15.3231, Disc: Deep Structure/Initial PP

[LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-15-3231. Thu Nov 18 2004. ISSN: 1068 - 4875.

Subject: 15.3231, Disc: Deep Structure/Initial PP

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1)
Date: 18-Nov-2004
From: John Harris < jharris at maths.otago.ac.nz >
Subject: Deep Structure/Initial PP



-------------------------Message 1 ----------------------------------
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 11:34:15
From: John Harris < jharris at maths.otago.ac.nz >
Subject: Deep Structure/Initial PP


The usual starting deep structure production for generativists is
S--> NP  VP. On this view, to produce a surface sentence starting with
an initial PP, such as At night I wear pajamas, a speaker must first
generate a deep-structure sentence with the PP internal to VP, and
then perform a fronting movement of the PP from its deep structure
position within the VP.  How can this be considered a realistic
assessment of the situation when the initial PP is very complex, as
in:

(1)   After  a hard night on the town with my buddies from the office
together with a few gals from the secretary pool, I woke up this morning
with a splitting headache.

There is, of course, a similar problem of how it could be realistic
to think that a hearer of (1) could possibly remember such a long
initial PP in order to move it into an interval VP position in the
deep structure version.




Linguistic Field(s): Linguistic Theories; Syntax





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