Related%20Sentences

1
Related Sentences

• The boy is sleeping.
• Is the boy sleeping?
• The boy can sleep.
• Can the boy sleep?
• Mary picked up the book.
• Mary picked the book up.
• Mary hit Bill.
• Bill was hit by Mary.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 90.
2
Sentence Relatedness

• The father wept silently.
• The father silently wept.
• Mary picked up the book.
• Mary picked the book up.
• Mary hired Bill.
• Bill was hired by Mary.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2007. An Introduction to Language, 8th edition.
Boston, MA Thomson Wadsworth, p. 115.
Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, p. 152.
3
Sentence Relatedness

• I know that you know.
• I know you know.
• The boy is sleeping.
• Is the boy sleeping?
• The boy can sleep.
• Can the boy sleep?
• The boy slept.
• Did the boy sleep?

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2003. An Introduction to Language. Boston, MA
Wadsworth, p. 152.
4
Transformational Rules

• ? Different from PS rules
• ? Purpose of T-rules
• ? Examples of T-rules needed
• D-structure and S-structure trees
• ? No formal statement of rules in textbook

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 115ff.
5
Transformations 1

• ? Yes/No Questions (EX)
• The boy is sleeping.
• Is the body sleeping?
• ? Question Word Movement (EX)
• ? Active/Passive
• The cat chased the mouse.
• The mouse was chased by the cat.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, pp. 115-124.
6
Transformations 2

• ? There sentences
• A man was on the roof.
• There was a man on the roof.
• ? PP Preposing
• The astronomer saw the quasar with the
• telescope.
• With the telescope, the astronomer saw
• the quasar.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, pp. 115-124.
7
More Transformations 3

• ? Verb-Adverb Switching (EX)
• The father wept silently.
• The father silently wept.
• ? Verb-Particle Switching
• Mary picked up the book
• Mary picked the book up.
• ? Topicalization
• John asked Mary to see this film
• with him.
• This film, John asked Mary to see
• with him.

8
Transformational Rules

• What can transformational rules do?
• 1. Move elements
• 2. Add elements
• 3. Delete elements

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 117.
9
Yes-No Question Transformation (before)

• 
  S

NP VP
Aux VP
Det N V
The boy is sleeping
Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 116.
10
Yes-No Question Transformation (after)

• 
  S
• S

Aux NP VP
Det N V
Is the boy sleeping
Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 116.
11
Yes-No Question Transformation with DO Support
(before)

• 
  S

NP VP
Det N Aux VP
NP
The student PAST ate
Det N
some ice cream
12
Yes-No Question Transformation with DO Support
(after)

• 
  S
• Aux S

NP VP
Det N
V NP
Did the student eat
Det N
some ice cream
13
Wh-Question Transformation (after)

• 
  S
• 
  S
• PROwh Aux
  NP VP
• 
  Npr Vt
  NP
• _
• What can
  Mary accomplish

Nick Cipollone, Steven Hartman Keiser, Shravan
Vasishth, editors. Language Files, seventh
edition. Columbus Ohio State University Press,
1998, p. 206
14
Verb-Adverb Transformation (before)

S
NP VP
Det N V
Adv
The father wept
silently
Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman. An
Introduction to Language, sixth edition. Fort
Worth, TX Harcourt Brace College Publishers,
1998, p. 138.
15
Verb-Adverb Transformation (after)

• S

NP VP
Det N Adv
V
The father silently
wept
Victoria Fromkin and Robert Rodman. An
Introduction to Language, sixth edition. Fort
Worth, TX Harcourt Brace College Publishers,
1998, p. 138.
16
Structure Dependent Rules Subject-Verb Agreement

• The guy seems kind of cute.
• The guys seem kind of cute.
• The guy we met at the party next door
• seems kind of cute.
• The guys we met at the party next door
• seem kind of cute.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 118.
17
Structure Dependent Rules Yes-No Question

• The boy was dreaming.
• Was the boy dreaming?
• The boy who is sleeping was dreaming.
• Was the boy who is sleeping dreaming?

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, pp. 118-119.
18
Structure Dependent Rules Yes-No Question

• The girl with the incredibly red hair who
  bought the Porsche yesterday down on Mintzu Road
  that I saw talking to your sister is eating.

19
Universal Grammar

• Universal Grammar (UG) provides the basic
  design for all human languages, and individual
  languages are simply variations on this basic
  design.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 124.
20
Universal Grammar Metaphor

• Imagine a new housing development. All
  of the houses have the same floor plan, but the
  occupants have some choices to make. They can
  have carpet or hardwood floors, curtains or
  blinds they can choose their kitchen cabinets
  and the countertops, the bathroom tiles, and so
  on.
• It is claimed that This is more or less
  how the syntax operates. Languages conform to a
  basic design and then there are choice points or
  points of variation.

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, p. 124.
21
Languages according to UG

• Universal
• ? Phrase structure rules
• ? Phrases consist of heads and complements
• ? Sentences are headed by Aux (or T)
• ? Movement rules
• ? Structural dependency
• Specific Parameters
• ? Word order
• ? Head first / last
• ? Details about tense, aspect, agreement
• ? Details about inflection
• ? Movement or non-movement

Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman Nina Hyams.
2011. An Introduction to Language, 9th edition.
Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, pp. 124-127.
22
Importance of Transformational Rules

• ? They decrease the number of PS Rules we need.
  We can write just basic rules (for d-structure)
  and allow T Rules to transform them into surface
  forms (s-structure).
• ? They show the relationship between related
  sentences that native speakers intuitively feel.
• ? They prevent us from writing PS Rules that
  might allow ungrammatical sentences.

23
Analyzing Sentences Using Phrase Structure Rules

• 1. The boy bit the dog.
• 2. A large elephant walked into the school.
• 3. Cathy said that Sonia likes music.
• 4. Avon believes we should help other people.
• 5. That we should help other people is praised
  by everyone.

24
Analyzing Sentences Using Phrase Structure Rules

• 6. They dont want pizza.
• 7. Aaron is tall.
• 8. Carol quickly ran to the car.
• 9. Can you help me?
• 10. Vicky ate on the table the cake.