Sentence

1
Sentence word meaning, Question Formation

• Introduction to Syntax
• ANTH 359/759
• Fall 2007

2
Announcements

• Reminder of home page at http//www.tulane.edu/li
  ng/ANTH359/

3
Sentence and word meaning

• Language unites form with interpretation.
• Notice that Haegeman assumes compositionality
• "The meaning of a string of words is determined
  compositionally, i.e. it is determined by its
  component parts and by their relations." (p. 11)
• Dirty little secret not all meanings are
  compositional
• John kicked the bucket.

4
Question formation - terminology

• Declarative sentence
• Interrogative sentence
• Auxiliary verb

• We shall walk a bit.
• Shall we walk a bit?
• shall, etc.

5
Subject-auxiliary inversion(SAI)

• We shall walk a bit. ? Shall we walk a bit?
• Hypotheses
• The auxiliary verb moves to the left of the
  subject.
• The subject moves to the right of the auxiliary
  verb.
• The two switch places.
• How can we tell which one is right?
• The problem is that the subject and auxiliary
  verb are next to each other separating them
  somehow would let us test the three hypotheses

6
An experiment

• These new shops definitely are doing well.
• Test each hypothesis
• The auxiliary verb moves to the left of the
  subject.
• Are these new shops definitely doing well?
• OK
• The subject moves to the right of the auxiliary
  verb.
• Definitely are these new shops doing well?
• The two switch places.
• Are definitely these new shops doing well?

7
Conclusion

• Hypothesis (a) is supported by the data.
• Apply the scientific method
• The murderer has broken the window.
• Has the murderer broken the window?
• The murderer was arrested last night.
• Was the murderer arrested last night?
• We really must go to that meeting.
• Must we really go to that meeting?

8
A problem

• How does our hypothesis apply to the following
  sentences?
• He wants to buy a house this year.
• She wanted to become a policewoman.
• What do you conclude?
• Questions can't be formed on such sentences.
• But that is not right
• Does he want to buy a house this year?
• Did she want to become a policewoman?
• There is something wrong with the hypothesis.

9
Much ado about do

• Does the do that appears in the previous
  questions mean anything, at least, compared to
  other usages of do?
• Does he want to buy a house this year?
• cf. Does he do anything at work?
• Let's call the inverted do 'auxiliary do'.
• Let's call the do that means something like make
  'lexical do'.

10
A closer look at auxiliary do

• Can auxiliary do appear outside of questions?
• He does want to buy a house this year.
• She did want to become a policewoman.
• Where does it go? Try putting it along with
  another auxiliary
• We do must go to the meeting.
• Do we must go to the meeting?
• Must we do go to the meeting?
• Must do we go to the meeting?
• It cannot accompany another auxiliary verb
• Let us assume that it goes in the 'auxiliary
  position', where ever that is.

11
First attempt at fixing the hypothesis

• Auxiliary do is inserted (in the auxiliary
  position) and then inverted with the subject.
• He wants to buy a house this year.
• He does wants to buy a house this year.
• Does he wants to buy a house this year?
• What does does tell us?
• person (third)
• number (plural)
• tense (present)

12
Second attempt at fixing the hypothesis

• Auxiliary do is inserted (in the auxiliary
  position), with the person/number/tense
  information, and then is inverted with the
  subject.
• He wants to buy a house this year.
• He does want to buy a house this year.
• Does he want to buy a house this year?
• OK

13
Meta-conclusions about auxiliary do

• Why use auxiliary do at all?
• Assume that SAI is obligatory to form a question
  in English.
• If there is no auxiliary verb, what inverts?
• Well apparently, the person/number/tense
  information.
• So, how do you pronounce a sentence with inverted
  person/number/tense information, e.g.
• third singular present he want to buy a house
  this year?
• You can't, so
• Auxiliary do is only inserted as a last resort,
  to make an unpronounceable sentence
  pronounceable.
• Only insert additional stuff if you really need
  it.
• English is economical.

14
Apparent counterexample

• So what about those declarative sentences with
  auxiliary do?
• He does want to buy a house this year.
• She did want to become a policewoman.
• That's not very economical, but
• how are these sentences pronounced?
• with a particular emphasis on the auxiliary,
  known as contrastive stress.
• when are they used? Do Exercise 7
• To oppose a preceding assertion or inference

15
Conclusion

• Auxiliary do carries contrastive stress when
  there is nothing else in the sentence that can
  carry it.
• Once again, English only uses it as a last resort.

16
Exercises

• Exercise 4, p. 51
• Exercise 3, p. 50

17
Next time

• SAI, Definitions. I.2.3-4 pp. 28-41, Ex 5, 6