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

Stabler - Lx 185/209 2003
T
t
C
CP
C’
C DP(2)
D’
D
Titus
TP
T
t
T’
DP
t(2)
V
v
doubt
vP
v
v
v’
T DP(1)
-s
the
D’
N
claim
C
that
N’
VP
CP
C’
V
DP(0)
D’
D
V’
Lavinia
DP
D NP t t(1)
TP
T
t
T’
DP
t(0)
V
laugh
v
vP
v
v
v’
T V’
10.3.2 TP-selecting raising verbs
-s
VP
V
t
([],[],Titus doubt -s the claim that Lavinia laugh -s):C
[]::=>T C (Titus,[],doubt -s the claim that Lavinia laugh -s):T
([],[],doubt -s the claim that Lavinia laugh -s):+k T,([],Titus,[]):-k
-s::v==> +k T ([],doubt,the claim that Lavinia laugh -s):v,([],Titus,[]):-k
([],doubt,the claim that Lavinia laugh -s):=D v
Titus::D -k
[]::=>V =D v (the claim that Lavinia laugh -s,doubt,[]):V
([],doubt,[]):+k V,([],the,claim that Lavinia laugh -s):-k
doubt::=D +k V ([],the,claim that Lavinia laugh -s):D -k
the::=N D -k ([],claim,that Lavinia laugh -s):N
claim::=C N ([],that,Lavinia laugh -s):C
that::=T C (Lavinia,[],laugh -s):T
([],[],laugh -s):+k T,([],Lavinia,[]):-k
-s::v==> +k T ([],laugh,[]):v,([],Lavinia,[]):-k
([],laugh,[]):=D v
[]::=>V =D v laugh::V
Lavinia::D -k
The selection relation corresponds to the semantic relation of taking an argument. In some sentences with
more than one verb, we find that not all the verbs take the same number of arguments. We notice for example
that auxiliaries select VPs but do not take their own subjects or objects. A more interesting situation arises with
the so-called “raising” verbs, which select clausal complements but do not take their own subjects or objects.
In this case, since the main clause tense must license case, a lower subject can move to the higher clause.
A simple version of this idea is implemented by the following lexical item for the raising verb seem
and by the following lexical items for the infinitival to:
With these lexical entries, we get derivations like this:
T
t
C
C
CP
C’
DP(0)
D’
D
Titus
v
TP
seem
v
T
t
T’
T
-s
vP
v’
T
to
TP
T’
DP
t(0)
V
laugh
vP
v
v’
v
seem::=T v
to::=v T to::=Have T to::=Be T
VP
V’
V
t
([],[],Titus seem -s to laugh):C
[]::=>T C (Titus,[],seem -s to laugh):T
([],[],seem -s to laugh):+k T,([],Titus,[]):-k
-s::v==> +k T ([],seem,to laugh):v,([],Titus,[]):-k
seem::=T v ([],to,laugh):T,([],Titus,[]):-k
to::=v T ([],laugh,[]):v,([],Titus,[]):-k
([],laugh,[]):=D v
[]::=>V =D v laugh::V
Titus::D -k
Notice that the subject of laugh cannot get case in the infinitival clause, so it moves to the higher clause. In
this kind of construction, the main clause subject is not selected by the main clause verb!
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