Linguistics 221A --- Foundations of English Grammar

http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~sag/L221a/2002.html

Instructor: Ivan A. Sag (sag@turing.stanford.edu)

Syllabus: Winter, 2002

This course is meant to serve as an introduction to key problems in the grammar of English and also as an introduction to the framework of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG). For a class calendar and further links relevant to class lecture and discussion, go HERE.

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1. Introduction:

Readings:

• Gert Webelhuth, Jean-Pierre Koenig, and Andreas Kathol. 1999. HPSG as a Theory of Grammar ( .ps file; .pdf file). Introduction to Lexical and Constructional Aspects of Linguistic Explanation Stanford: CSLI Publications. Pages 1--11. [just skim this]

• Carl Pollard. 1996. The Nature of Constraint-Based Grammar ( text file). Talk presented at Kyung Hee University, Seoul. Unpublished manuscript: Ohio State University. [skim this - should be easy]

• Carl Pollard and Ivan A. Sag. 1994. Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Chicago and Stanford: U. Chicago Press and CSLI Publications. Pages 1--46. [Hard copy available in course box; read this!].

Supplementary Readings:

• Andreas Kathol and Adam Przepiorkowski. 1999. Advanced Topics in HPSG ( .ps file) (only if there's time).

• Stephen Bird and Ewan Klein. 1994. Phonological Analysis in Typed Feature Systems. Computational Linguistics. (only if there's time) (.ps file; .pdf file)

B. Formal Tools: Introduction to Typed Feature Structures.

Readings:

• Stuart Shieber. 1986. An Introduction to Unification-Based Approaches to Grammar. Stanford: CSLI Publications. Pages 11--24. Available in course box. [Make sure you know what's in here.]

• Susanne Riehemann 1995. The HPSG Formalism ( .ps file; .pdf file;). Unpublished manuscript: Stanford University.

Supplementary Readings:

• Carl Pollard. 1997. Lectures on the Foundations of HPSG (.ps file; .pdf file). [skim this if you have time] Unpublished manuscript: Ohio State University. Pages 8--24.

• Bob Carpenter. 1992. The Logic of Typed Feature Structures. Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science No. 32. Cambridge: CUP.

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2. Lexicon:

Readings:

• Gosse Bouma, Frank van Eynde, and Daniel Flickinger. 2000. `Constraint-Based Lexica' ( .ps file; .pdf file). Pages 1--4. In F. Van Eynde and Dafydd Gibbon, eds., Lexicon Development for Speech and Language Processing. pages 43--75. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

• Jean-Pierre Koenig. 1999a. Two Kinds of Lexical Relations ( .ps file). In J.-P. Koenig. 1999b. Lexical Relations. Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Supplementary Readings:

• Jean-Pierre Koenig. 1999c. On-Line Type Construction ( .ps file). In J.-P. Koenig. 1999b. Lexical Relations. Stanford: CSLI Publications.

• Stephen Bird and Ewan Klein. 1994. Phonological Analysis in Typed Feature Systems. Computational Linguistics. (.ps file; .pdf file)

• Anthony Davis and Jean-Pierre Koenig. 2000. `Linking as Constraints on Word Classes in a Hierarchical Lexicon'. Language 76:56-91. Downloadable HERE.

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3. Basic Clauses:

A. Kinds of clause; kinds of meaning: Declarative clauses: propositions and outcomes. CPs. Subjunctives. Subjectless clauses.

Readings:

• Jonathan Ginzburg and Ivan A. Sag. 2000. Interrogative Investigations: The form, meaning and use of English interrogative constructions. Chapter 2: HPSG - Background. Stanford: CSLI Publications. (.ps file; .pdf file )

Supplementary Readings:

• Ginzburg and Sag. 2000. Interrogative Investigations. Chapter 3: Semantics. (.ps file; .pdf file) Stanford: CSLI Publications.

B. NPs: NP structure. Quantifier Storage and Quantifier Retrieval.

Readings:

• Ginzburg and Sag. 2000. Interrogative Investigations. Section 5.3: Quantifier Scope. ( .ps file; .pdf file) Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Supplementary Readings:

• Carl Pollard and Eun Jung Yoo. 1998. A Unified Theory of Scope for Quantifiers and Wh-Phrases. Journal of Linguistics: 34.2: 415-445. ( abstract)

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4. Binding:

Obligatory binding of coarguments. Principle B effects. Exempt anaphors.

Readings:

• Carl Pollard and Ivan A. Sag. 1994. Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Chicago and Stanford: U. Chicago Press and CSLI Publications. Chapter 6. [Hard copy available in course box].

• Ash Asudeh. 2000. Argument structure and animacy restrictions on anaphora Berkeley Linguistics Society 25. (Presented February 15, 1999). Downloadable HERE.

Supplementary Readings:

• Christopher Manning and Ivan A. Sag. 1998. Argument Structure Valence, and Binding. Nordic Journal of Linguistics 21: 107--144. ( .ps file)

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5. Control:

Controlled complements. The semantic basis of controller assignment. The interaction of control and binding: Visser's Generalization.

Readings:

• Carl Pollard and Ivan A. Sag. 1994. Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Chicago and Stanford: U. Chicago Press and CSLI Publications. Chapter 7. [Hard copy available in course box].

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6. Unbounded Dependencies:

Fillers and gaps. Extraction dependencies. Island constraints. Pied piping.

Readings:

• Jonathan Ginzburg and Ivan A. Sag. 2000. Interrogative Investigations. Chapter 5: Unbounded Dependencies (.ps file; .pdf file ). Stanford: CSLI Publications.

Supplementary Readings:

• Gosse Bouma, Robert Malouf, and Ivan A. Sag. in press. Satisfying Constraints on Extraction and Adjunction. Natural Language and Linguistic Theory. ( .ps file)

• Ivan A. Sag. 2000. Another Argument Against Wh-Trace. Jorge Hankamer Webfest. http://ling.ucsc.edu/Jorge/ . (html file)

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7. Basic Wh-Constructions:

Root and embedded interrogatives. Wh-exclamatives. Wh-interrogatives. Multiple wh-questions. `Superiority' effects.

Readings:

• Jonathan Ginzburg and Ivan A. Sag. 2000. Interrogative Investigations. Chapter 6: Basic Interrogatives and Exclamatives. (.ps file; .pdf file ). Stanford: CSLI Publications.

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