Summary midterm (w. 1-3) - Comparative Morphosyntax
Week 1 - Introduction and Core notions......................................................................................... 3
1.1 Syntax: a definition..............................................................................................................3
1.2 Generative linguistics.......................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Glosses................................................................................................................................ 4
1.4 Prescriptivism & Descriptivism............................................................................................5
1.5 C-selection & S-selection.....................................................................................................5
1.6 Thematic roles & the Theta Criterion..................................................................................5
1.7 Noun incorporation.............................................................................................................7
1.8 Review of phrase structure................................................................................................. 7
1.9 Constituency tests............................................................................................................... 7
1.10 Bare Phrase Structure....................................................................................................... 8
1.11 DP theory.......................................................................................................................... 8
1.12 Tense phrases.................................................................................................................. 10
1.13 Complementizer phrases.................................................................................................11
1.14 C-command..................................................................................................................... 11
Week 2 - Light verbs and Head movement................................................................................... 12
2.1 Some terminology............................................................................................................. 12
2.2 Light verbs......................................................................................................................... 12
2.3 Light verbs in other languages.......................................................................................... 13
2.4 Head movement and Phrasal movement..........................................................................13
2.4.1 The Extended Projection Principle........................................................................... 13
2.4.2 The case of French word order: V-to-T movement.................................................. 14
2.4.3 T-to-C movement..................................................................................................... 15
2.4.4 Irish word order (VSO) explained............................................................................. 15
2.4.4 The Head Movement Constraint..............................................................................15
2.5 Burzio’s Generalization......................................................................................................16
2.6 vP and vP-less constructions............................................................................................. 16
2.7 The Mirror Principle.......................................................................................................... 17
2.8 Proof for the existence of little v....................................................................................... 17
Week 3 - Word order and Agree................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Parameterization and word order............................................................................................19
3.2 The case of German word order.............................................................................................. 20
3.3 Verb-initial languages...............................................................................................................21
3.4 Verb Second in Germanic.........................................................................................................21
1
,3.5 Agreement............................................................................................................................... 22
3.5.1 Head-marking and Dependent-marking languages........................................................ 22
3.5.2 Probes & Goals............................................................................................................... 22
3.5.3 Agree as a syntactic operation........................................................................................23
3.5.4 Phases.............................................................................................................................24
3.6 Syntactic vs. Morphological agreement................................................................................... 25
3.7 Ergativity.................................................................................................................................. 26
3.8 Word order...............................................................................................................................27
3.8.1 Heavy NP-shift................................................................................................................ 27
3.8.2 Harmonic and disharmonic word order......................................................................... 27
3.9 Morphological typology........................................................................................................... 28
3.9.1 Isolating languages......................................................................................................... 28
3.9.2 Agglutinating languages................................................................................................. 28
3.9.3 Inflectional/Fusional languages......................................................................................29
3.9.4 Infixing languages........................................................................................................... 29
3.9.5 Synthetic vs. Analytic languages.....................................................................................29
3.9.6 Greenberg’s classification...............................................................................................29
3.10 Glossing..................................................................................................................................29
2
, Week 1 - Introduction and Core notions
1.1 Syntax: a definition
1. The study of how sentences are formed.
2. The grammatical module (in the mind) where sentences are formed, reflecting a cognitive
viewpoint.
3. The set of operations or rules used to form sentences.
4. The grammar of sentences.
The syntax module is in relation with both the phonological and the semantic module:
The S-structure is built in the syntax module and made visible to the others.
1.2 Generative linguistics
Goal of generative linguistics: create a model of human language that accounts for all and only the
grammatical sentences of a language and forbids the ungrammatical ones — that models
unconscious knowledge of language
● Plato’s problem: children acquire language with rather limited exposure, despite the
surface intricacy and variety of human language → UG
○ universals/principles: a property of grammar that is invariant and is found in all
languages
○ parameters: a property of grammar that varies across languages
● Poverty of stimulus: The POS claims that children are not exposed to enough data to
determine all the rules of human language. The consequence of this is that humans are born
with an innate language faculty referred to as Universal Grammar (UG)
Two main approaches to syntactic analysis:
● Derivational syntax: Following the sentence step by step as it is being created, such as in
Bare Phrase Structure.
● Representational syntax: Looking at a completed sentence and attempting to reconstruct
the process of its formation, such as in X-bar structure. In X-bar theory, a pattern is
pre-established, and elements are inserted into empty slots.
3
Week 1 - Introduction and Core notions......................................................................................... 3
1.1 Syntax: a definition..............................................................................................................3
1.2 Generative linguistics.......................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Glosses................................................................................................................................ 4
1.4 Prescriptivism & Descriptivism............................................................................................5
1.5 C-selection & S-selection.....................................................................................................5
1.6 Thematic roles & the Theta Criterion..................................................................................5
1.7 Noun incorporation.............................................................................................................7
1.8 Review of phrase structure................................................................................................. 7
1.9 Constituency tests............................................................................................................... 7
1.10 Bare Phrase Structure....................................................................................................... 8
1.11 DP theory.......................................................................................................................... 8
1.12 Tense phrases.................................................................................................................. 10
1.13 Complementizer phrases.................................................................................................11
1.14 C-command..................................................................................................................... 11
Week 2 - Light verbs and Head movement................................................................................... 12
2.1 Some terminology............................................................................................................. 12
2.2 Light verbs......................................................................................................................... 12
2.3 Light verbs in other languages.......................................................................................... 13
2.4 Head movement and Phrasal movement..........................................................................13
2.4.1 The Extended Projection Principle........................................................................... 13
2.4.2 The case of French word order: V-to-T movement.................................................. 14
2.4.3 T-to-C movement..................................................................................................... 15
2.4.4 Irish word order (VSO) explained............................................................................. 15
2.4.4 The Head Movement Constraint..............................................................................15
2.5 Burzio’s Generalization......................................................................................................16
2.6 vP and vP-less constructions............................................................................................. 16
2.7 The Mirror Principle.......................................................................................................... 17
2.8 Proof for the existence of little v....................................................................................... 17
Week 3 - Word order and Agree................................................................................................... 19
3.1 Parameterization and word order............................................................................................19
3.2 The case of German word order.............................................................................................. 20
3.3 Verb-initial languages...............................................................................................................21
3.4 Verb Second in Germanic.........................................................................................................21
1
,3.5 Agreement............................................................................................................................... 22
3.5.1 Head-marking and Dependent-marking languages........................................................ 22
3.5.2 Probes & Goals............................................................................................................... 22
3.5.3 Agree as a syntactic operation........................................................................................23
3.5.4 Phases.............................................................................................................................24
3.6 Syntactic vs. Morphological agreement................................................................................... 25
3.7 Ergativity.................................................................................................................................. 26
3.8 Word order...............................................................................................................................27
3.8.1 Heavy NP-shift................................................................................................................ 27
3.8.2 Harmonic and disharmonic word order......................................................................... 27
3.9 Morphological typology........................................................................................................... 28
3.9.1 Isolating languages......................................................................................................... 28
3.9.2 Agglutinating languages................................................................................................. 28
3.9.3 Inflectional/Fusional languages......................................................................................29
3.9.4 Infixing languages........................................................................................................... 29
3.9.5 Synthetic vs. Analytic languages.....................................................................................29
3.9.6 Greenberg’s classification...............................................................................................29
3.10 Glossing..................................................................................................................................29
2
, Week 1 - Introduction and Core notions
1.1 Syntax: a definition
1. The study of how sentences are formed.
2. The grammatical module (in the mind) where sentences are formed, reflecting a cognitive
viewpoint.
3. The set of operations or rules used to form sentences.
4. The grammar of sentences.
The syntax module is in relation with both the phonological and the semantic module:
The S-structure is built in the syntax module and made visible to the others.
1.2 Generative linguistics
Goal of generative linguistics: create a model of human language that accounts for all and only the
grammatical sentences of a language and forbids the ungrammatical ones — that models
unconscious knowledge of language
● Plato’s problem: children acquire language with rather limited exposure, despite the
surface intricacy and variety of human language → UG
○ universals/principles: a property of grammar that is invariant and is found in all
languages
○ parameters: a property of grammar that varies across languages
● Poverty of stimulus: The POS claims that children are not exposed to enough data to
determine all the rules of human language. The consequence of this is that humans are born
with an innate language faculty referred to as Universal Grammar (UG)
Two main approaches to syntactic analysis:
● Derivational syntax: Following the sentence step by step as it is being created, such as in
Bare Phrase Structure.
● Representational syntax: Looking at a completed sentence and attempting to reconstruct
the process of its formation, such as in X-bar structure. In X-bar theory, a pattern is
pre-established, and elements are inserted into empty slots.
3
