Keywords - L322.5 S03

Intermediate Syntax

Week 5: Active and Passive Voice and Raising to SP

The system of the verb

• The head of a verb phrase is V0. its complement is a phrase. Usually a noun: NP
  • This complement is often called the direct object; it is also called an internal complement.
• V0 projects up to V1:

(1)     [V1[V see ] [NP a dog]]

• If the verb is a state, the NP is a theme (a theta role)
• The verb then projects up to V2. The arguments associated with location occur here. If the theme is not moving, we get:

(2)      [V2 [V1 [V standing ] [NP lamp] on the table ]

• These complements are sometimes called intermediate complements
• If the theme is moving, there is often a goal argument, then a source argument, and one or more path arguments:

(3)     The ball rolled from the wall under the table to the door. (source, path, goal)

• The form the basic arguments of the integral verb. That is, the are projected from the basic meaning of the verb.
• Causative features add agent and instrument to the picture.
• These are dominated by V#:

(4)     The garden was dug up with a shove (instrument) by the farmer (agent)

(5)     V#2 [ V#1 [V1 ;V0 [dig up ] [NP garden]] with a shovel ] by the farmer ].

The passive

• In the passive the internal argument is targeted for prominence--it raises to the subject position: Prom.
• in the active the external argument is raised to subject position: Prom.
• internal argument (usually, the theme) is raised to the subject position.

(6)     Liberace played the piano.

(7)     The piano was played by Liberace.

• Tense is the first operator, relevance the 2nd, and aspect the 3rd we have seen
• Voice is the fourth operator.
• Next tentative step:
•  

(8)     [TENSE [+Past] <[REL [-Perf] <[ASP [-Prog] < [VOICE [+Passive] < PLAY <theme: PIANO> <agent: LIBERACE> ] > ] > ] > ] > ].

The passive--Case lifting

• Following Chomsky's theory, the passive fails to assign Case to the internal argument
• A barrier is inserted which blocks government.
• The idea behind this is that the internal argument is marked as prominent.
• NPs marked as prominent ([+Prom]) are to be raised to the subject position.
• NPs in the subject position are assigned the nominative Case ([+Nom]).
• A general principle will state that NPs cannot be assigned two different Cases.
• The internal argument would be marked for both [-Nom] (form the verb) and [+Nom].
• The barrier blocks Case assignment in the passive, so that only Case will be assigned to the internal argument.

PromP

• Prominence
  • Traditionally called the subject, it marks one of certain NPs as prominent, but it is not related to focus (new information) in English) or preposing (old information).
  • It targets either the internal argument (active voice) or the external argument (passive voice).

(9a)    V# --> V2 + NP (instrument)

(9a)     V2--> V1 + PP (location)

(9b)     V2 --> V + NP (theme).

• [+Prom]
• PT (Phrase-Target) is the feature of the target: [±PT]
• The targeted NP is prominent.
• The features of the targeted prominent NP are copied to the subject position ([+Prom]).

Course outline.322

Keywords

Keywords 6