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Syntax 2

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Now let’s change the NP rule again

Such that we have– S NP VP– VP V NP – NP (DET) (ADJ) N

Now you can diagram this sentence– The unhappy book ate the green lambada– (The sentence is syntactically well-formed, by the

way)

3

Figure out the two meanings

The girl hit the boy with a stick 爸爸給小明買鹹蛋超人 This is called syntactic ambiguity

Deep and surface structure

Translate:– “On the surface, George seems outgoing, but

deep down he is sensitive and shy” Surface structure

– The words used in a sentence Deep structure

– The real meaning of the sentence

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Deep and surface structure 21. The girl hit the boy with a stick

– One surface structure– How many deep structures?

2. The boy was hit by the girl– Can you give another sentence with the same meaning as 2?

3. The girl hit the boy 2 and 3 have

– The same deep structure– Different surface structures

5

Draw trees for 1-4. I will grade.1. Roy laughed.2. Wayne hit

Johnny.3. The students sang

a nice song. 4. I saw the man

with the telescope - Give two

Chinese translations

- Try to draw two trees

S NP VP VP V (NP) NP (DET) (ADJ) N New rules, for #4 only: VP VP PP PP P NP NP NP PP

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I saw the man with the telescope

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Complements

A complement an object (of a verb)– Like fish here:

There is another kind of complement– Sentential complement:– New rule:

VP V S

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Complementizers (that, if etc.)

Simple enough:

Complementizer that is optional:

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Other complementizers may not be optional

Like if– More rules:

CP COMP SVP V CP

*We wonder Tracy ate her fish. Does Chinese have a complementizer which means that?

Give examples of its use, and draw trees.

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S NP aux VP

Draw phrase structure trees for the following utterances.

1. John drinks.

2. John drinks beer with a straw (吸管 )

3. Jane believes John drinks beer.

4. John must drink beer.

5. Jane wonders whether John must drink beer.

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爸爸給小明買鹹蛋超人

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