Installment 11b. Still more loose ends about A-movement

1
CAS LX 522Syntax I

• Installment 11b. Still more loose ends about
  A-movement
• (Chapter 8, more or less)

2
Recap V2 languages

• There are a number of languages that are
  classified as verb second or V2 languages.
  They are so called because in general the
  (tensed) verb must be second, after the first
  major constituent in the sentence.
• De man heeft een boek gezien gisteren. (Dutch)th
  e man has a book seen yesterdaythe man has seen
  a book yesterday.
• een boek heeft de man gezien gisteren.
• gisteren heeft de man een boek gezien.
• Die Kinder haben diesen Film gesehen. (German)th
  e children have this film seenThe children have
  seen this film.
• Diesen Film haben die Kinder gesehen.

3
Recap V2 languages

• The basic idea well pursue with respect to V2
  languages is this
• To get the tensed verb higher than the subject
  (which is sometimes is), we move the verb to T,
  and then T (with the verb) to C.
• To put C into second position, we move some
  phrase into SpecCP.
• The first phrase in V2 languagesis generally
  interpreted as the topicof the sentences. So, we
  say that thetopic (whatever it is going to be)
  hasa feature that marks it as suchAn
  interpretable top feature.

CP
C?
DPdiesen Roman top
TP
CTVv
4
Recap V2 languages

• The way our system works (movement happens in
  order to check strong uninterpretable features),
  we implement this as follows
• Because the verb moves to T, we need there to be
  a strong feature checked between T and v.
• This is common cross-linguistically. Recall
  French,where the highest verbal head (the v, or
  an auxiliary) moves to T.
• This explained why verbs always precedeadverbs
  and negation in French.
• Since the tense feature of Tvalues the
  uInfl feature ofthe highest verbal head,
  wesay that in French, when tensevalues
  uInfl, the feature isstrong.

T?
vP
T past
VP
v
V
vuInflpast
5
Recap V2 languages

• So, v starts out with a uInfl feature.
• v always starts out with a uInfl feature.
• We Merge T, and the tense feature (e.g., past
  tensepast) matches and values the uInfl
  feature.
• What differentiates French and English is that
  when tense values uInfl, the valued uInfl
  feature is strong.
• In English, it is not strongexcept in one case
  if theuInfl feature is one anauxiliary
  (Perf, Prog, Pass),then a uInfl feature
  valued by tense is strong.
• Auxiliaries precedenegation and adverbs,main
  verbs do not.

T?
vP
T
v
Tpast
VP
ltvgt
vuInflpast
V
6
Reminder Strong features

• Strong features are uninterpretable features that
  can only be checked when they are local to (a
  sister of) the feature that checks them.
• Strong features very often something must move.
• A feature gets to be strong in one of two ways
• An inherently strong feature of the lexical item.
• v has a strong uV feature.
• T has a strong uD feature.
• eat (V) has a strong uD feature (associated
  with the Theme q-role).
• A feature that becomes strong when valued.
• Prog has a weak uInfl feature. When valued by
  tense, it becomes strong. (In English, Aux
  moves to T I am not eating green eggs ham)
• T has a weak uclause-type feature. When valued
  by clause-typeQ, it becomes strong. (In
  English, T moves to C in questions Would you eat
  them on a train?)

7
Recap V2 languages

• To account for the fact that v moves to T and
  then T moves to C in German a feature that C
  values on T is valued as strong.
• uclause-type is a perfect candidate.
• So, when uclause-type is valued by C in
  German, it is valued as strong, and so T moves to
  C.

C?
TP
Cdecl
T?
Subject
vP
T
v
Tpast,uclause-typedecl
VP
ltvgt
vuInflpast
V
8
Recap V2 languages

• To account for the fact that v moves to T and
  then T moves to C in German a feature that C
  values on T is valued as strong.
• uclause-type is a perfect candidate.
• So, when uclause-type is valued by C in
  German, it is valued as strong, and so T moves to
  C.

C?
TP
C
T?
T
Cdecl
Subject
v
Tpast,uclause-typedecl
vP
ltTgt
V
vuInflpast
VP
ltvgt
9
Recap V2 languages

• To account for the fact that the topic moves into
  SpecCP, we say that C has a utop feature.
  Whatever is the topic in the sentence will have a
  feature designating that, top.
• Just like the EPP feature (uD) of T forces the
  subject into SpecTP, the utop feature of C
  will force movement of the topic into SpecCP.

C?
TP
C
T?
T
Cdecl,utop
Subjecttop
v
T
vP
ltTgt
V
v
VP
ltvgt
10
Recap V2 languages

• To account for the fact that the topic moves into
  SpecCP, we say that C has a utop feature.
  Whatever is the topic in the sentence will have a
  feature designating that, top.
• Just like the EPP feature (uD) of T forces the
  subject into SpecTP, the utop feature of C
  will force movement of the topic into SpecCP.

CP
C?
Subjecttop
TP
C
T?
T
Cdecl,utop
ltSubjectgt
v
T
vP
ltTgt
V
v
VP
ltvgt
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Embedded clauses

• Will John arrive late?
• T moves to C in English questions.
• uclause-type on T is strong when valued by Q
  on C.
• I wonder CP if John will arrive late .
• T does not move to C in embedded questions.
• Perhaps because C is filled already (by if).
• Intuition We need to be able to tell when C is
  Q if nothing is pronounced there, we move T
  there to signal that C is Q.
• Er sagte CP dass ich schon letztes Jahr diesen
  Roman las he said that I already
  last year this book readHe said that
  I read this book already last year.
• If C is filled in German (dass), T does not move
  to C.
• Also notice that when T does not move to C, the
  verb is at the end.
• German appears to be a head-final language.

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Interlude what were doing

• Remember, what were doing is trying to describe
  our knowledge of language.
• We believe that the intricacies of human language
  are actually too complicated to learn, that were
  in fact describing a kind of system that is
  genetically built-in, sort of like our vision
  system.
• If thats the case, the same system must underlie
  all human languages, and the differences must be
  relatively minor.
• Were identifying a few parameters of
  variation ways in which human languages can
  differ.

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Interlude what were doing

• What were saying here is that languages can
  differ in a few small respects, and we can
  account for that
• Headedness heads come before complements in some
  languages (English), and after complements in
  others (Japanese, German).
• Verb-raising some languages move v to T
  (French), others dont. (Under what conditions
  does T value uInfl as strong?)
• V2 some languages move v all the way to C
  (through T), and topicalize something, yielding
  the V2 pattern. (Under what conditions does C
  have a utop feature and value uclause-type
  as strong?)
• EPP VSO languages seem to move v up to T, but
  dont move the subject to SpecTP, yielding VSO.
  (Does T have a uD feature?)

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V2step 1
C?

• V moves to v.
• Perf moves to T.
• T moves to C.

TP
C
T?
CØ Decl
PerfThabeDecl
DPich
ltPerfTgt
PerfP
vP
ltPerfgt
ltDPgt
v?
VP
v
Vgelesen
v
DPdiesen Roman
ltVgt
15
V2step 2a
C?

• The object is marked as topic.
• C has a utop feature.

TP
C
T?
CØ Decl,utop
PerfThabeDecl
DPich
ltPerfTgt
PerfP
vP
ltPerfgt
ltDPgt
v?
VP
v
Vgelesen
v
DPdiesen Roman top
ltVgt
16
V2step 2b
CP
C?
DPdiesen Roman top

• The object moves up to SpecTP.
• The tensed verb is now in second position.

TP
C
T?
CØ Decl,utop
PerfThabeDecl
DPich
ltPerfTgt
PerfP
vP
ltPerfgt
ltDPgt
v?
VP
v
Vgelesen
v
ltVgt
ltDPgt
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I saw Jack open the fridge

• Given what we have so far, what can we make of I
  saw Jack open the fridge?
• This is a little bit like I want Jack to open the
  fridge, so lets start there.
• What kind of verb is want?
• What is the case of Jack, and how is it checked?
• What kind of embedded clause is this (CP or TP)?

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I want Jack to open the fridge

• We build the vP as usual.
• Merge open with the fridge (forming VP).
• Merge v with VP (HoP).
• Move V to v
• Merge Jack with v?.

vP
DPJack
v?
v
VP
Vopen
v
DPthefridge
ltVgt
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I want Jack to open the fridge

• Merge vP and the nonfinite T to.
• Move Jack up to SpecTP (EPP).

vP
ltDPgt
v?
v
VP
Vopen
v
DPthefridge
ltVgt
TP
T?
DPJack
vP
Tto
20
I want Jack to open the fridge
CP

• And then we add the main clause (want, v, T, I, C)

TP
CØ
vP
T?
DPI
ltDPgt
v?
Tpres
vP
v
VP
v
VP
Vopen
v
DPthefridge
ltVgt
Vwant
v
TP
ltVgt
T?
DPJack
vP
Tto
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I saw Jack open the fridge
CP

• And then we add the main clause (want, v, T, I, C)

• What now of I saw Jack open the fridge?
• Presumably the lower vP is the same.
• We have the same verbs, same arguments.
• Jack is the Agent of open
• The fridge is the Theme.
• But theres no to. So what if theres just no T?

TP
CØ
vP
T?
DPI
ltDPgt
v?
Tpres
vP
v
VP
v
VP
Vopen
v
DPthefridge
ltVgt
Vwant
v
TP
ltVgt
T?
DPJack
vP
Tto
22
I saw Jack open the fridge
CP
TP
CØ

• Does everything work?
• Does Jack get its case checked?
• From where?
• Any other unchecked features?
• It appears that see can take something as small
  as a vP as its complement. A small clause.

T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
vP
ltVgt
v?
DPJack
v
VP
Vopen
v
DPthe fridge
ltVgt
23
Small clauses

• There are actually several different kinds of
  small clauses. A small clause generally consists
  of a predicate and just enough structure to
  contain all of its arguments.
• Predicates can be found with several different
  categories. A predicate is something like a
  property (or a relation) that can be attributed
  to something (or some things).
• I saw Bill open the fridge.
• I consider Bill incompetent.
• I saw Bill in the garden.
• I consider Bill a friend.

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I saw Bill in the garden

• In can be considered a predicate, relating two
  arguments.
• (true when the first is contained in the
  second)
• Of course, this can also mean that I did some
  seeing in the garden, and that seeing was a
  seeing of Billbut thats not the meaning were
  after. The meaning were after here is the one
  that can be paraphrased as I saw that Bill was
  in the garden.

PP
P?
DPBill
Pin
DPthe garden
25
I saw Bill in the garden

• As with I saw Bill open the fridge, see seems to
  be able to take a small clause as it complement.

CP
TP
CØ
T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
PP
ltVgt
P?
DPBill
Pin
DPthe garden
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I consider Bill incompetent

• Weve seen small clauses with verbs
• I heard vP Bill drive away .
• and with prepositions
• I heard PP Bill in the kitchen .
• but things get a little bit funny when we
  consider small clauses with nominal predicates
  and adjectives
• I consider Bill a friend .
• I consider Bill incompetent .
• and even with unaccusative verbs
• I saw vP the ice melt

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I saw the ice melt

• With an unaccusative verb like melt, we would
  start off with this vP.
• See the problem?

vP
v
VP
Vmelt
v
DPtheice
ltVgt
28
I saw melt the ice

• Something isnt quite right here.
• In order not to complicate things too much, we
  will not pursue the solution very far, but just
  as an exercise, lets think about what we would
  need to say.

CP
TP
CØ
T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
vP
ltVgt
v
VP
Vmelt
v
DPtheice
ltVgt
29
I saw melt the ice

• Somehow the ice needs to move over melt. But to
  where?
• We could say SpecvP, but why would the ice move
  there just when we have a small clause
  unaccusative?
• I the ice melted.
• Also, this wont help us with a similar problem
  wed have withI consider Bill my friend.

CP
TP
CØ
T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
vP
ltVgt
v
VP
Vmelt
v
DPtheice
ltVgt
30
I saw melt the ice

• A suggestion that has been made in the literature
  is that small clauses, while they may lack a T,
  are still a category of their own a PredP
  (predication phrase).
• If we suppose that we have a PredP above vP, one
  that acts like T insofar as it has a uD
  feature, our problem will be solved.
• Note You will not be asked to draw PredP.

CP
TP
CØ
T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
vP
ltVgt
v
VP
Vmelt
v
DPtheice
ltVgt
31
I saw the ice melt
CP
TP
CØ
T?
DPI
Tpast
vP
v
VP
Vsee
v
PredP
ltVgt
Pred?
DPthe ice
vP
PreduD
v
VP
Vmelt
v
ltDPgt
ltVgt
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Etc.

• From here, Ill just leave this as a topic for
  further exploration, e.g., in Syntax II.
• Things get pretty complicated pretty quickly when
  trying to deal with all of the properties of
  small clauses. (Try thinking about I consider
  Bill my friend.)
• Youve been exposed to the concept.
• If you see small clauses again in this course, it
  will only be of the PP type
• I saw Bill in the garden.
• I want Bill off this ship.
• To repeat You do not need to incorporate PredP
  into the system for the purposes of LX522.

33
?

• ? ?
• ?
• ? ?
• ? ?
• ?
• ?

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I consider Bill my friend

• Small clauses need not have verbs. I saw Bill in
  the garden, for example. Here, the main predicate
  is in.
• Weve seen nouns assign q-roles before, for
  example in Bills destruction of the vase.
• Here, it seems like Bill is getting a role from
  friend. The property friend is being attributed
  to Bill.
• I possess this friend, so well want a PossP as
  well.

35
I consider Bill my friend
PredP
Pred?
DP
Pred
D?
DPmy

• This is almost right, but
• When do nouns assign q-roles?
• How does everything get case?
• How is Bill selected as the DP to raise to
  SpecPredP? (What feature is matched?)

PossP
D
ltDPgt
Poss?
nP
Poss
n
NP
Nfriend
n
ltNgt
DPBill