Week 11. Interim summary and some things to do in class. CAS LX 522 Syntax I

The Y model We’ve covered most of the components—let’s walk slowly through a derivation to illustrate everything. What does every student want me to be reading? DS SS LFPF X-bar theory Covert movement Phonology/ Morphology  Theory Subcategorization Binding theory Case theory, EPP Overt movement, Expletive insertion

Walking through a derivation What does every student want me to be reading? Read: Agent, Theme Want: Agent, Proposition Agents go in SpecVP, objects (Theme and Proposition) are sister to their verb at DS. DS SS PFLF

What does every student want me to be reading? To start with, figure out the skeleton. There are two clauses, every student wants (something) and me to be reading what. The top clause has a +Q, +WH C, since it is a wh-question. DS SS PFLF VP V be V VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [+Q] [+WH] [PRES]

What does every student want me to be reading? Then start filling in the  -roles for the verbs. Remember: –Each verb needs to assign its  -roles within its own VP. –Auxiliaries (be, have) do not assign  -roles. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP me DP ev.st.

What does every student want me to be reading? Are all the  -roles assigned? reading: –Agent: me –Theme: what want: –Experiencer: Bill –Proposition: TP It’s a good DS. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP me DP ev.st. DS

What does every student want me to be reading? Now, we move things around in order to have a satisfactory SS. All DPs need Case. Every SpecTP needs to be filled. A [+Q, +WH] C needs to have a [wh] element in its specifier. Matrix [+Q] C needs T to move up to it. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP me DP ev.st.

What does every student want me to be reading? Case: So far, only one DP has Case, what. Reading is an active transitive verb, it assigns accusative Case to its sister. Moving up the tree, me needs Case, and SpecTP needs to be filled. Both problems can be solved by moving me to SpecTP. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP me DP ev.st.

What does every student want me to be reading? Case: How does me get Case? Nonfinite T (to) does not assign Case to its specifier. However, me is governed by want. Want assigns accusative Case to me. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP i me DP titi ev.st.

What does every student want me to be reading? Case: Now, every student needs Case and the higher SpecTP needs to be filled. Both problems can be solved by moving every student to SpecTP. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q] [+WH] what DP i me DP titi ev.st.

What does every student want me to be reading? Every student gets nominative Case from the finite T. What’s left? –Matrix [+Q] C needs to have T move to it. –A [+Q, +WH] C needs a [wh] element in its specifier. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T T CP C C reading want to [PRES] [+Q,+WH] what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj

What does every student want me to be reading? T moves up to C. What’s left? –A [+Q, +WH] C needs a [wh] element in its specifier. The only [wh] element we have is what, which we’ll need to move into SpecCP. DS SS PFLF VP V be VDP VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk

What does every student want me to be reading? What moves up to SpecCP. Now: –Every DP got Case (along the way). –All SpecTPs are filled. –T moved to [+Q] C. –SpecCP has a [wh] element. This is a good SS. DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm SS

What does every student want me to be reading? Now, the derivation splits. This (the SS) is the “pronunciation focus” of the derivation. First let’s head off toward PF. DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm

What does every student want me to be reading? The only problem with pronouncing this structure is that we have a “stranded affix”—the present tense suffix is in C, and cannot attach to a verb. DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm

What does every student want me to be reading? So, we have to insert do to support the stranded affix. This is the pronounced form of the sentence: What does every student want me to be reading? DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to do-s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm PF

What does every student want me to be reading? We’re not done yet… At SS, the derivation splits, one set of steps leads to PF. This is where do-support (and also affix lowering) happens. But we also must compute the meaning, the logical form (LF). So we need to return to SS and consider the LF branch. DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm SS

What does every student want me to be reading? We have a quantifier, every student, and all quantifiers need to move out of TP before we have a valid LF. (Quantifiers need to leave a trace to serve as a variable) So every student needs to adjoin to TP. DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm SS

What does every student want me to be reading? The quantifier is not moving very far, but it is now no longer contained in TP. (TP does not dominate DP j ) The requirements on LF are now met, this is a valid LF. What is the x such that for every student y, y wants me to be reading x? DS SS PFLF VP V be V DP m VP V V TP T T VP V V TP T CP C C+T k reading want to -s what DP i me DP j titi ev.st. tjtj tktk tmtm LF TP tjtj

Some others Op i that we might want PRO sub to do t i What is likely to be served at Thanksgiving? Who should not expect to eat every drumstick? Most students know where to go.

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