Portuguese IV Syntax I: Constituent structure. Basic properties. Víctor Acedo-Matellán University of Oxford

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1 Portuguese IV Syntax I: Constituent structure. Basic properties Víctor Acedo-Matellán University of Oxford

2 Constituent structure 2 Order and constituency At first sight, linguistic expressions could be taken for strings of words A-Célia-quer-ser-linguista. However, within a given syntactic object formed by a set of words, a certain word maintains a closer relationship with certain words than with others, forming a unit that we call a constituent [ A Célia [quer [ser linguista.]]]

3 Constituent structure 3 Hierarchical structure Syntactic objects are structured hierarchically A Célia quer ser linguista

4 Constituent structure 4 Hierarchical structure is concealed Hierarchical structure is not obvious at first glance: the nature of our sensor-motor systems require that the signal be transmitted sequentially, so that the relationships between the elements are not overt If we could pronounce several words at the same time or if we were equipped with telepathic capacity, we would produce and directly receive constituent structure

5 Constituent structure 5 Structural ambiguity A single sequence corresponding to several expressions with a different structure Falei da tua história com a Júlia. [Falei [da tua história [com a Júlia.]] [Falei da tua história] [com a Júlia.] Structural ambiguity is rampant in language and reveals the distinction between surface order and constituent structure.

6 Constituent structure 6 Structure and semantics Constituent structure determines semantic interpretation Falei da tua história com a Júlia. [Falei [da tua história [com a Júlia.]] [Falei da tua história] [com a Júlia.] In the first case the story has been with Júlia and we don t know whom I have talked with. In the second case it is certain that I have talked with Júlia, and we do not know whom the story involves.

7 Constituent structure 7 Ambiguity Comeram as torradas quentes. A Marisa viu o Nuno a passear pelo jardim. Não vejo o rapaz sem óculos.

8 Constituent structure 8 Constituency tests There are different tests to know if a certain word arrangement is or not a syntactic constituent within a given sequence. Some of them: Replaceability Displaceability Clefting Omissibility

9 Constituent structure 9 Replaceability A constituent may be replaced by a pronoun, etc.; non-constituents cannot: O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha pequena. O gato do Pedro devorou-a. O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha pequena. O gato do Pedro fê-lo. O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha pequena. *O gato do Pedro devorou-a pequena.

10 Constituent structure 10 Tests and linguistic expressions N.B.: Tests determine constituents within particular linguistic expressions O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha. *O gato do Pedro devorou-a.

11 Constituent structure 11 Displaceability Only constituents may be moved around (with some restrictions, universal or language-specific) O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha pequena. A sardinha pequena devorou-a o gato do Pedro. O gato do Pedro devorou a sardinha pequena. *A sardinha devorou-a o gato do Pedro pequena.

12 Constituent structure 12 Cleft sentences Clefting Foi na cozinha que o gato devorou a sardinha. Constituents may appear between the verb ser and que. Non-constituents cannot Foi o gato do Pedro que devorou a sardinha pequena. Foi a sardinha pequena que devorou o gato do Pedro. *Foi a sardinha que devorou pequena o gato do Pedro.

13 Constituent structure 13 Omissibility In certain circumstances, stretches of a linguistic expression may be omitted if they are recoverable from the context. Omitted portions must necessarily be a constituent within the expression O gato comia sardinhas na cozinha e a gata comia sardinhas no terraço. *O gato comia sardinhas na cozinha e a gata no terraço. *O gato comia sardinhas na cozinha e a gata comia terraço.

14 Phrase structure 14 Phrases Constituent is quite an abstract term that can be used also in phonology and morphology. Usually, in syntax we talk about phrases. Phrases have a head determining the properties of the whole: category and basic semantic interpretation (endocentricity) E.g., Noun Phrases (NPs) A bicicleta A bicicleta amarela A bicicleta amarela da Sílvia

15 Phrase structure 15 Generalized phrase structure All categories may project a phrase SA [muito farto da Celsa], [muito farto], [farto da Celsa], etc. SP [dentro da cova], [dentro], etc. SV [lia contos em casa], [lia contos], [lia], etc.

16 Phrase structure 16 Generalized phrase structure In general, clauses are considered phrases headed by I(nflection) or T(ense), sometimes an independent word [ TP O Nicolás tem comprado uma camisa.] [ TP O Nicolás compr-ou uma camisa.] There is a further layer in sentences, namely, the C(onjunction) or C(omplementizer), which seems to be the head of the phrase: [ CP que [ TP o Nicolás tem comprado uma camisa.]]

17 Phrase structure 17 Structure of a phrase XP (YP) X X 0 (ZP) X 0 = Head; YP = Specifier; ZP = Complement

18 Phrase structure 18 Structure of an AP AP AdvP A muito A 0 PP farto da Celsa

19 Phrase structure 19 Structure of an AP AP A A 0 farto

20 Phrase structure 20 Recursion A basic property of phrase structure is selfembedding, also known as recursion: the fact that a phrase of category X may be a subconstituent of another phrase of category X [ NP telhados de [ NP casas de [ NP bonecas]]] [ CP A Celsa disse [ CP que chegaria tarde.]]

21 Phrase structure 21 Category vs function Phrasal category is a property that phrases possess by virtue of having a head of a certain category [ NP o livro N ] A phrase has a grammatical function in the sentence: subject, object, etc. [ NP O livro N ] Subject caiu da estante. Coloquei [ NP o livro N ] Object na estante. Phrasal category does not change with function, which is a relational notion.

22 Phrase structure 22 Thematic role vs function A nominal expression is interpreted semantically with respect to its predicate [A Ana] Agente colocou [o livro] Tema na estante. We have to distinguish this interpretation, the thematic or theta role, from the grammatical function. Active-passive minimal pairs illustrate this dissociation [O livro] Tema foi colocado na estante [pela Ana.] Agente

23 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 23 Constituent order Head-initial language: the head precedes the complement [ PP de P [ NP trapos]] [ VP comer V [ NP queijo]] [ AP fiel A [ PP aos seus princípios]] [ NP boneca N [ PP de trapos]] [ CP que C [ TP o Luís chegará tarde]]

24 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 24 Case Case morphology survives in pronouns Eu/*Me participei no inquérito. Tu/*Te participaste no inquérito. o livro cuja autora é de Braga Vernacular BP shows loss of case distinctions in 3rd person pronouns Ele me viu e eu vi ele.

25 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 25 Agreement Dependencies with NPs often show agreement, within the TP and within the NP Os meninos devorarão/*devorará este bolo. as alunas novas / *a alunas novo Subject agreement prioritizes a referential NP over word order Abre a porta, sou/*é eu! Cf. Engl. Open the door, {it s me/*it am I}!

26 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 26 Agreement in BP Varieties of spoken BP show lack of agreement within the NP todas as tua(s) aluna a tuas aluna

27 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 27 Pronominal clitics Non-emphatic pronouns are clitics: they bear no stress and appear in fixed positions in the sentence Chama-me. / *Me chama. (EP) Ontem me chamou / *Ontem chamou-me. (EP) para mim/*me The behaviour of clitics in the two major varieties is different. Spoken BP has largely lost 3rd person clitics. It also has a different pattern with respect to position: Me chama. / *Chama-me

28 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 28 Null subjects EP is a Null Subject Language (NSL) Chove. É difícil ve-lo de outra maneira. Há pão quente. O João i diz que { i /*ele i } quer comer queijo. O João i diz que a Ana acha que i é esperto. Batem à porta. (Vernacular) BP is a Partial NSL O João i diz que (ele i ) quer comer queijo. O João i diz que a Ana acha que *(ele i ) é esperto.

29 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 29 Inflected infinitives A typologically rare property (Galician, Asturian, varieties of Pontic Greek) Prenderem o ladrão sera difícil. Acho termos perdido uma oportunidade. Soube da novidade ainda antes de a Ana e o Pedro me telefonarem. *Queremos irmos.

30 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 30 Negative concord A Negative Concord language: negative words need an overt negation when not in a prominent (preverbal) position, and the negation is semantically vacuous A Paula nunca vem às festas. A Paula *(não) vem às festas nunca. Again, varieties of colloquial BP allow the negative indefinite to stand alone Eu fiz nada.

31 Some basic properties of Portuguese syntax 31 Wh-sentences Superficially, Portuguese allows both whdisplacement and wh in situ O que leu o Pedro? (EP) O que o Pedro leu? (BP) O Pedro leu o que? (EP, BP)