Wh- SUBJECT QUESTIONS in ENGLISH

No do-aux insertion
Pesetsky/Torrego's hypothesis (via Radford):
ForceP
D
who

Force'
Force
tns Q
e.f.

TP
D
who

T'
VP

Past
Perfective
Active

3rd sg

tns affix

D
who

V'
V
called

DP
D
the

N
police

e.f. = EDGE FEATURE (at Force/C): attracts an interrogative element to Spec-ForceP/CP

tns = TENSE FEATURE (at Force/C): attracts a tensed element to Spec-ForceP/CP
af. = TENSE AFFIX (at T): locus of inflectional and agreement features, which can affix-hop to V
In a root (i.e. main-clause) question, C carries a tense feature and an edge feature. The tense feature enables C to
attract a tensed constituent into the edge of CP (i.e. Spec-CP). This tense feature on C cannot attract TP from
Compl-CP into Spec-CP, since the No-Remerger Constraint bars a constituent from remerging with a head with
which it is already merged. On the other hand, the edge feature of a Q'd (i.e. interrogative) C/Force enables
C to attract an interrogative expression (i.e. an interrogative wh- operator) into Spec-CP. How can these
requirements be satisfied? (1) By moving who from Spec-TP into Spec-CP, and the tense affix from T into
C, later spelled out as an appropriately inflected form of auxiliary do; but this solution would predict that the
ungrammatical sentence *Who did call the police? should be grammatical. (2) Following Pesetsky/Torrego, by
moving just the wh- operator from Spec-TP to Spec-CP, enabling C to have (a) an interrogative specifier to
satisfy the requirement imposed by the edge feature on C, and (b) a tensed specifier to satisfy the requirement
imposed by the tense feature on C. According to Pesetsky/Torrego, who carries a tense feature by virtue of being
the subject of a tensed clause. T to C is, thus, unnecessary and therefore not permitted; and the tense features
on T affix hop down to V in PF allowing the spell-out of the tensed verb. In non-subject questions, T to C
movement of the tense affix is allowed, but in subject questions this movement is not necessary because the
wh- subject of a tensed interrogative clause carries a tense feature and thus, by moving onto Spec-CP, it
satisfies the requirement imposed by the tense feature on C.

V-MOVEMENT HYPOTHESIS (Stamboni):

ForceP
D
who

Force'
Force
V Q
loves

TP
D
who

T'
VP

Present
Imperfective
Active

3rd sg
loves

D
who

V'
V
loves

DP
D

N
Mary

juanstamb@yahoo.com: [to: Zukowski; Bonicatto]: Saturday, 28th September 2013 14:49 - Me gustara que armemos
un prctico extra con este material, para ser entregado a los alumnos una vez que se hayan presentado los
distintos tipos de SUBORDINACIN. Se podran usar los ejemplos que mando, pero habra que "disear" al
menos 10 pares ms con sus respectivas relaciones lgico/semnticas quin se anima a hacerlo?
Logical Relationships {este ejercicio le da dinamismo a la prctica gramatical}
Students must be able to intepret the semantic relationship between two syntactically related statements
in order to see whether...
they contrast
they contradict each other
they show cause and effect
they illustrate cause and effect
one explains the other
one (provides a more specific example) to illustrate the other
one explains consequence
one clarifies something implied by the other
Students must tell what the second sentence does in relation to the first, i.e. how both sentences relate to each
other. In each of the following exercises, two underlined sentences have an implied logical relationship. Read
each pair of sentences and the question that follows, and then choose the answer that identifies the relationship.
Once the logical relationship has been clearly identified, provide a syntactic connector which may link both
statements into a longer sentence. CONSIGNA: juntar las dos oraciones de cada PAR en una sola oracin
compuesta, compleja o compuesta-compleja, utilizando COORDINACIN, SUBORDINACIN u otros adjuntos, de forma tal
que se preserve la RELACIN LGICA entre ambas oraciones. Por ejemplo, para CONTRAST, los alumnos
podrn usar ADVERSATIVE COORDINATION, pero tambin CONCESSION, e incluso CONDITION.
1. a. Harry typically vacations in Tahoe.
b. Two years ago, Harry spent his vacation in Madrid.
(A) Sentence (b) clarifies an assumption
(B) Sentence (b) notes an exception
(C) Sentence (b) adds emphasis
(D) Sentence (b) draws a conclusion
2. a. Teresa has missed the last three practices of the dance step.
b. She cannot perform the maneuver.
(A) Sentence (b) presentes a consequence
(B) Sentence (b) presents the cause
(C) Sentence (b) offers proof

(D) Sentence (b) limits a preceding idea

3. a. This historic ranch, usually visited by those in search of tranquility, became a political battleground.
b. The cities of Compton and Carson each claimed ownership of the estate.
(A) Sentence (b) makes a comparison
(B) Sentence (b) provides factual support
(C) Sentence (b) describes an inevitable result
(D) Sentence (b) introduces a different point of view
juanstamb@yahoo.com [to: Zukowski; Magri; Bonicatto]: Friday, 26th July 2013 18:27 - Subject: CONSTITUENT TESTS
Gente: estoy haciendo lo de constituent tests, y me encuentro con otro de los conspicuos engendros
deformes de Radford; es lo que l llama el ADVERB TEST. Para ilustrarlo da datos sobre la posicin de
ADVERBIOS en la oracin,
(52) (a) Perhaps the chairman has resigned from the board
(b) The chairman definitely has resigned from the board
(c) The chairman has certainly resigned from the board
(d) *The probably chairman has resigned from the board
pero no distingue (como ya habamos notado) entre conjuncts, disjuncts y VP-adjuncts, aunque en general
trabaja con "disjuncts". Mezcla operaciones sintcticas de topicalizacin-en-secuencia y, tal vez, lo que yo
resuelvo en trminos de ajuncin al ncleo verbal de algunos adverbios de manera que puedan tener injerencia
aspectual o modal. En fin, todo lo que Radford dice ah es peligroso. Les pido que sean conscientes de esto y
que neutralicen cualquier pregunta o duda de alumnos que lean a Radford. Obviamente, en el handout sobre
constituent tests, este test no va a figurar. Sin embargo, sera interesante investigar las distintas posiciones
sintcticas de estos disjuncts desde otro lado, posiblemente desde una hiptesis sobre TOPICALISATION en
secuencia, o sea, (52.b) podra explicarse como merger externo de DEFINITELY en una posicin de Spec-TopP
#2, por un lado, y merger interno (movement) del sujeto desde Spec-TP hasta Spec-TopP #1, delante del otro
tpico. Algo similar habra que postular para (52.c), donde aparentemente T tambin se mueve (va HeadMovement) hasta Top #2. Habra que investigar sin en FONOLOGA y PRAGMTICA los elementos topicalizados
delante del DISJUNCT son prominentes y por qu.

ANLISIS: especificar cada tipo de anlisis de oracin:

1) argumental (theta grid de un verbo)
2) sintctico (VP + sus argumentos y adjuntos en un sintagma representado en X-barra)
3) lgico-semntico: estructura proposicional de la oracin, con un SUJETO y un PREDICADO. Se debe
identificar de qu entidad el predicado dice o predica algo. En relacin con esto habl del TPICO no marcado
(trmino de Halliday) que equivale al sujeto, en general. Habl de las oraciones tticas (sin tpico). Y suministr
oraciones y headlines para analizar desde el punto de vista lgico-proposicional, identificando el sujeto
nocional en cada caso, el sujeto de concordancia (morfosintctico), y los tpicos marcados que pudieren
posicionarse delante del sujeto.
4) textual: ac habl de las coordinaciones y de los conjuncts. Las oraciones compuestas son slo aqullas
que contienen clusulas (members) potencialmente independientes. Se pueden igualar las conjunciones
coordinantes y los conjuncts. Estos ltimos "coordinan" lgicamente una oracin con el COTEXTO (vg.
una oracin o prrafo precedentes en el texto)
Cmo explicar las adverbial clauses of result como la que marco en amarillo (donde, aparentemente, hay
movimiento de la construccin de coordinacin de adjetivos atributivos intensificados por "as", seguida de una clusula
introducida por otro tipo de "as", que aparentemente se comporta como operador o como pro-form operadora):
So, what exactly is Jupiter doing in the part of your chart that governs the renewal of lost faith?
What advantage will it bring before it departs in August?
And if it really is as positive and powerful a force as it is cracked up to be,
why doesn't it seem to be doing you much good right now?
Before it can bless you with a magical gift,
it must first set you a challenge that may appear to carry a cosmic curse.