Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Name: _______________________

Assignment #6
Due: Monday, November 28 in class Total: 61 points Answer each of the questions neatly on this paper. You should plan out your answers before you write them down; I cant give credit for unclear responses. Extra copies of the assignment can be downloaded from Blackboard. This assignment has seven parts, covering material from the syntax and semantics sections of the course. The topics are discussed in the readings, so be sure to check there for assistance. Remember: While it is perfectly all right to consult your classmates, your answers must represent your own understanding of the material. If you discussed the assignment with any of your classmates, please indicate who you collaborated with.

Section A Identifying Phrases (total: 6 points)

Complete the table using phrases from the sentence below. You will need to identify more than one example for some types of phrases. Be careful a sequence may not be a complete phrase in this sentence even though it would be elsewhere. The children at the table said that their teacher had given them pizza for lunch. Phrase 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. NP NP PP PP VP CP
Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Example

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Section B Thematic Roles (total: 5 points)

For each of the following sentences, clearly identify each of the NPs, and then specify what the role of each NP is. 1. Most students were busy writing their papers.

2. Jeremy didnt manage to come to the wedding.

3. The squirrel buried some acorns under that tree.

4. I thought that the cat was bitten by the dog.

Section C Trees for Sentences (total: 12 points)

Draw the complete phrase-structure trees for the following sentences. (4 points each) 1. Some unusual ideas circulate on the internet.

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

2. Thelma loves mangos and most vegetables.

3. My husband questions whether pineapple is the most excellent pizza topping.

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Section D Syntactic Ambiguity (total: 12 points)

1. The following sentence is syntactically ambiguous: Maria attacked the man with a newspaper. Provide a paraphrase for each of the meanings, and draw the appropriate tree structures. Plan your trees in advance! Meaning 1: Tree 1:

Meaning 2: Tree 2:

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

2. The following sentence is syntactically ambiguous: The library quickly banned the books and removed the movies. Provide a paraphrase for each of the meanings, and draw the appropriate tree structures. Plan your trees in advance! Meaning 1: Tree 1:

Meaning 2: Tree 2:

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Section E Trees with Movement (total: 10 points)

1. Draw the Deep-Structure and Surface-Structure trees for the following sentence: Would you like some coffee or tea? Your D-Structure tree should have all of the elements in their pre-movement positions. Your SStructure tree should have all of the elements in their post-movement positions, with traces left in their original positions and arrows showing how the movement has occurred. (6 points) Deep-Structure Tree:

Surface-Structure Tree:

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

2. Draw the Deep-Structure and Surface-Structure trees for the following sentence: What did the children eat for breakfast? Your D-Structure tree should have all of the elements in their pre-movement positions. Your SStructure tree should have all of the elements in their post-movement positions, with traces left in their original positions and arrows showing how the movement has occurred. (6 points) Deep-Structure Tree:

Surface-Structure Tree:

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Section F Trees in Other Languages (total: 6 points)

Draw the phrase-structure trees for the following Afar sentences. (Afar is a Semitic language spoken in Ethiopia.) You should start by figuring out the basic word order. Remember that differences in word order often correspond to differences in the order of heads and their complements. 1. woo that marub a cayso wakta sheep this grass watches That sheep watches this grass

2. usuk xereya rusaas at yiggife he warthog bullet by killed

He killed (a) warthog by (a) bullet

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Section G Movement in Other Languages (total: 10 points)

Consider the following data from Norwegian. Dont worry about the fact that these is no overt determiner in the phrase book; focus on the order of the words. a. Jon kjpte boka John bought book b. Jon kysser ofte Peter John kisses often Peter John bought (the) book John often kisses Peter

1. Based on these sentences, explain how the syntax of Norwegian differs from that of English. What movement operation(s) are found in Norwegian that distinguish it from English? Explain your answer with reference to the examples. (2 points)

2. Draw the D-Structure and S-Structure trees for example b: Jon kysser ofte Peter. (4 points) Deep-Structure tree: Surface-Structure tree:

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011

Now consider the following additional data, also from Norwegian. c. Jeg tror at Jon kjpte boka I think that John bought the-book d. Jeg tror at Jon ofte kysser Peter I think that John often kisses Peter I think that John bought the book I think that John often kisses Peter

3. How are examples c. and d. different than examples a. and b.? Explain your answer with reference to movement operations and the syntactic structure. Be as general as possible. (2 points)

Now consider the following data from Icelandic. Note that, like Norwegian and English, Icelandic is a Germanic language. e. A Jonas borar oft tmata vart mig That John eats often tomatoes surprises me That John often eats tomatoes surprises me.

4. Based on this example, how does Icelandic differ from Norwegian? Explain your answer with reference to syntactic structure and movement. (2 points)

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Linguistics 210 Fall 2011