Podcast
Questions and Answers
According to the constraint-based model, which factor has the LEAST influence on the initial stages of syntactic ambiguity resolution?
According to the constraint-based model, which factor has the LEAST influence on the initial stages of syntactic ambiguity resolution?
- Frequency of subcategorization frames
- Lexical ambiguity (correct)
- Thematic relations
- Context effects
The garden-path model suggests that multiple syntactic structures are activated and considered simultaneously when processing ambiguous sentences.
The garden-path model suggests that multiple syntactic structures are activated and considered simultaneously when processing ambiguous sentences.
False (B)
Briefly explain how the principle of minimal attachment influences sentence parsing, as proposed by the garden-path model.
Briefly explain how the principle of minimal attachment influences sentence parsing, as proposed by the garden-path model.
Minimal attachment prefers the simplest syntactic structure to be built initially.
The principle of _____ _____ suggests that a person parsing a sentence attempts to attach new words or phrases into the phrase structure being built.
The principle of _____ _____ suggests that a person parsing a sentence attempts to attach new words or phrases into the phrase structure being built.
Match the phrase structure rule with its description:
Match the phrase structure rule with its description:
Which type of clause functions as an adjective, modifying a noun?
Which type of clause functions as an adjective, modifying a noun?
A reduced relative clause always contains an explicit relative pronoun (e.g., 'who', 'which', 'that').
A reduced relative clause always contains an explicit relative pronoun (e.g., 'who', 'which', 'that').
What is the term for a phrase that introduces a clause, often including a complementizer?
What is the term for a phrase that introduces a clause, often including a complementizer?
In psycholinguistics, the difficulty experienced when processing a temporarily ambiguous sentence is known as the garden path _______.
In psycholinguistics, the difficulty experienced when processing a temporarily ambiguous sentence is known as the garden path _______.
Match the following clause types with their function in a sentence:
Match the following clause types with their function in a sentence:
Which of the following describes incremental processing in sentence comprehension?
Which of the following describes incremental processing in sentence comprehension?
Which of the following is the best description of a 'phrase' in the context of clausal structure?
Which of the following is the best description of a 'phrase' in the context of clausal structure?
A sentence can only have one possible tree diagram representation, regardless of its complexity.
A sentence can only have one possible tree diagram representation, regardless of its complexity.
A sentence like 'The horse raced past the barn fell' is a classic example of what?
A sentence like 'The horse raced past the barn fell' is a classic example of what?
Global ambiguity means a sentence has only one possible interpretation, but it is difficult to process.
Global ambiguity means a sentence has only one possible interpretation, but it is difficult to process.
Briefly explain how constituency tests are used to resolve structural ambiguity.
Briefly explain how constituency tests are used to resolve structural ambiguity.
The process of classifying verbs based on the types of phrases they require is known as ______.
The process of classifying verbs based on the types of phrases they require is known as ______.
Match the verb type with its correct description:
Match the verb type with its correct description:
Which of the following describes the relationship between a matrix clause and an embedded clause?
Which of the following describes the relationship between a matrix clause and an embedded clause?
Which type of clause functions as a noun phrase within a larger sentence?
Which type of clause functions as a noun phrase within a larger sentence?
A finite clause is a clause that does not contain a tense marker.
A finite clause is a clause that does not contain a tense marker.
Flashcards
Independent Clause
Independent Clause
A clause that can stand alone as a sentence.
Dependent Clause
Dependent Clause
A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and functions as a noun, adjective, or adverb.
Matrix Clause
Matrix Clause
The main clause in a sentence, under which other clauses may be embedded.
Embedded Clause
Embedded Clause
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Root Clause
Root Clause
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Reduced Relative Clause
Reduced Relative Clause
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Local Ambiguity
Local Ambiguity
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Garden Path Model
Garden Path Model
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Minimal Attachment
Minimal Attachment
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Late Closure
Late Closure
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Constraint-Based Model
Constraint-Based Model
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Thematic Relations
Thematic Relations
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Frequency of Subcategorization Frames
Frequency of Subcategorization Frames
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What is a phrase?
What is a phrase?
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Constituency Tests
Constituency Tests
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Substitution Test
Substitution Test
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Phrase Structure Rules
Phrase Structure Rules
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Recursion in Grammar
Recursion in Grammar
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Structural Ambiguity
Structural Ambiguity
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Subcategorization
Subcategorization
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What is a clause?
What is a clause?
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Study Notes
- The LIN102 in-person midterm examination will be on February 25, 2025.
- Familiarize yourself with the exam location before the midterm.
- The exam is two hours long.
- It covers material from weeks 1-6, excluding Syntactic Movement covered on Week 6.
- Exam material includes lecture slides and readings such as chapters from the Moulton and Sedivy readings.
- Question types include close-ended (true/false, multiple choice) and open-ended questions, like supplying phrase/sentence-level answers or drawing tree diagrams.
- Bring a blue/black pen, pencil, and eraser.
- Bring your TCard or government-issued ID.
- Arrive 5-10 minutes before the exam to avoid delays.
- No aids are permitted during the exam.
- An appendix with the phrase structure rules (PSRs) will be available during the exam.
Study Suggestions
- Understand the concepts/terminologies listed in the study guide.
- Review quizzes and homework, understand mistakes and how to avoid repeating them.
- Be able to answer questions related to the topic objectives.
- Practice with the Extra Practice Exercises to improve analytical skills.
Week 01: Introduction; Syntactic Categories
- Understand the relation between productivity and systematicity in language study.
- Know prescriptive versus descriptive approaches to studying language.
- Name the different multiple levels of representation involved with language.
- Name and describe the different subfields of linguistics.
- The relevant concepts includes: productivity in language, systematicity in language, prescriptive vs descriptive approach, linguistic competence, grammar, phonetics, phonology, and morphology.
- State questions and methods in theoretical linguistics and psycholinguistics.
- Distinguish between grammatical and ungrammatical sentences.
- Contrast grammaticality and acceptability.
- Explain what is represented by interlinear glossing.
- Explain the importance of syntactic categories and identify a word's category in a sentence.
- Explain why meaning is problematic when determining a word's syntactic category.
- State tests (morphology, syntactic distribution) used to determine a word's syntactic category.
- Learn what a distinguishing environment is.
- Distinguish between lexical and functional categories.
- Explain how syntactic categories and distribution can differ across languages.
- Other relevant concepts includes: syntax, semantics, pragmatics, theoretical linguistics, psycholinguistics, syntactic patterns, grammaticality judgement, grammaticality vs acceptability, interlinear glossing, syntactic categories, syntactic distribution, distinguishing environment, lexical vs functional categories.
Week 02: Words (Morphology)
- Explain how to identify a morpheme in a language.
- Describe how morphological complexity varies across languages.
- Determine different morphemes in a language other than English using a dataset.
- Identify morphemes as roots, stems/bases, or affixes (and their types), and categorize them as free or bound.
- Identify different allomorphs of a morpheme from a dataset.
- The relevant concepts includes: morpheme, free vs bound morpheme, root vs stem/base and affixes.
- Draw morphological trees for the morphological structure of words, including compounds.
- Draw morphological trees for structurally ambiguous words/compounds, and explain corresponding meanings.
- Distinguish between inflection and derivation.
- Identify if an affix is inflectional or derivational.
- Distinguish between exocentric and endocentric compounds.
- Criteria to distinguish compounds from phrases.
- Name other morphological or word formation processes besides affixation and compounding.
- Explain the findings of the Wug Test.
- Other relevant concepts includes: prefix, suffix, infix, circumfix, allomorph, analytic/isolating language, synthetic/polysynthetic language, morphological trees, inflection, derivation, compound, exocentric vs endocentric compound, internal change, suppletion, partial reduplication, full reduplication, and the Wug Test.
Week 03: Phrasal Structure
- Describe constituents and their importance in syntax.
- Apply constituency tests to a string of words.
- Describe procedures for different constituency tests and interpret the results.
- The relevant concepts includes: syntactic constituent and constituency test.
- Define a phrase and describe ways to indicate phrase boundaries.
- Describe relations between nodes in a tree using labels like parent/child/sister and head/dependent.
- Explain phrase structure rules.
- Identify notations in phrase structure rules.
- Draw tree diagrams for English sentences based on phrase structure rules.
- Other relevant concepts includes: phrase, head, dependent, node, parent(hood)/mother(hood), child(hood)/daughter(hood), sister(hood)/sibling(hood), substitution test, pro-form, movement test, clefting test, topicalization, pseudo-clefting and fragment test.
- Explain recursion and its relation to generativity in grammar.
- Correctly represent phrasal structures in trees.
Week 04: Clausal Structure
- Describe sentences that are structurally ambiguous.
- Draw trees to represent structurally ambiguous sentences and their meanings.
- Use constituency tests to determine tree diagrams for sentences/clauses.
- The relevant concepts includes: lexical vs structural ambiguity.
- Describe subcategorization and formulate subcategorization frames for verbs based on data.
- Identify clauses in a sentence and the types of clauses.
- Identify relative clauses, and any gaps in a relative clause.
- Relevant concepts includes various types of clauses: clause, independent vs dependent, matrix vs embedded, finite vs non-finite, root, subject vs complement, adjunct, relative, reduced relative, and relative clause gaps.
- Correctly represent clausal structures in trees.
- Explain why CPs are considered constituents and name the subcategories of Cs.
- Determine the tense and aspect of verbs, auxiliary/main verbs and whether a sentence is active/passive.
- Formulate phrase structure rules based on non-English data.
- Determine if a language is head-initial/final/mixed, and its basic word order.
- Other relevant concepts includes: complementizer, complementizer phrase (CP), subject vs predicate, tense-aspect system, passive, coordinated clauses, head-initial vs final vs mixed and word order in languages.
Week 05: Parsing Ambiguity
- Describe questions commonly answered in psycholinguistics.
- Name some of the behavioral measures used in psycholinguistic methods.
- Differentiate between global and local ambiguity.
- Explain why locally ambiguous sentences have processing difficulty.
- Relevant concepts includes: incremental processing, global vs local ambiguity.
- Explain what incremental processing is.
- Identify local ambiguity types that cause garden path effects.
- Describe what the garden path model proposes about syntactic parsing, differentiate between late closure and minimal attachment and use the garden-path model to explain how syntactic ambiguity is resolved and whether there will be difficulty.
- Other relevant concepts includes: garden path model/theory, garden path sentence, garden path effect, processing difficulty/cost, embedded object/matrix subject ambiguity, main clause/reduced relative clause ambiguity, NP/S ambiguity, initial analysis, reanalysis, late closure, and minimal attachment
Week 06: Parsing Ambiguity (cont., on constraint-based models)
- Explain how the constraint-based model differs from the garden-path model and its principles of resolving syntactic ambiguity.
- Relevant concepts includes: constraint-based model.
- Explain how different information sources impact processing of thematic relations and frequency of subcategorization frames.
- Other relevant concepts includes: thematic relations, frequency of subcategorization frames and context effects.
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Description
Explore sentence parsing with minimal attachment and constraint-based models. Learn how syntactic ambiguity is resolved and the roles of different sentence structures. Understand phrase structure rules and clause types in sentence processing.
