Keywords - L322.4 F00

Intermediate Syntax

Links and Chains.

• A link is built between a governor and its governee.
• Information is passed along this link.
• Problem: how does information hop from one line to another?
• A chain is a succession common links, each connected at one end or the other.

V assigns [-Nom] Case.

Voice

• Operator [±Passive]
• [-Passive] = needs no host, is not a governor
• [+Passive] = needs a host (bound)
• \___ = needs a host
• V\___ = needs a verbal host, as binary features for hosting:
  • [+bound]
  • [+V, -N]
• [+Pass] copied to main verb; only possible host.
• [-Pass] does not assign (accusative) Case to the direct object.

Aspect

• Operator [±Progressive]
• [-Prog] = needs no host, is not a governor
• [+Prog] = needs a host
• V\___
• When a verb needs a host, there up to three strategies available ranked top down:
  • Copy feature
  • Insert a dummy
• If voice is [-Pass], then no government by [-Pass], but government of V by [+Prog].
• [+Prog] copied via link to V.
• if voice is [+Pass], there is a link from [+Prog] to [+Pass].
• But [+Prog] is Asp, not V. Asp is not a suitable host.
• The second strategy is invoked: insert a dummy verb.
  • Three dummy verbs available in St. English: BE, DO, HAVE.
  • In the case of [+Prog], Asp governs Voice, BE is selected.

Relevance

• Operator [±Perfect]
• [-Perfect] = needs no host, is not a governor
• [+Perfect] needs a host (bound)
• V\___
• The search for a host is like the above.
• The dummy verb for Relevance is BE (Rel governs Asp)

Tense

• Operator
• host; bound
• V as host: V\___
• [+Past] and [-Past] both govern Rel.
• Feature copying tried first
• Otherwise, the dummy HAVE is inserted.

Combine the above.

• T subcategorizes R
• R subcategorizes Asp
• Asp subcategorizes V.

course outline.322

Keywords 5

Keywords