Morphology and Syntax

1
Morphology and Syntax

• More on sentence structure

2
The head of sentences

• Two unresolved questions
• What is the head of a sentence?
• What is the position of modals and auxiliary
  verbs in the sentence structure?
• Maybe these questions are related.

3

• In English, modals and auxiliaries do not occupy
  the same position as main verbs. They are further
  to the left
• Sara does not watch that program.
• Sara watches not that program.
• Sara will not watch that program.
• Sara not will watch that program.

4
Idea the auxiliary position is the head
position of the sentence.

• general X-bar schema XP
• specifier(s) X
• X complement(s)
• sentences S ( AuxP)
• NP Aux
• Aux VP

5

• Another special property of modal auxiliary verbs
  in English they must be inflected for tense and
  agreement.
• The carpenter hopes to can build the house.
• She has could reading that book.
• So we relabel the Aux position in the sentence
  as the Infl position.

6
Full sentence structure

• CP
• C
• C S ( InflP)
• NP Infl
• Infl VP
• V
• V

7

• What happens if there is no auxiliary to fill up
  the Infl position?
• In English nothing, really.
• John will never read the paper in the afternoon.
• John never reads the paper in the afternoon.

8

• What happens if there is no auxiliary to fill up
  the Infl position?
• In French the main verb goes into the Infl
  position.
• Jean a souvent donné une pomme à Marie.
• John has often given an apple
  to Mary
• Jean souvent donne une pomme à Marie.
• John often gives an apple to
  Mary
• Jean donne souvent une pomme à Marie.
• John gives often an apple to
  Mary

9

• CP
• C
• C S ( InflP)
• NP Infl
• Infl VP
• souvent V
• V

10
Subject-verb inversion

• What has Geraldine read?
• What Geraldine has read?
• Why would you do a thing like that?
• Why you would do a thing a like that?

11

• CP
• Wh-phrase C
• C S ( InflP)
• NP Infl
• Infl VP
• V
• V

12

• No subject-verb inversion in embedded questions
• I wonder if Frederick has ever heard that song.
• I wonder if has Frederick ever heard that
  song.
• Fronted auxiliaries and complementizers are in
  complementary distribution, because they both
  occupy the C position.

13
Generalized verb movement to C

• In English, verb movement to the C position is
  limited to
• (i) Interrogative sentences
• and
• (ii) Auxiliary verbs
• Which string quartet heard George yesterday?
• Which string quartet did George hear yesterday?

14

• In some other languages, verb movement to C can
  also apply to main verbs...
• Hvad koster en billet?
• what costs a ticket
• What does a ticket cost?
• Hvad gør en billet koste?
• what does a ticket cost

15

• ... and verb movement to C also occurs in
  declarative sentences
• Denne film har børnene set.
• this film have children seen
• The children have seen this film (rather than
  another one).
• Denne film børnene har set.
• this film children have seen
• This film have the children seen.
• This film the children have seen.

16

• CP
• NP C
• denne film
• C S ( InflP)
• har
• NP Infl
• børnene
• Infl VP
• e
• V
• V NP
• set e

17
German OV or VO?

• Er glaubt CP dass seine Vorfahren diese
  Philosophie begründeten.
• he believes that his ancestors
  this philosophy established
• He believes that his ancestors established this
  philosophy.
• Er glaubt CP dass seine Vorfahren begründeten
  diese Philosophie.
• he believes that his ancestors
  established this philosophy
• Seine Vorfahren begründeten diese Philosophie.
• his ancestors established this
  philosophy
• His ancestors established this philosophy.
• Seine Vorfahren diese Philosophie begründeten.
• his ancestors this philosophy
  established

18

• So is German OV in embedded clauses but VO in
  main clauses? Not really
• Seine Vorfahren hatten diese Philosophie
  begründet.
• his ancestors had this
  philosophy established
• Seine Vorfahren hatten begründet diese
  Philosophie.
• his ancestors had established
  this philosophy
• Seine Vorfahren würden diese Philosophie
  begründen.
• his ancestors would this
  philosophy establish
• Seine Vorfahren würden begründen diese
  Philosophie.
• his ancestors would establish
  this philosophy

19

• Conclusion German is really OV.
• So how come the finite verb ends up in the second
  position of main clauses?
• Because of generalized verb movement to C!

20

• CP
• C
• C S ( InflP)
• dass
• NP Infl
• seine Vorfahren
• Infl VP
• V
• NP V
• diese Philosophie begründeten

21

• CP
• NP C
• seine Vorfahren
• C S ( InflP)
• begründeten
• NP Infl
• e
• Infl VP
• V
• NP V
• diese Philosophie e