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Funnynps

This document contains examples of "funny NPs" or non-canonical noun phrases like "there", "it", and idiomatic phrases like "spill the beans" and "kick the bucket". The examples show that these funny NPs can only occur in very constrained syntactic structures. When they can occur in other structures, it provides evidence that a syntactic rule has applied to move the NP from its original construction. Studying these funny NPs helps reveal the underlying constituent structure of sentences, similar to staining slides under a microscope.

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Ibrahim Adegolou
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133 views1 page

Funnynps

This document contains examples of "funny NPs" or non-canonical noun phrases like "there", "it", and idiomatic phrases like "spill the beans" and "kick the bucket". The examples show that these funny NPs can only occur in very constrained syntactic structures. When they can occur in other structures, it provides evidence that a syntactic rule has applied to move the NP from its original construction. Studying these funny NPs helps reveal the underlying constituent structure of sentences, similar to staining slides under a microscope.

Uploaded by

Ibrahim Adegolou
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Funny NPs

Dummies:
there
itAmbient
itPath

itExtraposition

There is a unicorn in the garden.


I want there to be a unicorn in the garden.
* I told there to be a unicorn in the garden.
Its raining. Its cold today. Its third down and twelve.
It seems to be raining/cold/third down and twelve.
* I ordered it to be raining/cold/third down and twelve.
Its a long way to Tipperary.
It appears to be a long way to Tipperary.
* It tried to be a long way to Tipperary.
Its too bad (that) she left. I like it *(that) he stayed.
* Its afraid (that) she left. *I tried it (that) he stayed.

Idiom Chunks:
headway

Weve tried to make headway on the problem.


Headway seems to have been made on the problem.
* Headway wants to be made on the problem.
the beans
Hes totally spilled the beans.
The beans appear to have been spilled.
* The beans tried to be spilled.
the cat
You let the cat out of the bag.
The cat is believed to have been let out of the bag.
* The cat claims to have been let out of the bag
the shit
The shit is about to hit the fan.
He believes the shit to be about to hit the fan.
* He told the shit to hit the fan.
Xs leg
Watch out; shes pulling your leg.
Your leg is altogether too easy to pull.
* Your leg is altogether too eager to pull.
the bucket The old man kicked the bucket last night.
* The bucket was kicked by the old man last night.

Conclusion: Funny NPs* (dummies, idiom chunks, various others) can


provide arguments for various kinds of constituent structures, since they
can occur only in very highly-constrained structures. When they can occur
grammatically elsewhere, they are evidence that they have been moved;
i.e, some syntactic rule has applied to separate the funny NP from its
originating construction. This is analogous to the practice in biology of
staining slides to show the structure of the material under the microscope.
*

This is a technical term. See McCawleys The Syntactic Phenomena of English, 2nd Ed, 3c.iii, pp.74-79.

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