Lecture 2 Krisztina Szécsényi Syntax Lecture 2 Krisztina Szécsényi

Revision X-bar Theory: 3 structure building rules Specifier rule: XP → Specifier X’ Complement rule: X’ → X Complement Both rules obligatory (1. introduces the phrase level constituent, 2 the head of the phrase)

The third rule: the adjunct rule Simplified (but see BESE pp. 96-100): 3. XP → XP, Adjunct recursive rule Comma: the order of the constituents is not fixed (as opposed to the first two rules) Optional rule

Specifier rule: XP → Specifier X’ Complement rule: X’ → X Complement Adjunct rule: XP → XP, Adjunct The values of X: the functional and lexical categories of language, see next class. Specifiers, complements, adjuncts: also phrases with their own internal structure → complexity