Linguistic grammar homework.
RELATIVE CLAUSES
I love relative clauses
ROADMAP FOR TODAY
WHAT’S A RELATIVE CLAUSE?
It’s not a S complement of V
It’s not a S complement of N
It’s an S Adjunct of NP
RESTRICTIVE relative clauses
TENSED restrictive relative clauses
INFINITIVAL restrictive relative clauses
REDUCED restrictive relative clauses
NON-RESTRICTIVE relative clauses
FREE relative clauses
WHAT’S A RELATIVE CLAUSE?
A relative clause is a S adjunct to NP
I described [NP the mango [S that I ate]]
I described it NP pro-form = it
[The mango that I ate] was described by me yes passive
It’s not a S complement to V
I wonder [S who ate my mango]
*[who ate my mango] is wondered by me no passive
I wonder who ate my mango and so does Karen VP pro-form = so
WHAT’S A RELATIVE CLAUSE?
A relative clause is a S adjunct to NP
I bought [the mango that I wanted to eat]
I wanted to eat ___ has a gap! (__ = mango)
I bought the mango yesterday that I wanted to eat can be extraposed
It’s not a S complement to N
I understand [the fact that mangos are great]
Mangos are great no gap (complete sentence)
*I understand the fact now that mangos are great can’t be extraposed
RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
RESTRICTIVE vs NON-RESTRICTIVE is a semantic distinction that has syntactic consequences
RESTRICTIVE NON-RESTRICTIVE
All dogs
Dogs who will lick your face
One particular dog
I want to pet this dog
TYPES OF RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
You know these types of clauses already
TENSED:
[NP the grocer [S who should sell me all the mangos]]
Can have a complementizer (that) or a relative pronoun (who, which, where, when, why)
Has an AUX with a tense (this one is should)
INFINITIVAL
REDUCED
TENSED RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
There’s a kind of movement involved
That’s why there’s a “gap”
I visited [NP the farmer [S who I bought all the mangos from __ ]]
[NP the photograph [S _ that I took __]] came out beautiful.
STRUCTURE
NP => NP S
S => (comp) NP Aux VP
STRUCTURE
NP => NP S
S => (comp) NP Aux VP
Relative pronoun (who) is in the same position as the complementizer (that)
TYPES OF RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
You know these types of clauses already
TENSED
INFINITIVAL
[NP the chapters [S to study _]]
To-infinitives (where to is AUX)
No relative pronouns (who/which etc)
*the chapters which to study
No tense! Just what we expect from infinitival things by now
REDUCED
INFINITIVAL RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
No subject or complementizer necessary:
[NP The mangos [S to eat _ after dinner]] are on the counter
If you do have a subject, you also need for (a complementizer):
[NP The mangos [S for me to eat _ after dinner]] are on the counter
Notice! Even without WH-movement, there’s still a gap
STRUCTURE
NP => NP S
S => (comp) NP Aux VP
For = complementizer
To = Aux
TYPES OF RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
You know these types of clauses already
TENSED
INFINITIVAL
REDUCED
[NP the mangoes [S sitting on the counter]] participial
[NP a professor [S sick with the mumps]] predicative
“Reduced” from a full relative clause, generally missing “be”
REDUCED RELATIVE CLAUSES
“Reduced” from what?
[NP the mangoes [S that are sitting on the counter]] participial
[NP a professor [S who is sick with the mumps]] predicative
No relative pronoun, no complementizer, no main verb be
NON-RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
Tell about a specific individual
the mango that I liked best restrictive = out of the set of mangos
The mango, which I liked best non-restrictive = this particular mango
Generally TENSED (so that or relative pronouns)
Generally act like adjuncts
NON RESTRICTIVE RELATIVE CLAUSES
Yes they can extrapose:
The professor, who I work with often, arrived.
The professor arrived, who I work with often.
I saw Nan, who is very smart, yesterday
I saw Nan yesterday, who is very smart
They can optionally be included in pronominalization
This professor, who I know, and that one, who I’ve never met
This professor, who I know, and that one
NON-RESTRICTIVE AND RESTRICTIVE ONES
Something can be modified by more than one relative clause! This is because it’s an adjunct, so you can get NPs inside of NPs inside of NPs
The mangos that I like that I bought at the store restrictive x 2
The mangos that I bought at the store that I like restrictive x 2
But if one of them is non-restrictive, it has to go on the outside:
The mangos that I like, which are green now restrictive – non-restrictive
*The mangos, which are green now, that I like *non-restrictive – restrictive
FREE RELATIVES
FREE RELATIVE CLAUSES are clauses that aren’t actually attached to an NP. They just act like an NP by themselves:
[Whoever ate my mangos] is in trouble.
I’m going to be so mad at [whoever ate my mangos]
I’ll eat [what my roommate cooks for dinner]
[What my roommate cooks for breakfast] is always amazing
Notice:
They have relative pronouns (who, what, etc)
Lobeck draws them exclusively as triangles for good reason
They can go [wherever other arguments can go ]
SUMMARY OF RELATIVE CLAUSES
RELATIVE CLAUSES are:
not a S complement of V
not a S complement of N
an S Adjunct of NP
RESTRICTIVE relative clauses
TENSED restrictive relative clauses are finite clauses with relative pronouns
INFINITIVAL restrictive relative clauses are to-infinitives, no relative pronouns
REDUCED restrictive relative clauses are missing relative pronouns and be
NON-RESTRICTIVE relative clauses are tensed, but act different
FREE relative clauses are relative clauses that aren’t attached to anything