All Questions
108 questions
2
votes
1
answer
118
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A set of Constituency Tests
Is there any paper or resource where various constituency tests are listed and analyzed (besides topicalisation, clefting, pseudoclefting and all those tests that are illustrated on English)?
More ...
- 451
0
votes
0
answers
57
views
Ellipsis with tože in Russian
Does anyone know literature on ellipsis with tože (тоже) in Russian? I've found papers only on verb-stranding, gapping, and yes/no ellipsis.
Here are some examples:
Я буду решать задачи. Я тоже буду (...
- 451
1
vote
0
answers
50
views
Verification of R. Dixon's bound/free split prediction
In his book, 'Ergativity', R. Dixon makes a prediction on page 95:
if there is a split between bound and free forms, the former will
follow an accusative pattern, the latter - an ergative pattern.
...
- 451
1
vote
0
answers
70
views
Criteria for transitivity
I am reading R. Dixon's work on ergativity. He employs three basic syntactic relations:
S for a single argument of a verb
A for one argument of a verb
O for the other argument of a verb
In an ...
- 451
11
votes
4
answers
3k
views
Why is "Colourless green ideas sleep furiously" considered meaningless?
Forewarning: I'm a philosopher, and I'm broadly ignorant of linguistics, so forgive me in advance for any misconceptions or stupid questions.
I think that it's regarded as common knowledge in ...
- 24
1
vote
0
answers
82
views
wh-word and adjunction (Russian as an example)
I am reading The Syntax of Russian by John Frederick Bailyn. He takes the wh-word который to be of category AP/NP. Also he assumes that adjuncts operates at the level of XP, not X-bar.
Given that, if ...
- 451
0
votes
0
answers
61
views
Preposition stranding and Wh-islands
I am doing research on a few apparent cases of preposition stranding in Brazilian Portuguese (a non-P-stranding language) and, by comparing them to languages that have bona fide P-stranding, I am ...
- 21
2
votes
0
answers
93
views
Wh-movement of D/NP in Russian
I have recently come across the following expression:
(они) попрали даже то, что ими диктуется о смысле жизни. (they) trampled even what they dictated about the meaning of life.
It made me wonder: ...
- 451
4
votes
0
answers
118
views
Are there languages where grammatical parallelism does not matter?
English has a strong preference for parallelism (Wikipedia link), even though sentences lacking parallelism are still considered grammatically correct:
Good:
She likes cooking, jogging, and reading.
...
- 1,140
3
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What is one-place predicate and two-place predicate?
When I read some linguistic articles, I encountered two names. One is called a "one-place predicate" and the other is a "two-place" predicate. So what are the definitions of these ...
- 319
2
votes
1
answer
70
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How to write a program that lists out all the grammar patterns used in a given sentence?
Disclaimer, I have no formal background in linguistics so I'm really asking in the dark here.
Problem: I'm trying to write a program that, given a grammatically correct (this is assumed) sentence, ...
- 23
3
votes
3
answers
99
views
Grammar/syntax rules for structures larger than the sentence?
All grammar syntax rules (afaik) pertain to words in the same sentence. For example, a complete sentence must have a subject and a verb. But there must be rules for structures larger than the sentence....
- 31
2
votes
0
answers
133
views
How can I understand "remnant movement" in English heavy-NP shift construction
Kayne 2003 mentions that there exists remnant movement in English. As background, note:
I predicted that John would marry Susan, and marry Susan/her/*Ann he will.
The argument(s) in the preposed VP ...
- 643
5
votes
1
answer
138
views
What is the name for the phenomenon where an English verb that takes a clausal complement either does or does not mark the infinitive with "to"?
Let them go home.
*Let them to go home.
*Allow them go home.
Allow them to go home.
Make them go home.
*Make them to go home.
*Force them go home.
Force them to go home.
What is the reason that &...
- 59
0
votes
0
answers
91
views
We call the shots as we see them
I was invited to ask here.
I sometimes hear the sentence "we call the shots as we see them." I want to ask whether the as-clause modifies "shots" (just like "as we know it&...
- 11
7
votes
0
answers
887
views
I'm confused by the term 'adjunct' as used in A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2nd Edition 2022)
According to the authors of the book, adjuncts are divided into two kinds: modifiers, which are thoroughly integrated into the syntactic structure of clauses, and supplements, which are much more ...
3
votes
0
answers
147
views
How can you 'test' for grammatical properties in A Student's Introduction to English Grammar?
According to the book A Student's Introduction to English Grammar (2005), grammatical terms, e.g., subject, object, noun, verb, adjective, etc. should not be defined by meaning, but by grammatical ...
- 31
1
vote
1
answer
71
views
Can someone share with me an article that studies the decline of by-phrases in the passive?
Can someone share with me an article that studies the decline of by-phrases in the passive? Preferably a corpus-based study, but this is not that relevant
user36925
1
vote
0
answers
277
views
OVS in English dialogue
English is an SVO language. When writing dialogue, especially in literature, writing a sentence with the speech first is considered grammatically correct. Take for example this extract from Ursula K ...
- 11
1
vote
0
answers
46
views
Flesch-Kincaid reading ease formula coefficients [duplicate]
About the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease formula:
F = 206.835 − (84.6 ∗ S) − (1.015 ∗ P)
I don't understand the meaning of the coefficient choices. Why those specific numbers? Are the studies behind the ...
- 111
1
vote
0
answers
146
views
How do you draw a x-bar tree with negative inversion? [closed]
For example: 'Never was I so offended'
There is already a T to C inversion with 'was', where do we put the word 'Never'?
And how should we label it? AdvP or Neg?
- 11
0
votes
1
answer
80
views
In syntax trees, why aren't single-word phrases reduced to that word?
Why do phrases like "the car in Texas" break down into
(NP (Det the) (N car)
(PP (P in) (NP (N Texas))))
Why is the prepositional phrase "in Texas" constituted of the ...
user31190
0
votes
1
answer
99
views
Can adjuncts modify nouns?
The Wikipedia page on adjuncts gives the example
Yesterday, Lorna saw the dog in the garden.
Notice that this example is ambiguous between whether the adjunct in the garden modifies the
verb saw (in ...
user31190
1
vote
0
answers
69
views
The grammatical analysis - "most of them civilians"
I came across this sentence today:
They were most of them civilians.
Now how will we analyse"most of them" here? Is it just a modifier in Noun Phrase - "most of them civilians"? ...
- 335
2
votes
0
answers
117
views
When can FOR be used as a preposition and a complementiser?
This question is based on several suppositions:
For as a preposition is able to be transformed into a wh- question with the wh- phrase preposed with for, as below with senators John acting as the ...
7
votes
3
answers
2k
views
I have my hair cut - "my hair" a Direct Object?
I am confused about the following sentence:
I have my hair cut.
Now here I am not sure whether "my hair" is the Direct Object (DO) of the verb "have", or if it is just the ...
- 335
1
vote
2
answers
1k
views
Grammatical function vs. Semantic role
What is the difference between grammatical functions and semantic roles? Are they the same?
- 21
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can one sentence have two or multiple possible phrase structure grammars? And what is this called?
After reading about syntactic structure and phrase structure grammar in Wikipedia and on the internet, I was wondering if there are any sentences with more than one possible phrase structure grammar? ...
0
votes
2
answers
182
views
For English, is there a finite set of patterns for constructing sentences?
I am wondering about conlangs and thinking about English currently. I'm wondering does English have a finite set of patterns for constructing sentences? That is, could you build a computer program ...
- 4,438
8
votes
3
answers
755
views
Why is the subject outside the VP in most theories of syntax?
I'm trying to understand why in most theories of syntax, the subject of a sentence is the sister of the verb, and not the child eg:
S -> NP VP instead of
VP -> NP V (NP...)
The latter feels more ...
- 181
1
vote
0
answers
274
views
Verb-ing after this phrase or clause "this is my first time"
Is the verb with '-ing' in the phrase or clause "this is my first time eating this" a gerund or a present participle verb?
I think now I see that "this" probably is or means "...
- 43
2
votes
0
answers
83
views
Adjunct vs complement with intransitive verb
Tony came from outside the traditional media
Am I right in thinking because came is intransitive that "outside the traditional media" is an adjunct rather than a subject complement?
- 21
2
votes
1
answer
308
views
What do the numbers 206.835, 1.015, 84.6, 0.39, 11.8, 15.59 mean in the Flesch reading ease and Flesch-Kincaid grade level formulas?
I am looking to understand what do these numbers mean in the formulas, and how do they affect results, and why they were specifically chosen. Here are the formulas:
Flesh reading Ease = 206.835 - 1....
- 143
-4
votes
1
answer
208
views
Is there evidence of a disposition for certain ethnicities/races to learn certain languages? [closed]
For example would those of Chinese descent have a disposition to learn Chinese? Chinese is a quite different having more logographic characters then say English which is alphabetic.
Another example ...
- 143
5
votes
0
answers
226
views
How does syntax of our language affect our thoughts?
Our language affects the way we perceive the world. I know it is not only because the words that don’t exist in one of the languages may exist in the other ones, but also because of the grammar. We ...
- 51
1
vote
1
answer
114
views
Is there a term for how English replaces the preposition "of" by putting the word that comes after "of" before the word that comes before "of"?
EG,
Apple Juice --> (The) Juice of Apple(s)
Gold Castle --> (The) Castle of Gold
Liver Disease --> Disease of (the) Liver
Et Al.
- 11
4
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Is ‘for’ a complementizer or a preposition in ‘prefer for John to stay’
As the title says, in ‘prefer for John to stay’, is ‘for’ a complementizer and the following is a CP, or a preposition?
- 51
1
vote
1
answer
139
views
How can we explain "head feature" of a phrase? [closed]
For example, how can we explain the head feature of an adjective phrase?
user27687
2
votes
1
answer
108
views
Sentence ambiguitiy
The sentence “Why did everyone’s father think that Tom said that you were fired?” is supposedly ambiguous in three different ways. However, I can’t seem to get any ambiguous reading from it. I have ...
- 135
1
vote
2
answers
2k
views
What is non-headed phrase?
I know most of the phrases in English are headed phrases, like noun is the head of NP. But what is non-headed phrase?
user27687
0
votes
1
answer
83
views
What is case for pronouns in different positions? [closed]
Can we say "the case of subject in a sentence is nominative, the direct object of a verb is accusative, the second object of a ditransitive verb is accusative, the objective of a preposition is ...
user27687
3
votes
2
answers
86
views
a question about reflexives and nonreflexives
Why "the house(i) had a fence around itself(i)" is ungrammatical but "Susan(i) wrapped the blanket around herself(i)" is grammatical?
user27687
0
votes
1
answer
186
views
What's the difference between coindexing and coreferential? [closed]
Here is a sentence. I(i) enjoy yourself(i). Can we say "I" and "yourself" are coindexed but not coreferential?
user27687
0
votes
0
answers
56
views
Why is "woman" in "the woman teacher" an adjunct while "literature" in "the literature teacher" a complement?
Is it because we cannot say "teacher of woman" but we can say "teacher of literature"?
user27687
0
votes
1
answer
109
views
How to provide evidence that my hypothesis is correct (the same structure but the constituents are different), syntactic structures, constituency
How can I provide evidence supporting the hypothesis, that is, prove by means of constituency tests that my hypothesis is correct?
The sentences:
(1) Jeff lost the watch with the big numbers
(2) Jeff ...
2
votes
0
answers
143
views
Does anyone know the history of the infinitive?
I teach grammar, and I think it is no mystery to anyone that infinitives are strange. I think it might help me to know the history of this verb-cum-noun-adjectiv
- 29
0
votes
3
answers
96
views
What is the name of introductory expressions like "It is not the case that..."
I'm trying to find out what is the grammatical category that corresponds to such expressions that use to introduce clauses, such as:
It is not the case that...
It is very possible that...
It is ...
- 141
2
votes
2
answers
578
views
When an existential verb is used existentially as the predicate to a subject, is it true in all languages that it cannot take another predicate?
When an existential is used existentially verb as the predicate to a subject, is it true in all languages that it cannot take another predicate?
In other words, when the existential to-be verb means '...
user27672
1
vote
1
answer
236
views
What are the thematic structures of a clause?
While going through Rodny huddleston's An outline of English Grammar; I came across a concept named :Thematic structures of a clause.
Its been more than a year when I first read it but have failed to ...
- 63
-3
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Chains of nouns in English
English is becoming so indifferent to the proper roles of parts of speech that I have been finding longer and longer chains of nouns in written materials. I am under the impression that chaining ...
- 610