ParametersDay 5, Sept. 7, 2012Introduction to Syntax

ANTH 3590/7590

Harry Howard

Tulane University

Course management

http://www.tulane.edu/~howard/ANTH3590/ If you notify me by email ahead of time of a

scheduled absence, I will not hold it against you.

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Photos!

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1.6 ParametersGo over vocabulary in bold face

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Introduction

The previous pages argue that much of the grammar of language is universal.

If all of grammar were universal, children would only need to learn words, and all grammars would be the same.

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Three parameters

The null-subject parameter Mary thinks that *(they) speak Spanish. María piensa que hablan español.

The Wh-parameter What do you think he will say? Ni xiang ta hui shuo shenme?

The head-position parameter Close the door ~ desire for change Muneul dadara ~ byunhwa-edaehan galmang

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Background to an example

Well, consider the following sentences, in which the names have been labelled for thematic role, as so: Ag = Agent, the person or thing that does the

action of the verb Pat = Patient, the person or thing that receives

the action of the verb

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Review basic word order

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1. MaryAg kissed JohnPat

2. MaryAg JohnPat kissed

3. JohnPat kissed MaryAg

4. JohnPat MaryAg kissed

5. kissed MaryAg JohnPat

6. kissed JohnPat MaryAg

1. SVO2. *SOV3. *OVS4. *OSV5. *VSO6. *VOS

Pre- vs. postpositions

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7. at home (is where I want to be)

8. home at (is where I want to be)

[P N] is typical of VO languages

[N P] is typical of OV languages

COMPOUND NOUNSACT LIKE SMALL SENTENCES

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man-eating shark fire-breathing dragon heart-rending story Greek-speaking interpreter self-cleaning oven

OVS OVS OVS OVS OVS

1.7 Parameter setting

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Learning a language

Involves learning the morphemes of the language ~

lexical learning setting parameters ~ structural learning

The latter makes it easy for children to learn the language.

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Exercises

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Background

Sample sentence: John has gone home. Auxiliary verbs are heads that take a verb

and the stuff associated with it as a complement: has [gone home]

Verbs are heads that take a direct object and maybe other stuff associated with it as a complement: gone [home]

Any variation from this canonical (basic – normal – underlying) order must be the result of a movement.

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Exercise 1.1, Elizabethan syntax

1. ‘Seawater shalt thou drink’ ‘seawater’ should be complement to ‘drink’ >

‘drink seawater’ ‘drink seawater’ should be complement to ‘shalt’

> ‘shalt drink seawater’ ‘thou’ should be subject > ‘Thou shalt drink

seawater’

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1.1 others?

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1.2 Child syntax (go over each one)

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NEXT TIMEQ1

Phrases & clauses 2.1 - 2.3, Ex 2.1

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