Keywords

L222.4

Chapter 4: Noun Phrases

• Overview

• word-level categories
• phrase-level categories
• complement of N
• determiner
  • modifier?
  • specifier?

• Small NP
  • NP --> D NP
    • iterative?
    • limited to one expansion
  • indefinite possessives
    • a book of mine
  • Definite pragmatically imply a single membership in an understood set
    • the moon
    • the sun
    • the dog
    • my car
    • his book
  • Possessive NPs
    • Possessives are not determiners though they may be marked [+Def]
    • Group vs non-group possessive and quantificational NPs
  • a, an may not be determiners, but quantifying modifiers (quantifiers) which are indefinite only.
    • They have a null form when unemphatic and follow a determiner
      • the [empty] book
      • *the a book.
      • * --- [empty] book
      • --- a book.
      • --- one book
      • --- two books.
  • levels
    • 0, 1, 2, etc. (N, µ, NP) etc.
    • doesn't work for adjectives
  • Radford's N-bar is 'head + complement'.
  • evidence for a constituent is not evidence for what label the constituent is
  • DP?
    • DP --> D NP
    • NP would be a complement of D
  • complement vs. modifier (adjunction)
• Prenominal Adjectives
  • Ajdectives that occur before the noun they modify
  • Are adjoined to the NP they modify
  • "bright yellow shirt"
• Evidence against µ
  • N + PP is a constituent (King of England)
  • one = NP (the last one [K. of England]).
  • There are two 'one's:
    • one = [-Def] = indefinite pronoun
    • one = [±Def] = NP; also plural: ones
  • D = modifier
  • all modifers are adjoined to the phrase they modify.
• PP modifiers of N
• More difference between complements and adjuncts
• Nominal Premodifiers (Compounds)

Go to 222 Course Outline.

Go To Keywords 222 Spring 1999

Go to 222 Keywords Chapter 5