Linguistics 550
Assignment 8

Due: Thursday, November 12

Exercise 1

Using the grammar tool in grammatical function changing movement (which implements a movement analysis of grammatical function change), build structures for the sentences in (1).

For simplicity, the grammar tool does not indicate the internal structure of every maximal projection.

(1) a.   The faucet is leaking hot water.
b.   The faucet is leaking.
c.   Hot water is leaking from the faucet.

Exercise 2

Does the contrast in (2) bear on the choice between the syntactic and the lexical analysis of the passive? Explain.
(2) a. * They say him to be incompetent.
b. ok He is said to be incompetent.

Exercise 3

A. Using the grammar tool in wh-movement, build trees for each of the questions in (1). Use the ''Check tree'' menu item to check that you have performed all necessary movements.

(3) a. How quickly will the lions devour the wildebeest?
b. How quickly do you think that the lions will devour the wildebeest?
c. * How quickly do you wonder which wildebeest the lions devoured?
d. * Who(m) have you forgotten in which city you met?
e. Whose parents might you meet?
f. * Whose might you meet parents?

B. Explain the pattern of acceptability judgments in (3).

Exercise 4

At first glance, the analysis in (4a) seems preferable to that in (4b) because it postulates less apparently unnecessary structure. In fact, however, it is (4b) that is preferable. Explain.

(4) a.   He thought [IP they bought the house ] .
b.   He thought [CP [C 0 ] [IP they bought the house ] ] .

Exercise 5

The argument in Notes 9 that (17b), repeated here as (5), is ruled out by subjacency implicitly assumes that movement of how quickly precedes movement of which wildebeest.

(5)   * [ Which wildebeest ]i do they wonder how quickly the lions will devour ti?

You may have noted the possibility of an alternative derivation, according to which the two instances of wh-movement take place in the converse order. Since (5) is ungrammatical, the alternative derivation must be rejected as well. On what grounds can this be done?

Exercise 6 (optional)

A. Do all IPs behave as barriers for wh-movement? Explain.

B. Is PP a barrier in English? Explain.