Constraint-based Syntax 2: Week 3
Maximal phrase types
In Week 1, the following 3 phrase types were introduced: hd-subj-ph, hd-spr-ph, and hd-comp-ph.
Head-Specifier Phrases
Exercise: parse the 3 expressions cat, a, and a cat in order to see how the valence features of the noun drive the formation of the hd-spr-ph the cat.
Online Grammar for Chapter 2: HPSG Background
For the moment, there is little more to say about head-specifier phrases.
Clauses and non-clauses
Following traditional grammar, GS make use of the concept of clauses, i.e. declarative clauses, interrogative clauses, etc. All clauses are phrases, but there are of course non-clausal phrases as well, for instance, VPs, NPs, APs, and PPs. In order to license these non-clausal phrases, GS postulate the following subtypes of hd-comp-ph, to which we have added the subtype sbjn-vp to license subjunctive VPs:
| Subtype | Full name | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fin-vp | Finite verb phrase | snores, likes Fido |
| sbjn-vp | Subjunctive verb phrase | dance, smile |
| nf-hc-ph | Non-finite head-complement phrase | dancing, depended on Fido, afraid of Fido, picture of Lilly |
| cp-ph | Complementizer phrase | that Lilly danced, for Lilly to like Fido |
Exercise: parse all of the examples above and examine the structure of the respective phrases and how they are licensed by the information in the head daughter (HEAD, VFORM, and COMPS).
Online Grammar for Chapter 2: HPSG Background
Clauses
All clauses have in common that they are phrases and that they must have a content of type message, as follows:
| Clause type | Full name | Content value | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| decl-clause | declarative clause | austinian | Lilly danced. |
| inter-clause | interrogative clause | question | Does Lilly dance?, Who danced? |
| imp-clause | imperative clause | outcome | Dance! |
| excl-clause | exclamative clause | fact | What a cat!, Is Lilly smart! |
Head-Complement Phrases