Syntax Assignment 1 Ildiko Pilan [email protected]

Exercise 1a – Parts of speech (basic lexical tags) [A Puzzling] [N results] [P from] [N Cern], [N home] [P of] [D the] [A Large] [N Hadron] [N Collider], [Aux have] [V confounded] [N physicists] [Conj because] [A subatomic] [N particles] [V seem] [C to] [Aux have] [V beaten] [D the] [N speed] [P of] [N light]. [N Neutrinos] [V sent] [P through] [D the] [N ground] [P from] [N Cern] [P toward] [D the] [A Gran Sasso] [N laboratory] [A 732] [N km] [Adv away] [P in] [N Italy] [V seemed] [C to] [V show] [Pup] [D a] [A tiny] [N fraction] [P of] [D a] [N second] [Adv early]. [D The] [N results] - [D which] [V threaten] [C to] [V upend] [D a] [N century] [P of] [N physics] - [Aux were] [V put] [Adv online] [P for] [N scrutiny] [P by] [Dother] [N scientists].

Exercise 1b – Parts of speech (Penn Treebank tags) Puzzling/JJ results/NNS from/IN Cern/NNP, home/NN of/IN the/DT Large/JJ Hadron/NNP Collider/NNP, have/VB confounded/VBN physicists/NNS because/IN subatomic/JJ particles/NNS seem/VBP to/TO have/VB beaten/VBN the/DT speed/NN of/IN light/NN. Neutrinos/NNS sent/VBN through/IN the/DT ground/NN from/IN Cern/NNP toward/IN the/DT Gran/NNP Sasso/NNP laboratory/NN 732/CD km/NNS away/RB in/IN Italy/NNP seemed/VBD to/TO show/VB up/RP a/DT tiny/JJ fraction/NN of/IN a/DT second/NN early/RB. The/DT results/NNS – which/WP threaten/VBP to/TO upend/VB a/DT century/NN of/IN physics/NN – were/VBD put/VBN online/RB for/IN scrutiny/NN by/IN other/DT scientists/NNS.

Exercise 2 – Phrase structure [TP [NP [Adj Puzzling] [NP [N results] [PP [P from] [NP [N Cern,] [NP [N home] [PP [P of] [NP [D the] [NP [AdjP [A Large]] [NP [N Hadron]] [NP [N Collider]]]]]]]]]], [T' [T -past] [VP [V' [Aux have] [V confounded]] [NP [N physicists]]]] [CP [C because] [TP [NP [AdjP [A subatomic]] [NP [N particles]]] [T' [T -past] [VP [V seem] [CP [C to] [TP [NP ø] [T' [T -past] [VP [V' [Aux have] [V beaten]] [NP [D the] [N speed] [PP [P of] [NP [N light]]]]]]]]]]]]]

Additions to the rules: VP → (AdvP) (Aux) V (NP) (NP) (AdvP) (PP+) (AdvP) S → NP VP CP NP → (D) (AP+) N (PP+) (NP) Exercise 3 – Data from other languages Notes: In Hungarian, we distinguish between definite and indefinite conjugation. Moreover, verbs can take preverbs ('particles in prefix position'). In the examples below preV-compl stands for a preverb with 'completion' as aspectual meaning (corresponding to 'el-' in 2, 4 and 5). (Reference: Törkenczy, Miklós, Practical Hungarian Grammar, Corvina, 2002)

1. Mária olvas egy könyvet. PN read-PRES, 3SG INDEF,SG book-ACC, SG 2. Az új tanulók elolvasták a könyveket. DEF new, SG student-PL preV-compl+read-PAST-DEF DEF book-PL, ACC 3. Neki muszáj aludni. Pron-DAT must sleep-INF 4. János elfáradt. PN preV-compl+become-tired-PAST-3rdSG-DEF 5. Muszáj Máriának elolvasni a könyveket? Must Mary-DAT preV-compl+sleep-INF DEF book-SG, ACC Phrase structure grammar for the examples above: TP → NP T VP NP → (D) (AP) N VP → V (VP) (NP) AP → A

Tree structures for sentences 1-6: 1. [TP [NP [N Mária]] [VP [V olvas] [NP [D egy] [N könyvet]]]]. 2. [TP [NP [D Az ] [NP [AP [A új]] [N tanulók]]] [T' [T +past] [VP [V elolvasták] [NP [D a] [N könyveket]]]]].

3. [TP [NP [N Neki]] [VP [V muszáj] [VP [V aludni]]]]. 4. [TP [NP [N János]] [VP [V elfáradt]]]. 5. [CP [C Muszáji] [TP [NP [N Máriának]] [VP [V i][VP [V elolvasni] [NP [D a] [N könyveket]]]]]]?

Exercise 4 - Hixkaryana In Hixkaryana komo appears both as a suffix and as a separate word. As a suffix in a and b seems to be a definite article (the), but in c we completly lack such a form: kamara – 'the jaguar' and toto heno - 'the dead people'. Consequently, komo as a suffix: 1) might be a definite article (and hence, a determiner) but of restricted use only (“living humans” could cover the examples in a and b). 2) or the morpheme is not a determiner and it has a different function, which, however, would be hard to tell on the basis of the data presented. As for komo as a separate word, it appears always followed by a definite article in the English translation. According to the Penn Treebank tagguide determiners include “instances of all and both when they do not precede a determiner”. Thus, komo as a separate word: 1) cannot be considered a determiner if we assume that the suffix komo is a definite article of restricted use (hence a determiner). 2) can be a determiner of the meaning “all” if the suffix komo is not considered a definite article. To sum up, it seems that there is a determiner category in Hixkaryana, it is either the suffix komo, a definite article of restricted use or the separate word komo with the meaning “all”. In the followings, I consider komo as a separate word a determiner category. Rules: TP → VP NP NP → N (A) (DP) VP → (NP) V The part of speech of `newehyatxhe' is a verb. 7a. [TP [VP [NP [N Kuruha]] [V yonyhoryeno]] [NP [N biyekomo]]]. 7c. [TP [T' [T +past] [VP [NP [N Toto] [A heno] [D komo]]] [V yonoye]] [NP [N kamara]]]