Notes on computational linguistics.pdf - UCLA Department of ...

Stabler - Lx 185/209 2003
9.1.1 First example
(6) To review, let’s quickly rehearse a derivation from the following very simple example grammar:
ɛ::=t c ɛ::=t +wh c
ɛ::=acc +case t
ɛ::=v +case +v =d acc
makes::=d v -v
maria::d -case tortillas::d -case what::d -case -wh
This grammar has eight lexical items. Combining the lexical item makes with the lexical item tortillas,
we obtain:
<
makes:v -v tortillas:-case
This complex is a VP, which can be selected by the lexical item with category acc to yield:
ɛ:+case +v =d acc <
Move can apply to this constituent, yielding
<
makes:-v tortillas:-case
>
tortillas <
ɛ:+v =d acc <
makes:-v
This is an accP, with another movement trigger on its head, so move applies again to yield:
<
makes
>
>
tortillas <
ɛ:=d acc
This is still an accP that now want to select another dP, the “external argument”, so we can let this
phrase merge with the lexical item maria to obtain:
>
maria:-case >
<
makes
171
>
tortillas <
ɛ:acc