches in a tree represent containment.

A constituent X c-commands its sister constituent Y and any constituent Z which is contained within Y.

The polarity condition (49) A polarity item must be c-commanded by an

affective (negative, interrogative, or conditional) constituent.

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THE EXAMPLE OF EX. 2.1-19

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Nobody will become very fond of any politician

PRN T V ADV ADJ P NP

Adj’

AdjP

VP

T’

TPA constituent X c-commands its sister constituent Y and any constituent Z which is contained within Y.

§2.7 Binding

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REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

Data1. My wife knows herself well.2. The father of my wife knows herself well.3. The writer that my wife admires knows

herself well.4. Herself is known well by my wife.5. My wife’s father knows herself well. Binding condition

A bound constituent must be c-commanded by an appropriate antecedent.

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THE EXAMPLE OF EX. 2.1-1, again9

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She will become very fond of herself

PRN T V ADV ADJ P PRN

Adj’

AdjP

VP

T’

TPA constituent X c-commands its sister constituent Y and any constituent Z which is contained within Y.

EX. 2.2

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NEXT TIMEQ2

§2.8 Bare phrase structure

§3.1 - 3.3. Null subjects & null auxiliaries

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