The relative proform as

Transcription

1 The relative proform as Russell Lee-Goldman University of California, Berkeley Georgetown University Roundtable on Languages and Linguistics March 2007

2 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

3 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

4 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

5 Parenthetical statements Parenthetical, or supplemental (Pullum & Huddleston 2002) statements often have the following properties: Comma intonation. Contribution of information that is parenthetical to the central, at-issue semantics (Potts 2005). Example The possibility for syntactic niching. The evidence was suppressed. = as she had claimed

6 Parenthetical statements Parenthetical, or supplemental (Pullum & Huddleston 2002) statements often have the following properties: Comma intonation. Contribution of information that is parenthetical to the central, at-issue semantics (Potts 2005). Example The possibility for syntactic niching. The evidence was suppressed. = as she had claimed

7 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

8 Parenthetical as exemplified and summarized...as we were saying CP-as (1) But she is not anti-catholic or anti-christian, as she has made clear time and again. Predicate-as (2 3) Marcus has already gone through that, as his mother had before him. Name-as (4) Unless he is able to break the two-party duopoly, as he calls it, look out America - more beer riots are on the way!

9 Parenthetical as exemplified and summarized...as we were saying We can observe the following properties: Form properties as precedes a finite clause the clause has a gap, either a proposition, a predicate, or name-like phrase. The gap is inside a syntactic island (see handout), indicating a long-distance dependency (Potts 2002b). Meaning properties Semantics of gap equated with main clause material Parenthetical / non-at-issue meaning (Potts 2005)

10 Parenthetical as exemplified and summarized...as we were saying Analysis (a preview): Form properties as-clauses are relative clauses, modifying (some part of) the matrix clause as is the relativizer, filling the gap. Meaning properties as is anaphoric. CP-as and Predicate-as are similar to one-anaphora in allowing partial identity.

11 CP-, Pred-, Name-as Subtypes of parenthetical as. Looking at the syntax... There are three types: CP-as and Predicate-as (Potts 2002b) (and Name-as) But considering the semantics... Collapse CP-as and Predicate-as into Verbal -as Define Predicate-as with subject-aux inversion as a distinct subtype of Verbal-as (Lee-Goldman & Ellsworth 2007).

12 CP-, Pred-, Name-as Subtypes of parenthetical as. Looking at the syntax... There are three types: CP-as and Predicate-as (Potts 2002b) (and Name-as) But considering the semantics... Collapse CP-as and Predicate-as into Verbal -as Define Predicate-as with subject-aux inversion as a distinct subtype of Verbal-as (Lee-Goldman & Ellsworth 2007).

13 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

14 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

15 Collapsing CP- and Pred-as We note that: Both CPs and Predicates (e.g., VP) are verb-headed, and they minimally differ by specification of the semantics of the external argument (esp. in, e.g., Copestake et al. 2005). And so we can: Constrain as to pick out a verb-headed semantic structure. Allow contradictory information in the as-clause to update the semantics, as in one- and same thing-anaphora (cf. Culicover & Jackendoff 2005).

16 Collapsing CP- and Pred-as We note that: Both CPs and Predicates (e.g., VP) are verb-headed, and they minimally differ by specification of the semantics of the external argument (esp. in, e.g., Copestake et al. 2005). And so we can: Constrain as to pick out a verb-headed semantic structure. Allow contradictory information in the as-clause to update the semantics, as in one- and same thing-anaphora (cf. Culicover & Jackendoff 2005).

17 Verbal as A simple specification: verbal as, inherit non-restrictive relative cat v syn mod max + sem 1 cat v lform as cat v max + sem contig-subset-of( 1 ) srs + fin + as clauses modify a verbal structure at the VP level or higher. The semantics is a subset of the semantics of the modified material.

18 Verbal as What this buys us: A model of partial anaphora Flexibility in modeling the syntax/semantics interface

19 Partial anaphora With CP-as: Example Yet, just as Bruno claimed for an infinite universe, this finite model has no center nor edge. I suppose we ll never know whether Bush [... ] associates this construction [noo-kyoo-lar] with folksy, hypermasculine speech (as Arnold Zwicky suggests for some other features [of his speech]). One could imagine that the United States might wish it could devalue the US dollar relative to the Mexican dollar, as was the case with respect to Japan and Europe in the early 1970s when the United States was trying to extricate itself from the [... ] exchange-rate system.

20 Partial anaphora With CP-as: Example Yet, just as Bruno claimed for an infinite universe, this finite model has no center nor edge. I suppose we ll never know whether Bush [... ] associates this construction [noo-kyoo-lar] with folksy, hypermasculine speech (as Arnold Zwicky suggests for some other features [of his speech]). One could imagine that the United States might wish it could devalue the US dollar relative to the Mexican dollar, as was the case with respect to Japan and Europe in the early 1970s when the United States was trying to extricate itself from the [... ] exchange-rate system.

21 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

22 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

23 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

24 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

25 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

26 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model has no center nor edge

27 An illustration As Bruno claimed for an infinite universe this finite model Either: has no center nor edge Bruno claimed something with respect to (the topic of) an infinite universe, namely that it has no center nor edge. Bruno claimed something with respect to (the topic of) an infinite universe, namely that the finite model has one. (cf. As he claimed earlier for right node raising, that model of grammar has now been shown to incorrectly model sluicing as well.)

28 More partial anaphora Partial anaphora with Pred-as: Example The secret police will doubtless try to make sure there are no demonstrators chanting in the streets on Saturday, as thousands did in Leipzig on Monday night. Our lodging was not free for us, as it was for our service colleagues. Or perhaps she got the name of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance close but not quite right, as she had with the Arizona Historical Society s library?

29 More partial anaphora Partial anaphora with Pred-as: Example The secret police will doubtless try to make sure there are no demonstrators chanting in the streets on Saturday, as thousands did in Leipzig on Monday night. Our lodging was not free for us, as it was for our service colleagues. Or perhaps she got the name of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance close but not quite right, as she had with the Arizona Historical Society s library?

30 Summing up verbal as Fill the (semantic and syntactic) gap to the extent necessary. Contradictory material in the as clause overrides matrix-clause semantics, though nothing can override the (semantic) head. Compare with one, same, etc.

31 A non-difficulty Unexpected prepositions: Example It s the sort of thing I find frustrating because as I was talking about, the versatility of the computer, that s really important. As you are probably aware of by now, the daylight savings time rules are changing this year. Mrs Fletcher, as you may have heard about, was the first woman to preach in the Society. A type of movement paradox (Bresnan 2001) (Mostly) straightforward semantic filling

32 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

33 As and modality CP and Predicate uses of verbal as interact differently with respect to modal operators (including negation) Example He doesn t make unilateral decisions. (as his father did ) He might be able to help us out. (as you claimed ) If the as-clause precedes the modal operator, the modality must be pushed into the as-clause (his father didn t make unilateral decisions), If it follows the operator, negation is only optionally carried over.

34 As and modality CP and Predicate uses of verbal as interact differently with respect to modal operators (including negation) Example He doesn t make unilateral decisions. (as his father did ) He might be able to help us out. (as you claimed ) If the as-clause precedes the modal operator, the modality must be pushed into the as-clause (his father didn t make unilateral decisions), If it follows the operator, negation is only optionally carried over.

35 As and Negation An exception: sentential negation is in general prohibited for the top level of the subordinate clause. Post-negation Pred-as will not take in negation. Caveat: with CP uses, sentential negation is attested, though rare. It seems utterly impossible with Predicate uses. Compare parallel sentences with proform so: *I didn t so and *(and) not so I did, as opposed to Not so, I think. Caveat the second: Sometimes pre-negation as-clauses can take in negation: I hope that he will, as his predecessor did, not make rash decisions.

36 As and Negation An exception: sentential negation is in general prohibited for the top level of the subordinate clause. Post-negation Pred-as will not take in negation. Caveat: with CP uses, sentential negation is attested, though rare. It seems utterly impossible with Predicate uses. Compare parallel sentences with proform so: *I didn t so and *(and) not so I did, as opposed to Not so, I think. Caveat the second: Sometimes pre-negation as-clauses can take in negation: I hope that he will, as his predecessor did, not make rash decisions.

37 As and Negation An exception: sentential negation is in general prohibited for the top level of the subordinate clause. Post-negation Pred-as will not take in negation. Caveat: with CP uses, sentential negation is attested, though rare. It seems utterly impossible with Predicate uses. Compare parallel sentences with proform so: *I didn t so and *(and) not so I did, as opposed to Not so, I think. Caveat the second: Sometimes pre-negation as-clauses can take in negation: I hope that he will, as his predecessor did, not make rash decisions.

38 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

39 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

40 As the relativizer Traditional accounts As is a relative pronoun, similar to which (Fowler 1926, OED). The gap is analogous to the gap in conventional relative clauses. Recent treatments As is a preposition, similar to like (Potts 2002a, 2002b, 2005, Pullum & Huddleston 2002). The gap is licenced by a null operator. What advantage is there to choosing one over the other?

41 Relativizer or preposition? A relativizer account gives us (section 3 on handout): the ability to account for non-adjacent modification (e.g., sentence-initial Predicate-as) a parallel with so Some hints on ordering restrictions (later) a contrast with non-relativizer like Observe possibility of SAI ((3) on handout)

42 Relativizer or preposition? But we have (seemingly against the general syntactic constraints of English) licensed the order relative+head. allowed subject-auxiliary inversion in a relative clause.

43 Relativizer or preposition? But we have (seemingly against the general syntactic constraints of English) licensed the order relative+head. allowed subject-auxiliary inversion in a relative clause. To which we can say: Such orders are not conventional relative clauses, but correlative relatives. As goes Maine, so goes the nation. The wider you make it, the more unstable it becomes. SAI in as-clauses has an unpredictable semantics and pragmatics in any case, one which is similar to other cases of main-clause phenomena in embedded contexts.

44 Relativizer or preposition? But we have (seemingly against the general syntactic constraints of English) licensed the order relative+head. allowed subject-auxiliary inversion in a relative clause. Potts s (2002b) arguments against as being the extractee?

45 Ordering restrictions As-clauses can appear sentence-initially, except: Example % As have her friends, Joan has started smoking. * As his friends call him, Big-C is actually really intelligent. Oddities with these sentences: SAI in 1, name/entity type-shifting in 2. Indicative of a pocket of conventional relative clauses among the subtypes of parenthetical as

46 Outline 1 Introducing as Parentheticals Parenthetical as 2 Semantics Underspecification Modality 3 Syntax As as relativizer 4 Summary

47 Conclusions and unfinished business CP- and Predicate-as are two uses of the same construction. Parenthetical as has strong parallels with so, expected given the former is historically derived from the latter. A relative clause analysis of parenthetical as is not a simple cosmetic change. In the future: Explore the constraints on interaction with negation and other modalities. Consider the relationships with other as constructions.

48 Thanks! Acknowledgements go to: my collaborator Michael Ellsworth, and participants of the UC Berkeley Syntax/Semantics Circle, and the Neural Theory of Language group.

49 For further reading BRESNAN, JOAN Lexical-Functional Syntax. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. COPESTAKE, ANN, DAN FLICKINGER, CARL POLLARD, & IVAN SAG Minimal Recursion Semantics: An Introduction. Research on Language and Computation CULICOVER, PETER W., & RAY JACKENDOFF Simpler Syntax. Oxford University Press. FOWLER, H. W Modern English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. LEE-GOLDMAN, RUSSELL, & MICHAEL ELLSWORTH As two constructions, not single preposition. Presented at the 81st Annual LSA Meeting, Anaheim, CA. POTTS, CHRISTOPHER. 2002a. The Lexical Semantics of Parenthetical-as and Appositive-which. Syntax b. The Syntax and Semantics of As-Parentheticals. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory The Logic of Conventional Implicature. Oxford: Oxford University Press. PULLUM, GEOFFREY K., & RODNEY HUDDLESTON (eds.) The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.