Keywords - L322F00

Intermediate Syntax

Week 10

(revision not complete)

Week 10: Negation

• Two kinds of negation:

• clause (sentential) negation
• contrastive negation

• Clause negation:

• Neg is an operator
• Complement of Neg is an MP (CP) / VP.
• Neg is [+Bound, -Strong, T\____ ]
• [+Neg] is copied to T.
• Blocks lowering when adjoined to T. [+Strong] head of link (default).
• [-Strong] is spelled out at tail of link (Usually when the complement has not been deleted).
• [-Bound, +Strong] when MP (CP) is empty: I guess not.
• [-Bound, +Strong] selected as a last resort.
• Phonologically, it may reduce to "n't" (a weak clitic) except after certain modals.

• Contrastive Negation

• not ... but ... (Not John but Mary is going; John but not Mary is going).
• In any major maximum projection: NP, PP, VP, AP, CP (Not is [+Strong] here).
• marked focus on false incomplete proposition (when proposition omitted).
• extraposition places a second marked focus on the but clause
• but takes two arguments: <Neg+XP>, <YP>

• <John is going> but <Mary isn't (going)>
• <Mary isn't going> but <John is (going)>

• but is the phonological form for CONTRAST
• not is the form in NEG contrast. ([+Strong]).
• One of the two arguments must raise and be adjoined to NP

• [John [but not Mary]]. (but not Mary is adjoined to John.)

• CONTRAST = but (if second argument). John is going but not Mary.
• motivation for raising unknown at this time.

course outline 322

keywords 322

This page last updated 27 NO 2000