Syntax LING 200 Spring 2002

Wh- movement Chia-Hui has given the answer key to Aixa. Chia-Hui has given the answer key to who? Who has Chia-Hui given the answer key to? To whom has Chia-Hui given the answer key? Chia-Hui has given the answer key to Aixa. subj-aux inversion wh- movement

Some wh- words in English who, whom whose what when where why how which

Sekani Word order: SOV [sãst  h  nà  ì / àt  ] black beardogit bit ‘A bear bit the dog.’ [ V  ] = nasal vowel [ V  ] = low tone vowel [  ] = voiceless alveolar lateral fricative [  ] = voiced velar fricative [ / ] = glottal stop

Wh- formation in Sekani Some wh- words –[ma] ‘who, whose’ –[ja] ‘what’ [ja  õh] ‘why’ (‘what for’) –[tetsa], [tewa], [teta] ‘where’ –[tena] ‘which’

Wh- word in situ Wh- word is subject [jat  h  nà  ì / àt  -a] whatdogit bit-wh ‘What bit the dog?’ Wh- word is object [t  h  ma nà  ì / àt  -a] dogwhoit bit-wh ‘Who did the dog bite?’

Wh- word in situ Wh- word is indirect object Ednat  h ãziCorinne  àniht h e . puppyshe gave to ‘Edna gave the puppy to Corinne.’ Ednat  h ãzima  àniht h e  -a? puppywhoshe gave to-wh ‘Who did Edna give the puppy to?’

Wh- movement Lindak h U  ne jìti  e  t  stet  pl. upthey went ‘Linda and those guys went up[river].’ Linda k h U  ne tetsa  t  stet  -a? pl.wherethey went-wh ~ Tetsa Linda k h U  ne  t  stet  -a? ‘Where did Linda and those guys go?’ Optional when wh- word replaces directional adverb:

Summary of wh- movment English has wh- movement transformation Sekani –generally does not use wh- movement –only when wh- word replaces adverbial expression

Syntax summary Sentences are more than linear strings of words Rules that generate structure: PS rules Tests for constituent structure Rules that permute structure: transformational rules Languages vary in PS, transformational rules