1. Lecture 4 Krisztina Szécsényi
Syntax
Lecture 4
Krisztina Szécsényi

2. Possessive DPs
Possession: a relationship between a possessor and a possessed item:
Peter’s/The student’s letter (arrived).
Two DPs? Substitution:
It arrived.
→ the possessor is embedded in the DP headed by the possessee.

3. Possessive DPs
Complementary distribution between determiners and possessors: *Peter’s the letter. D-position: head position Possessors: DPs    Possessive ’s in D preceded by possessor DP in the specifier position

4. Rewrite rules for possessive DPs
DP → DP (=possessor with its own internal str.) D’ D’ → D (=possessive marker ’s) NP NP → Specifier N’ N’ → N (=possessee) Complement

5. DP-adjunction
Modification by an adverb in the presence of a quantificational determiner: nearly every teacher of Physics almost John’s whole life DP → AP (=nearly) DP DP → Specifier D’ D’ → D (=every) NP NP → Specifier N’ N’ → N PP (=of Physics, cf. Teach )