KOLOKVIJUM IZ SINTAKSE ENGLESKOG JEZIKA 2019

Answer key
1. Answer the following:
(a) Define the notions lexical and functional syntactic categories. (0,5 p)
Lexical syntactic categories are the categories that express the
content of the sentence (e.g. N (and pronouns), V, Adv, Adj).
Functional syntactic categories are the categories that express the
grammatical information in a sentence, they hold a sentence
together (e.g. D, P, C, Conj, T, Neg).

(b) What does the name Generative Transformational Grammar tell us

about the theory itself? Explain how each word reveals the main
tenets of the theory. (0,5 p).
GENERATIVE relates to the ability to generate, create, produce
sentences, but also the ability to predict possible sentences and
rule out incorrect ones. This accounts for the creative aspect of the
human language capacity.
TRANSFORMATIONAL refers to the way different structures are
related, for example active and passive, declarative and
interrogatove, etc. Transformations are specific operations that
change one structure into another!
GRAMMAR the system of principles that explains language in terms
of properties of the human mind (the internalized language, I-
language).
(c) What are phrase structure rules? (0,5 p).
Phrase structure rules (PSRs) are the rules that generate the
phrase structure tree of a sentence.
2. The following sentence is ambiguous. Provide a paraphrase (=a
sentence with roughly the same meaning) for each of the possible
meanings and then draw two phrase structure trees of the original
sentence that distinguish the two meanings (you can draw one full tree
and the ambiguous node instead of a full tree). (5 p)
Note: take Dr Ruth as one node!

That his beloved wife discussed sex with Dr Ruth seems really irrelevant today.
(1) Dr Ruth was his beloved’s wife interlocutor and they
talked about sex.

(2) His beloved wife had sex with Dr Ruth and she discussed
that.
 2.1 That his beloved wife discussed sex with Dr Ruth seems really irrelevant today.

a) According to the level of complexity, this sentence is complex because it

consists of 2 clauses.
Identify constituents with grammatical functions listed and rewrite them on
the lines below. If the previous sentence doesn’t contain some category,
leave the space blank. If you think there are for example two subjectsm
write down both.

b) subject 1) that his beloved wife discussed sex with Dr Ruth; 2) his
beloved wife;
c) predicator 1) discussed; 2) seems
d) direct object sex (with Dr Ruth)
e) indirect object /
f) object complement /
g) subject compelent really irrelevant
h) object of a preposition Dr Ruth

3. Answer the questions (a) – (f) below according to the phrase structure
tree: (3 p)

a) Is the N3 a constituent of the TP? Yes.

b) Which node(s) does NP2 precede? PP (and all its descendants: P,
NP3, D3, N3)
c) List all the terminal nodes. D1, Adj, N1, T, V, N2, P, D3, N3
d) Which node(s) does NP1 asymmetrically c-command? V, NP2, N2, PP,
P, NP3, D3, N3
 e) Apply the pseudoclefting constituency test to prove that NP1 is a
constituent.
[An efficient team-leader] is the one who must assign tasks in
the briefing.
f) What is the valency of the verb to assign? Is it intransitive, transitive
or ditransitive?
Valency 2; Transitive.

4. A Explain the conditions that make the following clause

ungrammatical, and draw a phrase structure tree to show it: (2,5 p)
*Janei believes that Ameliaj reproached herselfi.

[NPi herself] is not c-commanded (hence not bound) within its domain
(the emdedded clause [TPAmelia reproached herself], violating
Binding Principle A.

4. B Answer the questions (a) – (f) below according to the phrase

structure tree: (3 pts)
a) Is the AdvP a constituent of the TP? Yes

b) Which node(s) does VP exhaustively dominate? Adv, V (one-member

sets), D+N, D+N, D+N.  Exhaustive domination includes sets of
terminal nodes.

c) What is the mother of the D her? NP2

d) Which node(s) does the NP1 asymmetrically c-command? AdvP, Adv, V,
NP2, D, N, PP, P, NP3, D, N, PP, P, NP4, D, N

e) What immediately precedes P from? N buckets

f) Which node(s) dominates N store? NP3, PP, VP, TP.

5. Explain the conditions that make the following clause ungrammatical,

and draw a phrase structure tree to show it.

Georgei’s sonj hates himi.

Binding requires both coindexation and c-command. Even though

[NPhim] is coindexed with [NPiGeorge], it is not c-commanded by it.
Even if [NPiGeorge] c-commanded [NPhim], [NPhim] would be bound
within its binding domain, which violates Binding Principle B
according to which pronouns must be free in their binding domain.