Constituents Introduction to syntax
Review 打進季後賽 找到適當的理由 發現任何外傷 他送媽媽一束花 建議考生把握最後三周的時間 屬於那個國度
Overview Evidence of structures in sentences Syntactic tests for constituent structures Constituents in tree diagrams
Evidence of structures in sentences 春吶是每年在墾丁海灘的集體性活動 Ambiguous interpretations Ambiguity in a sentence
Structural ambiguity A sentence may have two interpretations due to different structural compositions of constituents. Example : The boy left Mary with a broken heart.
Structural ambiguity NP NDet Theboya broken heart VP NP V N left S Mary PP P NP with
Structural ambiguity (2) NP NDet Theboya broken heart VP NPV N left Mary PP P NP with S
Exercise John called the gorgeous lady from New York. Ambiguous interpretations: Structural ambiguity
How do we know that it is a constituent? 1 Clefts: It is/was X that Y It was in this house [PP] that they had a party _____[PP]. *It was this house [NP/PP?] that they had a party in _____[PP].
How do we know that it is a constituent? 2 The movement test They had a party in the house [PP]. In the house [PP] they had a party. The coordination/conjunction test They went into the bookstore [VP] and bought a book [VP]. *They went into the bookstore [VP] and a book [NP].
How do we know that it is a constituent? 3 The echo question test She left [the book] on the table. She left what on the table? The proform test Mary saw [the red Burberry raincoat] in the shop and bought it. Mr. Smith asked the students to leave. Mr. Smith asked them to leave.
Exercise The fishermen turned on the weather channel. The fishermen rely on the weather channel. NP constituent (the weather channel) ? PP constituent? (on the weather channel)?