Syntax Transformations LING 200 Spring 2003 Reading File

Syntax Transformations LING 200 Spring 2003 Reading: File 6. 6

More on movement • Two kinds of syntactic rules – Phrase structure rules: generate basic structures – Transformational rules: • permute or ‘move’ structures generated by phrase structure rules in limited ways • prevent PS rules from becoming overly complicated • can account for syntactic discontinuity

Model of syntax P-S rules generate: ‘deep’ syntactic structure transformational rules: ‘surface’ syntactic structure Not every sentence contains evidence of transformational rules!

Some transformational rules of English ü Subject – Aux inversion • Dative shift • Particle movement

Subject – Aux inversion NP[The student who slept through the last lecture] Aux[should be] VP[studying]. Subject – Aux inversion: S[NP Aux[X Y] S[X NP Aux[Y Should the student who slept through the last lecture be studying?

Dative shift • The TA gave a prize to the best student. • The TA gave the best student a prize. • The student left the homework assignment for their TA. • The student left their TA the homework assignment. • I’ll find the right size for you. • I’ll find you the right size.

Two possible accounts of dative shift 1. Modify the PS rules: VP V NP NP But: *The student V[put] NP[the assignment] NP[the TA’s box]. 2. Modify the output of the PS rules. The Dative Shift transformation: V NP 1 P-NP 2 V NP 2 NP 1 :

Dative shift PS rules: VP V NP PP The TA VP[V[gave] NP[a prize] PP[P[to]] NP[the best student]]]. Dative shift: V NP 1 P-NP 2 V NP 2 NP 1 The TA V[gave] NP[a prize] PP[to the best student]. Output: The TA VP[V[gave] NP[the best student] NP[a prize]].

Restrictions on Dative shift • Dative shift transformation lexically restricted to: – bring. . . to, give. . . to, show. . . to, read. . . to, . . . – do. . . for, find. . . for, make. . . for, save. . . for, . . . – ask (a question) of • Not every V NP PP: - The magician touched the girl with the wand. - *The magician touched the wand the girl. • Not every V NP PP[to NP] - Paul Allen donated a million dollars to the university. - *Paul Allen donated the university a million dollars. • Not every V[give] NP PP - They gave themselves up to the police. - *They gave the police themselves (up).

Verb - particle movement • Two types of V P NP in English 1. V PP: VP[V PP[P NP]] V[look] PP[at the solution] V[rely] PP[on the help] V[wait] PP[for the next best thing] V[defer] PP[to a higher authority] V[run] PP[up the hill]

Phrasal verbs 2. Phrasal verb: VP[V[V P] NP] V V (P) (P = preposition, “particle”) V[V[put] P[on]] NP[a coat] V[V[put] P[off]] NP[the decision] V[V[give] P[out]] NP[the exam] V[V[call] P[up]] NP[the dean] V[V[get] P[out]] NP[a pencil] V[V[stand] P[up]] NP[a date] V[V[run] P[up]] NP[the bill]

Differences between V PP, phrasal verbs 1. Position of pronominalized NP: noun object V PP run up the hill phrasal verb run up the bill pronoun object run up it run it up

Phrasal verbs and ‘particle movement’ Optional with full NP: put on a coat, put a coat on Obligatory with pronoun: *put on it, put it on run up a bill, run it up put off the decision, put it off give out the exam, give it out call up the dean, call him up

V PP vs. phrasal verbs 2. Entire PP can be moved to the beginning of the sentence (‘preposed’): V PP They said it was okay to run up the hill, and PP[up the hill] we ran. phrasal verb They said it was okay to [run up]V [the bill]NP, *and up the bill we ran. They said it was okay to run up the bill, and NP[quite a bill] we ran up.

V PP vs. phrasal verbs 3. Sentence fragment test: ØOnly a constituent can substitute for a sentence. V PP Did you V[run] PP[up the hill]? No, PP[up the stairs] No, NP[the stairs] phrasal verb Did you V[run up] NP[the (food) bill]? *No, up the bar tab No, NP[the bar tab]

V PP vs. phrasal verbs 4. Separability of V, P V PP Stephen V[ran] stealthily PP[up a big hill]. Stephen stealthily V[ran] PP[up a big hill]. phrasal verb *Stephen ran stealthily up a big bill. Stephen stealthily V[ran up] NP[a big bill].

V PP vs. phrasal verbs 5. Possibility of coordinating PP V PP You have to V[run] PP[up that hill] and then PP[up an even bigger one]. You have to V[run] PP[up NP[that hill] and then NP[an even bigger one]]. phrasal verb *We were told not to run up the food bill or up the bar tab. We were told not to V[run up] NP[the food bill] or NP[the bar tab].

Summary and analysis The linear string V P NP has two possible analyses: 1. V [P NP] V + PP 2. [V P] NP phrasal verb

V [P NP] [V P] NP PP preposing yes no PP fragment yes no V, P separability yes no PP coordination yes no

Position of nominal vs. pronominal objects NP object pronoun object V [P NP] [V P] NP ran up the hill ran up the bill *ran the hill up ran the bill up ran up it *ran it up

Position of pronominalized NP Particle Movement (transformation) Verb P]V NP 1 2 3 1 3 2 (optional unless NP is pronoun (then obligatory))

Transformational vs. PS approach to Particle Movement Purely phrase structure approach VP V (P) (NP) (run up the bill) VP V (NP) (P) (run the bill up)

Drawbacks of purely PS approach • doesn’t represent phrasal verbs as syntactic or lexical unit • no savings in # rules needed (1 PS rule + 1 transformation) • additional rule would be needed (VP V P PP) for phrasal verb + PP: [V[put] P[up]] PP[with the situation] [V[let] P[up]] PP[on the pedal]

[V P] PP • Preposing: on the pedal we let up • Sentence fragment: did you let up on the pedal? No, (on) the brake. • Separability: let up carefully on the pedal. • Coordination: let up on the clutch and (on) the accelerator • (No Particle movement: let up on it, *let on it up)

Summary • Sentences are not just unstructured strings of words • Two kinds of syntactic rules – Phrase structure rules – Transformational rules: • Some transformational rules of English – Subject – Aux inversion – Dative shift – Particle movement