Linguistics 322

Exercises

Summer 2001

Exercise 4:

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

1. buy the book
2. eat the pears
3. eat little rice
4. prove these ten theorems

For the first sentence, indicate in a list each rule that you have applied to get from the underlying L(ogical)-structure.

Example of answer. The structures below represent the logical structure plus the application of agreement rules covered up to this time. These phrases must undergo certain changes before the final spell-out (surface structure) will be attained. Note that Case was not covered for exercise 4, but will be in exercise 5. Note that links can't be created with the graphics software program used here. A feature which has been affected by a rule (feature copying) is shown in red:

hear the song. (active voice)

Logical form (from conceptual structure)

 

heard the song. (passive: the song was heard by John)

• First, links are established between each governor and its governee. The links aren't shown above because the program won't permit it. They should be in your diagrams, however.
• Let us arbitrarily start with NP. The noun needs a value for plural since it is marked [-Pa_Inh]. [-Pl] is copied via the link from Qu 'ONE' to N.
• Agreement and count should check positive for agreement.
• [+Def] is copied to ONE because it is marked [-Def_Inh], since it needs a value for definiteness.
• VP: V governs the internal object and the head of the internal object (the direct object).
• HEAR should not be spelled out at this stage until all the operators have been accounted for.
• The [+Def, -Dem] is spelled out as 'the'.
• ONE is spelled out as [NULL] since it is [-Def] (and unemphatic).
• SONG is spelled out as 'song' since it is singular [-Pl].

 

This page updated 19 JN 2001.