UG Class 2 | On Specifiers, Heads and Complements

Summary

This linguistics lecture focuses on generative grammar from a minimalist approach, reviewing sentence formation and introducing new concepts. It discusses how phrases are formed with heads and complements, and the role of the specifier in creating maximal projections. The lecture explores argument structure, explaining how verbs like 'like' have thematic roles for their arguments. It concludes by emphasizing the binary nature of phrase formation and the syntactic-semantic relationship in clause structure.

Takeaways

• 📚 The class focuses on generative grammar from a minimalist approach, aiming to clarify concepts from the first class and introduce new categories and operations.
• 🔄 Review of sentence formation, specifically the verb phrase, and the process of merging constituents like the verb 'like' and the noun 'tennis'.
• 🏓 The importance of the head-first nature of English, where the head of the phrase (the verb) comes before the complement.
• 🤔 The necessity of a predicator in a sentence, which predicates an action or state, and the introduction of the concept of 'argument structure'.
• 🎾 The verb 'like' requires an object (tennis), which is referred to as the theme, and the pronoun 'I' as the experiencer of the liking.
• 🕒 The role of the T head (tense) in anchoring the verb phrase in time, forming a T prime, which is an intermediate projection.
• 🌐 The merging of T prime with the specifier 'I' to form a TP (tense phrase), which represents a complete clause.
• 🔑 The binary nature of phrase formation: either head + complement or head + complement + specifier.
• 🧠 The existence of two types of roles in argument structure: the theme (object of liking) and the experiencer (the one who likes).
• 🔑 The TP (Tense Phrase) is considered the formal way of discussing clauses, suggesting it's not the end of the phrase structure but part of a larger syntactic structure.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the second class on generative grammar Chomskyan linguistics?

The main focus is to review concepts from the first class and introduce new categories and operations involved in deriving sentences.

How does the formation of a sentence begin according to the script?

It begins with the formation of a verb phrase, which is created by merging constituents like the verb 'like' and the noun 'tennis'.

What is the significance of the phrase 'head-first language' mentioned in the script?

In a head-first language like English, the head of a phrase or clause comes before its complement.

What does the script suggest about the verb 'like' in the sentence 'I like tennis'?

The verb 'like' is a predicator that denotes an emotion and requires an object, which in this case is 'tennis'.

What is the role of the pronoun 'I' in the sentence structure discussed in the script?

The pronoun 'I' serves as the specifier that indicates the entity experiencing the emotion of liking.

How does the concept of 'T' (tense) fit into the formation of a sentence according to the script?

The verb phrase becomes the complement of the T head, forming a T prime, which then needs to be merged with a specifier to anchor the sentence in time.

What is the difference between a phrase and a maximal projection according to the script?

A phrase is formed by a head and a complement, while a maximal projection requires an additional specifier to complete the structure.

What is the term used for the intermediate projection formed when T (tense) merges with a verb phrase?

The intermediate projection formed is called T prime.

What does the script imply about the universality of binary operations in syntax?

The script implies that all operations in syntax are binary, either involving a head and a complement or a head, a complement, and a specifier.

What is the relationship between syntactic structure and argument structure as discussed in the script?

The syntactic structure of a clause has a semantic counterpart called argument structure, which involves predicators and their arguments with specific roles.

How does the script differentiate between the roles of 'tennis' and 'I' in the sentence 'I like tennis'?

The script differentiates by assigning 'tennis' the role of theme (the object being liked) and 'I' the role of experiencer (the entity experiencing the liking).