CAS LX 522 Syntax ITypes of sentencesDeclaratives and interrogativesClause typeComplementizersWhat’s that?Slide 7SelectionCCPSlide 11ØJill fell is a declarativeSAI in YNQsT-to-CSlide 16DeclarativeYNQSlide 19Embedding questionsNonfinite clausesq-rolesSlide 23PROControlSlide 26Null caseTrySlide 29BelieveECMSlide 32Arranging to leaveSlide 34SummaryInstallment 9b. CP and PROInstallment 9b. CP and PRO8.1-8.2.58.1-8.2.5CAS LX 522CAS LX 522Syntax ISyntax ITypes of sentencesTypes of sentencesSentences come in several Sentences come in several typestypes. We’ve mainly seen . We’ve mainly seen declarative clausesdeclarative clauses..Horton heard a Who.Horton heard a Who.But there are also questions (But there are also questions (interrogative clausesinterrogative clauses)…)…Did Horton hear a Who?Did Horton hear a Who?Who did Horton hear?Who did Horton hear?……exclamativesexclamatives……What a crazy elephant!What a crazy elephant!……imperativesimperatives……Pass me the salt.Pass me the salt.Declaratives and interrogativesDeclaratives and interrogativesOur syntactic theory should allow us to distinguish Our syntactic theory should allow us to distinguish between clause types.between clause types.The basic content of…The basic content of…Phil will bake a cake.Phil will bake a cake.……and…and…Will Phil bake a cake?Will Phil bake a cake?……is the same. Two DPs (is the same. Two DPs (PhilPhil, nominative, and , nominative, and a cakea cake, , accusative), a modal (accusative), a modal (willwill), a transitive verb (), a transitive verb (bakebake) that ) that assigns an Agent assigns an Agent -role and a Theme -role and a Theme -role. They are -role. They are minimally different: minimally different: one’s an interrogative, and one’s one’s an interrogative, and one’s a declarative. a declarative. One asserts that something is true, one One asserts that something is true, one requests a response about whether it is true.requests a response about whether it is true.Clause typeClause typeGiven this motivation, we seem to need one more Given this motivation, we seem to need one more category of lexical items, the category of lexical items, the clause typeclause type category.category.We’ll call this category We’ll call this category CC, which traditionally , which traditionally stands for stands for complementizercomplementizer..The hypothesis is that a declarative sentence has a The hypothesis is that a declarative sentence has a declarative Cdeclarative C in its structure, while an in its structure, while an interrogative sentence (a question) has an interrogative sentence (a question) has an interrogative Cinterrogative C..ComplementizersComplementizersThe reason for calling this element a The reason for calling this element a complementizercomplementizer stems from viewing the problem stems from viewing the problem from a different starting point.from a different starting point.It is possible to It is possible to embedembed a sentence within another a sentence within another sentence:sentence:I heard [Lenny retired].I heard [Lenny retired].And when you embed a declarative, you generally And when you embed a declarative, you generally have the option of using the word have the option of using the word thatthat..I heard I heard that [that [Lenny retired].Lenny retired].So what is that So what is that thatthat??What’s What’s thatthat??We can show that We can show that thatthat “belongs” to the embedded “belongs” to the embedded sentence with constituency tests.sentence with constituency tests.What I heard is that Lenny retired.What I heard is that Lenny retired.*What I heard that is Lenny retired.*What I heard that is Lenny retired.There’s a demonstrative There’s a demonstrative thatthat, but that’s not what , but that’s not what thatthat is. is.*I heard this Lenny retired.*I heard this Lenny retired.So, So, thatthat is its own kind of thing. It’s an introducer is its own kind of thing. It’s an introducer of embedded clauses, a of embedded clauses, a complementizercomplementizer..ComplementizersComplementizersThere are a couple of different kinds of There are a couple of different kinds of complementizer. complementizer. ThatThat is for embedding is for embedding declarative sentences.declarative sentences.I understand I understand thatthat Phil will bake a cake. Phil will bake a cake.It’s also possible to embed an interrogative It’s also possible to embed an interrogative sentence, like so:sentence, like so:I wonder I wonder if if Phil will bake a cake.Phil will bake a cake.I wonder I wonder whether whether Phil will bake a cake.Phil will bake a cake.Here, Here, ifif and and whetherwhether serve as complementizers, serve as complementizers, introducing the embedded interrogative.introducing the embedded interrogative.I wonder about the answer to I wonder about the answer to Will Phil bake a cakeWill Phil bake a cake??SelectionSelectionJust like the verb Just like the verb bakebake takes the DP takes the DP a cakea cake as its object, as its object, some verbs take whole clauses as their object. some verbs take whole clauses as their object. Some verbs specify what kind of clause they take:Some verbs specify what kind of clause they take:I claimed that Phil will bake a cake.I claimed that Phil will bake a cake.*I claimed if Phil will bake a cake.*I claimed if Phil will bake a cake.*I wondered that Phil will bake a cake.*I wondered that Phil will bake a cake.I wondered if Phil will bake a cake.I wondered if Phil will bake a cake.This is a matter of This is a matter of selectionselection. Some verbs select for . Some verbs select for declaratives, some verbs select for interrogatives. Some declaratives, some verbs select for interrogatives. Some verbs can take either, some neither.verbs can take either, some neither.I know that Phil will bake a cake.I know that Phil will bake a cake.I know if Phil will bake a cake.I know if Phil will bake a cake.*I washed that Phil will bake a cake.*I washed that Phil will bake a cake.*I washed if Phil will bake a cake.*I washed if Phil will bake a cake.CCSo, we have lexical items like So, we have lexical items like thatthat and and ifif, which , which are complementizers are complementizers (category: C)(category: C),
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