Seth Cable Semantics and Generative Grammar Fall 2011 Ling 610 1 Questions on Movement, Binding, and Gender (1) Quantificational Scope and Binding The sentence in (a) allows a reading where it has the T-conditions in (b). We know that it has such a reading, as it can be understood as true in a scenario like (c). a. Sentence: A boy likes every girl who hates him. b. Truth Conditions: There is some z such that z is a boy and for all y, if y is a girl y and y hates z, then z likes y. c. Verifying Scenario: Bill likes Mary; Mary hates Bill. Bill likes Sue; Sue hates Bill Bill likes Jenny; Jenny hates Bill d. Question 1 Please show how our semantics predicts that (a) can be interpreted as having the T-conditions in (b). Although (b) is a reading for (a), (e) below is not. We know this because (a) cannot be understood as being true in a scenario like (f). e. Not Possible T-Conditions for (1a): For all y, if y is a girl, then there is some z such that z is a boy, and z likes y and y hates z. f. Not a Verifying Scenario for (1a): Bill likes Mary; Mary hates Bill. Bill hates Jenn; Jenn hates Bill. Tom likes Jenn; Jenn hates Tom. Tom hates Sue; Sue hates Tom. Roger likes Sue; Sue hates Roger. Roger hates Mary; Mary hates Roger. g. Question 2 Does our system correctly predict that (e) is not a possible reading for (a)? Why or why not?Seth Cable Semantics and Generative Grammar Fall 2011 Ling 610 2 (2) Binding and Gender Consider the sentence in (a), which we will assume to have the syntax in (b) and the T-conditions in (c). a. Only Mary smokes. b. S DP VP Only DP smokes Mary c. Mary smokes, and for all x, if x is not Mary, then x does not smoke. d. Question 1 Please provide a semantics for only which will assign structure (b) the T-conditions in (c). (HINT: Only Mary should be of type <et,t>) Now consider the sentence in (e). It allows for a ‘bound reading’ where it is assigned the T-conditions in (f). Consider also the LF in (g). e. Only Mary likes her dog. f. Mary likes the unique y such that y is a dog and y belongs to Mary, and for all x, if x is not Mary, then x does not like the unique y such that y is a dog and y belongs to x. g. S’’ DP1 S’ Only Mary 1 S t1 VP V DP2 likes DP D2’ GEN DP D2 NP POSS FEM pro1 dogSeth Cable Semantics and Generative Grammar Fall 2011 Ling 610 3 h. Question 2 Please show that our semantics can assign LF (g) the T-conditions in (f). For this question, recall the semantics for possessives that we discussed in class: [[ POSS ]] = [ λf<et> : [ λxe : there is exactly one y such that f(y) = T and y belongs to x . the unique y such that f(y) = T and y belongs to x ] i. Question 3 What entailments does our semantics predict LF (g) to have? Are these in fact entailments that sentence (e) has under reading