Problem Set One

Dr. Julie Anne Legate Syntax I due: Tues Sept 5, 2005

You may work with other students, but you must write up your own answers for submission. Hand your answers in at the beginning of class on Tues.

As-Parentheticals

(Chris Potts) (1) Kim does not sell state secrets, as the senators stated e a. Interpretation 1: senators stated that Kim does not sell state secrets b. Interpretation 2: senators stated Kim sells state secrets This drug might cure cancer, as the drug company claims e a. Interpretation 1: drug company claims this drug might cure cancer b. Interpretation 2: drug company claims this drug cures cancer

(2)

Question 1: Use these data to formulate another lower-origin argument for the VP-internal subject hypothesis. Illustrate your analysis with two syntactic trees, one for each interpretation of (2). ASSUMPTIONS I WANT YOU TO MAKE: as is a complementizer the as -parenthetical has an empty category in it, e the as -parenthetical syntactically adjoins to an XP: XP r r

XP

r CP as parenthetical

the interpretation of the empty category, e, is determined by the XP the as -parenthetical is adjoined to.

Choctaw Agreement

Consider the agreement morphology in the following sentences from Chocktaw. 1 = rst person (I/we) 2 = second person (you) sg = singular pl = plural OBJ = object SUBJ = subject (3) a. Chibashli -li -tok 2sgOBJ cut 1sgSUBJ PAST I cut you b. Issasso -tok 2sgSUBJ 1sgOBJ hit PAST You hit me a. Hilha -li -tok dance 1sgSUBJ PAST I danced b. Ishipah ` o? 2sgSUBJ eat Q Have you eaten? c. I:bali:li -tok 1plSUBJ run PAST We ran a. Sahohchafoh 1sgOBJ be.hungry I am hungry b. Chicha:hah 2sgOBJ be.tall I am tall c. Pihohfaya -tok 1plOBJ be.ashamed PAST We were ashamed

(4)

(5)

Question 1: Explain what determines when the OBJ agreement morphemes are used versus when the SUBJ agreement morphemes are used. (Dont worry about their status as a prex or sux.)

Choctaw exhibits a phenomenon known as switch-reference marking. Under certain circumstances, the verb in the rst of two clauses may bear a morpheme indicating whether the subjects of the two clauses refer to the same person or not. SS = same subject DS = dierent subject

(6)

a. Tobi apa -li -cha oka ishko -li -tok bean eat 1sgSUBJ SS water drink 1sgSUBJ PAST I ate beans and drank water. b. Tobi apa -li -na t` achi ishpa -tok bean eat 1sgSUBJ DS corn 2sgSUBJ eat PAST I ate beans and you ate corn

Now consider the following sentences with switch reference markers. % = speakers disagree; some dialects allow it (call them Choctaw A), other dialects do not (call them Choctaw B) (7) a. Nita pisa -li -cha bali:li -li -tok bear see 1sgSUBJ SS run 1sgSUBJ PAST I saw the bear and ran b. Sahohchafo -cha tobi hoponi -li -tok 1sgOBJ hungry SS bean cook 1sgSUBJ PAST I was hungry, so I cooked some beans. c. * Nita pisa -li -na bali:li -li -tok bear see 1sgSUBJ DS run 1sgSUBJ PAST I saw the bear and ran d. % Sahohchafo -na tobi hoponi -li -tok 1sgOBJ hungry DS bean cook 1sgSUBJ PAST I was hungry so I cooked some beans

Question 2: Discuss the use of same-subject and dierent-subject markers in Choctaw A and Choctaw B, in light of your answer to Question 1.