Detecting Complements and Adjuncts Rajat Kumar Mohanty Center for Indian Language Technology IIT...

Detecting Complements and Adjuncts

Rajat Kumar MohantyCenter for Indian Language Technology

IIT Bombay

Monday, July 11, 2005 CFILT

Outline

X-bar Theory Revisited Complement and Adjuncts within an NP Detecting Complements and Adjuncts

Structural Ambiguity Phrase Structure Rules for Noun Phrases Reordering of Adjuncts Co-ordination Extraposition Preposing Co-occurrence Restrictions

Generalization Exercises


X-bar Theory

It tells us how words are combined to make phrases and sentences.

It captures the commonality between different types of phrases, which PS-rules cannot.


X-bar Projection

XP

X `

X ZP

YP

(Maximal projection)

(Intermediate projection)

(Minimal projection)


X-bar Projection

XP

X `

X ZP

YP

(X-phrase)

(Head)

(Complement)

(Specifier)


X-bar Projection

XP

X `

X

ZP

YP

(Complement)

(Specifier)

X `

ZP(Head)

(Adjunct)


X-bar Projection

NP

N `

PPcomplement

NPspecifier

John’s Nhead

solution

to the problem


X-bar Projection

NP

N `

of the cricket match

theN `

discussion

in the cabinet meeting

Detspecifier

NheadPPcomplement

PPadjunct


Complement and Adjuncts within an NP

NP

N `

Nhead

PPadjunct

Detspecifier

of NLP

aN `

PPcomplement

student

with long hair


Structural Ambiguity in an NP

A student [of high moral principles] Is there any ambiguity in this NP ?

a person who studies high moral principles a student who has high moral principles

This ambiguity can be characterized in structural terms


a person who studies high moral principles

NP

N `

of high moral principles

a

student

Detspecifier

NheadPPcomplement


a student who has high moral principles

NP

N `

of moral principles

aN `

student

Detspecifier

Nhead

PPadjunct


Examples

1. Arguments [with John] are often pointless. (???)

2. Arguments [with few premises] are often pointless. (???)

3. Arguments [with John] [with few premises] are often pointless.

4. *Arguments [with few premises] [with John] are often pointless.


Phrase Structure Rules for Noun Phrases The complement must precede an adjunct. Rules

NP N’ (PP) adjunct rule N’ N (PP) complement rule

Examples1. a student [of Physics] [with long hair]

2. * a student [with long hair] [of Physics]


Phrase Structure Rules for Noun Phrases Adjunct rules are recursive. A complement rule is not recursive, i.e., it

can apply only once.

Examples1. a student [with long hair] [with short arms]

2. * a student [of Physics] [of Chemistry]


Reordering of Adjuncts

Unlike complements which have to precede adjuncts, adjuncts can be freely reordered with respect to each other.

1. a student [with long hair] [with short arms]

2. a student [with short arms] [with long hair]


Co-ordination

Complements can be co-ordinated with other complements.

a student [of linguistics] and [of Computer Science]

Adjuncts can be co-ordinated with other adjuncts. a student [with short arms] and [with long hair]

But adjunct PPs and complements PPs cannot be co-ordinated.

* a student [of Physics] and [with short arms] * a student [with short arms] and [of Physics]


Extraposition

Adjuncts are less tightly bound to the head noun than complements.

It is possible to extrapose adjuncts PPs but not possible to extrapose complement PPs.

Examples1. A student [with long hair] came to see me yesterday.2. ? A student came to see me yesterday [with long

hair].3. * A student came to see me yesterday [of Physics].


Preposing

Complements and Adjuncts behave differently with respect to preposing.

Examples1. [What branch of linguistics] is John a student of?2. * [What kind of hair] is John a student with?

Note that Complements and Adjuncts go in opposite directions with respect to Extraposition and Preposing.

Heads are more closely related to their complements than to their adjuncts.


Co-occurrence Restrictions

Heads place significant restrictions (i.e. , subcategorisation) on what can appear as their complement.

1. a student of NLP2. * a boy of NLP3. * a girl of NLP4. * a teenager of NLP

No similar restrictions are imposed on adjuncts. a student with long hair a boy with long hair a girl with long hair a teenager with long hair


Generalization

Heads are more closely related to their complements than to their adjuncts.

Subcategorisation restrictions hold only between a head and its complement, not between a head and its adjuncts.


Exercise-I

Identify the complements and adjuncts in the following NPs:

1. your reply [to my letter]2. the attack [on Starr]3. the loss [of the ship]4. John’s disgust [at Mary’s behavior]5. his disillusionment [with life]6. the book [on the table]7. the advertisement [on the television]8. the fight [after the match]9. his resignation [because of the scandal]10. a cup [with a broken handle]


Exercise-II

Provide trees for the bracketed NPs in the following sentences: I met [a specialist in fibreoptics from Japan]. [The journey from Mumbai to Delhi on the

Christmas Day] was tiring. [The discussion of the riots in the bar] was full and

frank. [The solution to the problem given by John] is

better than the solution given by Mary. [The solution to last week’s quiz on page 20] is a

better one.


Sources and Suggested Readings Introduction to Government and Binding

Theory, 2nd edn., Liliane Haegeman, Blackwell, 1994.

Syntactic Structures Revisited, Howard Lasnik, MIT Press, 2000.

Bhatt, R. 2003. Introduction to Syntax. Principles and Parameters, Peter Culicover,

Oxford, 1997.


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Detecting Complements and Adjuncts Rajat Kumar Mohanty Center for Indian Language Technology IIT...

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