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Detecting Complements and Adjuncts
Rajat Kumar Mohanty
Center for Indian Language Technology
IIT Bombay
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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
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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.
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X-bar Projection
XP
X `
X ZP
YP
(Maximal projection)
(Intermediate projection)
(Minimal projection)
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X-bar Projection
XP
X `
X ZP
YP
(X-phrase)
(Head)
(Complement)
(Specifier)
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X-bar Projection
XP
X `
X
ZP
YP
(Complement)
(Specifier)
X `
ZP(Head)
(Adjunct)
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X-bar Projection
NP
N `
PPcomplement
NPspecifier
Johns Nhead
solution
to the problem
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X-bar Projection
NP
N `
of the cricket match
theN `
discussion
in the cabinet
meeting
Detspecifier
NheadPPcomplement
PPadjunct
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Complement and Adjuncts within an NP
NP
N `
Nhead
PPadjunct
Detspecifier
of NLP
aN `
PPcomplement
student
with long hair
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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
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a person who studies high moral principles
NP
N `
of high moral principles
a
student
Detspecifier
NheadPPcomplement
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a student who has high moral principles
NP
N `
of moral principles
aN `
student
Detspecifier
Nhead
PPadjunct
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Examples
1. Arguments [with John] are often pointless. (???)2. Arguments [with few premises] are often pointless.
(???)
3. Arguments [with John] [with few premises] are oftenpointless.
4. *Arguments [with few premises] [with John] are often
pointless.
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Phrase Structure Rules for Noun Phrases
The complement must precede an adjunct. Rules
NPN (PP) adjunct rule
N N (PP) complement rule
Examples
1. a student [of Physics] [with long hair]2. * a student [with long hair] [of Physics]
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Phrase Structure Rules for Noun Phrases
Adjunct rules are recursive.
A complement rule is not recursive, i.e., itcan apply only once.
Examples
1. a student [with long hair] [with short arms]
2. * a student [of Physics] [of Chemistry]
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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]
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Co-ordination
Complements can be co-ordinated with othercomplements.
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]
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Extraposition
Adjuncts are less tightly bound to the headnoun than complements.
It is possible to extrapose adjuncts PPs but not
possible to extrapose complement PPs. Examples
1. 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].
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Preposing
Complements and Adjuncts behave differentlywith respect to preposing.
Examples
1. [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 inopposite directions with respect to Extraposition
and Preposing. Heads are more closely related to their
complements than to their adjuncts.
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Co-occurrenceRestrictions Heads place significant restrictions (i.e. ,
subcategorisation) on what can appear as theircomplement.
1. a student of NLP
2. * a boy of NLP
3. * 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
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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.
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Exercise-I
Identify the complements and adjuncts in thefollowing NPs:
1. your reply [to my letter]
2. the attack [on Starr]
3. the loss [of the ship]4. Johns disgust [at Marys 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]
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Exercise-II
Provide trees for the bracketed NPs in thefollowing sentences: I met [a specialist in fibreoptics from Japan].
[The journey from Mumbai to Delhi on theChristmas Day] was tiring.
[The discussion of the riots in the bar] was full andfrank.
[The solution to the problem given by John] isbetter than the solution given by Mary.
[The solution to last weeks quiz on page 20] is abetter one.
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Sources and Suggested Readings
Introduction to Government and BindingTheory, 2nd edn., Liliane Haegeman,Blackwell, 1994.
Syntactic Structures Revisited, HowardLasnik, MIT Press, 2000.
Bhatt, R. 2003. Introduction to Syntax.
Principles and Parameters, Peter Culicover,Oxford, 1997.
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THANK YOU