Linguistics 322

Exercises

Week 3

Answer Sheet

Exercise 3:

Draw a tree diagram showing the derivation of the phrases below (indicating agreement, filling -Inh features.) Be sure to include any links (government) that may occur.

1. read the book
2. eat bananas
3. buy some rice
4. prove those six theorems

For the first sentence, indicate in a list each rule that you have applied to get from the underlying L(ogical)-structure (EAT NULL NULL RICE) to "eat rice". Note that the second NULL is [D -Def] and the first one is the null Qu [-Qf].

• Links are not shown above (program won't permit them). V is linked to NP (important) and D (not so important), from D to Qu, and from Qu to N.
• In the verb, Case is ignored this time, though not wrong if shown.
• ONE is [-Def_Inh], hence [+Def] must be copied from D.
• BOOK is [-Pl_Inh]; hence, [-Pl] must be copied from Qu to N.
• Copied features are in blue above, and spell-out is in red.

READ	THE	ONE	BOOK	Lexical Form
V	D	Qu	N	Category
	+Def_Inh, +Def; +Dem_Inh, -Dem	+Qf_Inh,+Qf;  +Fv_Inh, +FV; +Ct_Inh, +Ct; +Pl_Inh, -Pl;	+Ct_Inh, +Ct; -Pl_Inh; +Pers_Inh, -Pers	Features
V - NP/DP  (V - D)	D - Qu (D - QP/NP)	Qu- N, (Qu - NP)		Linking (links in parenthese are trivial)
		+Def <- THE	+Pl <- ONE	Non-inherent features need a value; the copying strategy is invoked to copy the relavant feature to the relavant inherent feature position.
	+Def			Agreement checking.
		-Pl		Agreement checking.
read	the	({NULL])	book	Othographic Spell Out

EAT	NULL	NULL	BANANA	Lexical Form
V	D	Qu	N	Category
	+Def_Inh, -Def;	+Qf_Inh,-Qf;  -Pl_Inh	+Ct_Inh, +Ct;  -Pl_Inh;  +Pers_Inh, -Pers	Features
V - NP/DP  (V - D)	D - Qu (D - QP/NP)	Qu- N, (Qu - NP)		Linking (links in parenthese are trivial)
		+Def <- THE	+Pl <- ONE	Non-inherent features need a value; the copying strategy is invoked to copy the relavant feature to the relavant inherent feature position.
		+Ct <- BANANA		Non-inherent features need a value
		+Pl <- +Ct
			+Pl <- NULL
		+Pl		Agreement checking.
		+Ct		Agreement checking.
			BANANA + [+Pl]	splittin (suffix creation)
eat	({NULL])	({NULL])	banana + s	Othographic Spell Out
			bananas	stem-- suffix merge (orthographic)

• Most comments the same as above. However:
  • Getting plural to N was not suffciently explained. We will let it go this one time.

• The relation between 'some' and 'rice' was not explained well enough. We'll let it go this time.

• The demonstratives must include the inherent feature [-Pl_Inh]. This means the [+Pl] must be copied to THAT, spelled out as 'those'.

This page updated 7 OC 2000.