Linguistic grammar homework.
paiocanlie2727
slidesch13a.pptxADJUNCTS IN THE NP
It’s my favorite chapter you guys
REVIEW: what are adjuncts generally?
ADJUNCTS are a phrase that’s attached to another phrase
ADJUNCTS are always optional
ADJUNCTS add extra information that’s not necessary for the sentence to make sense
ADJUNCTS also form a constituent with the thing they’re merged with
You can pronominalize something including its adjuncts
You can move something along with its adjuncts
ADJUNCTS IN THE NP
Overview: here are things that can be adjuncts of NP
PPs
Structural ambiguity! Today
Appositive NPs
Relative clauses
I love them
Restrictive relative clauses
Tensed relative clauses
Infinitival relative clauses Wednesday
Reduced relative clauses
Non-restrictive relative clauses
(Bonus content: free relative clauses)
PP ADJUNCTS OF NP
THIS IS NOT IN THE TEXTBOOK SO TAKE NOTES
Remember, some NPs can have PP complements:
[NP [N professor][PP of linguistics]] PP complement of N
NPs can also have PP adjuncts!
[NP [NP [N professor]][PP from Bulgaria]] PP adjunct of NP
[NP [NP [N flowers]][PP in the garden]] PP adjunct of NP
PP ADJUNCTS OF NP
How do you tell PP complements from PP adjuncts in NP?
Pronominalization:
*I met a professor of chemistry and one of physics complement
I met a professor from Norway and one from Sweden adjunct
Extraposition:
*I met a professor yesterday of chemistry complement
I met a professor yesterday from Norway adjunct
PP ADJUNCTS OF NP
PP complements vs PP adjuncts: ordering
Adjuncts can’t appear between a head and its complement
The professor of chemistry from Sweden head-complement-adjunct
??The professor from Sweden of chemistry *head-adjunct-complement
PP ADJUNCTS OF NP
PPs can be adjuncts of either VP or NP, so it’s possible to get a structurally ambiguous adjunct
Structural ambiguity is when there are two possible syntactic structures for one sentence
The Groucho Marx example:
I shot an elephant [PP in my pajamas]
Is the PP an adjunct of NP or VP? The answer has semantic consequences
Who’s wearing the pajamas?
STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY
I shot an elephant in my pajamas.
IF IT’S A VP ADJUNCT:
(draw a tree now, I’ll do it on the camera in a minute)
VP => VP PP
It modifies the event semantically: I was in my pajamas when I shot him.
IF IT’S A NP ADJUNCT
(draw a tree of this one too)
NP => NP PP
It modifies the entity semantically: which elephant did I shoot? The one wearing my pajamas
STRUCTURAL AMBIGUITY
ADJUNCTS IN THE NP
Note: not all NP adjuncts are going to be ambiguous like this
It’s going to happen when something could either be a NP adjunct (of an NP at the end of a VP) or a VP adjunct (at the end)
Most adjuncts of VP don’t also show up as adjuncts of NP
NP ADJUNCTS OF NP: Appositives
NP can be a complement even when it describes another NP
Remember subjective complements?
The dean is [NP an upright chap]
Remember objective complements?
I consider the department chair [NP an admirable fellow]
But this can also happen in the form of an NP adjunct:
The department chair, [NP Richard Wright], is on sabbatical.
I had a meeting with Emily Bender, [NP the acting chair for the quarter].
NP ADJUNCTS OF NP: Appositives
ADJUNCT vs COMPLEMENT diagnostics
Can I just delete an objective or subjective complement?
*The dean is [NP an upright chap]
*I consider the department chair [NP an admirable fellow]
Can I just delete an appositive NP adjunct?
The department chair, [NP Richard Wright], is on sabbatical.
I had a meeting with Emily Bender, [NP the acting chair for the quarter].
NP ADJUNCTS OF NP: Appositives
ADJUNCT vs COMPLEMENT diagnostics
I can pronominalize NPs without the subjective/objective complements
The dean He is [NP an upright chap]
I consider the department chair him [NP an admirable fellow]
But I can pronominalize NPs with their appositive adjuncts
The department chair, [NP Richard Wright], He is on sabbatical.
I had a meeting with her Emily Bender, [NP the acting chair for the quarter].
NP + Appositive NP adjunct = constituent
NP ADJUNCTS OF NP: Appositives
ADJUNCT vs COMPLEMENT diagnostics
Ordering: yes this one works
The professor of linguistics, Barbara Citko, is speaking tonight.
*The professor, Barbara Citko, of linguistics is speaking tonight.
Preposing: this one doesn’t work for NPs
I am meeting with my advisor, Barbara.
*Barbara, I am meeting with my advisor
Extraposition: this one doesn’t work for appositives
Barbara Citko, a well-known syntactician, wrote an excellent paper.
*Barbara Citko wrote an excellent paper, a well-known syntactician.
Why did those diagnostics work for VP adjuncts but not NP adjuncts? In general, you can’t move stuff out of NP. Mostly.
NP ADJUNCTS OF NP: structure
Adjunct rule: NP => NP NP (wow!)
Tree these two. They should look different:
The professors call Brooke an excellent syntactician.
The professors called Brooke, an excellent syntactician.
ADJUNCTS IN THE NP: Summary
PP adjuncts of NP
Different than PP complements
Not in the textbook so seriously review these slides when you are studying because this absolutely will be on the final I am so serious
Can be structurally ambiguous: sometimes the word order isn’t enough to tell whether something is an adjunct of NP or VP. Semantics saves the day (for once)
NP adjuncts of NP
Appositives, usually sort of parenthetical-sounding (with comma intonation)
Don’t get them mixed up with objective/subjective complements (which are complements of V even though they “describe” another NP)
Ordering is the most consistent diagnostic
ADJUNCTS IN THE NP: Preview
Next time we’ll talk about relative clauses! Here are some examples to think about:
I love the cat who brings me broken toys every day.
The best cat to pet on the head is Galois.
I have to feed the cat clawing at my ankles.
Galois, who is my roommate’s cat, has very long fur.
I’m furious with whoever keeps leaving hairballs on the carpet.
