Null ConstituentsAn introduction to SyntaxPresented by: Innovative Group

Liaqat Ali MohsinYasir SubhaniTahir NadeemM. ShahbazFaisal Mehmood

•Called empty categories•Null categories have no overt phonetic features•They have semantic and grammatical functions in the sentence

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•Subjects have no overt phonetic features•They have semantic and grammatical functions in the sentence

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Null Subject1. Nonfinite Null Subject

e.g. She would like (you) to stay

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TP

T’PRNshe

VPT

wouldTPV

like

T’PRNPRO/You/θ

VTto stay

Null Subject1. Imperative Null Subject (2nd person is

conceived)1. (You) don’t lose your nerve2. Don’t lose your nerve

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TP

T’PRNYou/ᵠ

VPT

don’tDPV

lose

Dyour

Nnerve

Null Subject1. Truncated Null Subject. (informal use of

English)1. I can find my pen2. Can find my pen

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TP

T’PRNI/ᵠ

VPT

Can DPVfind

Npen

DMy

Null Subject1. Finite Null Subject (some languages)

1. Found in Italian Language▫speaker a: Maria e` tornata?▫Maria is returned? (‘Has Maria returned?’)▫speaker b: Sı`, pro e` tornata▫Yes, pro is returned (‘Yes, she has returned’)

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• No auxiliary with finite clauses•They have semantic and grammatical functions in the sentence•Auxiliary is left because of Gapping process (Head of phrase is null spell out)•Have Cliticisation is not possible because of null auxiliary•Have Cliticisation is test for null auxiliary

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Null Auxiliary1. Null Auxiliary in finite clauses

1. She could have helped him2. She have helped him

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TP

T’PRNShe

AUXPT

Could/ᵠVPAux

have

PRNhim

Vhelped

TP

T’PRNShe

VPT

hasDPV

left

Nhome

Dher

• All finite clauses are TPs headed by an overt or null T constituent,

• It is the locus of the tense properties of a clause.• The T head plays role in determining the

meaning of the overall structure

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NULL T IN INDICATIVE MOOD

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TP

T’PRNshe

VPTᵠ

NPsyntax

Venjoys

1. She enjoys syntax2. She enjoyed syntax3. Did/does have tense affixes, ed/s

TP

T’PRNshe

VPTᵠ

NPsyntax

Venjoyed

NULL T

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TP

T’PRNshe

VPTdoes

NPsyntax

Venjoy

TP

T’PRNshe

VPTdo+Af3sPres/Af3sPres

NPsyntax

Venjoy

1. She does enjoy syntax. She enjoys syntax2. Second sentence has no auxiliary but it determines

mood and tense

TP

T’PRNshe

VPT

NPsyntax

Venjoys

AFFIX HOPPING▫ In PF components, many morphological operations apply▫ One of them is Affix Hopping▫ At PF, an unattached affix Af is lowered onto the head of

the complement of the constituent that contains Af. ▫ He enjoys syntax and has learned a lot (coordination is

only of similar things)

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TP

T’PRNshe

VPTdoes

NPsyntax

Venjoy

TP

T’PRNshe

VPTAf3sPres

NPsyntax

Venjoy

TP

T’PRNshe

VPT

NPsyntax

Venjoys

• All finite clauses are TPs headed by an overt or null T constituent

• Subjunctive clause is also a type of infinite clause• In it, subjunctive modal can optionally have a null

spell out

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• She wanted that he (should)have a chance

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TP

VPPRNshe

CPV

wantedTPC

that

T’PRNhe

VPTShould/ᵠ

DPVhave

Da

AP

Asecond

Nchance

NULL T IN SUBJUNCTIVE CLAUSES

T’

Tᵠ/Af

• All Infinite clauses are TPs headed by an overt or null T constituent with V or VP complement

• The head of an infinitive clause is null spell out

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• I can let you (to) have my password

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TP

T’PRNI

VPT

canTPV

let

T’PRNyou

VPTto

DPVhave

Dmy

Npassword

NULL T IN INFINITIVE CLAUSES

• All finite & infinite clauses are TPs headed by an overt or null T constituent.

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TP

T’PRNshe

VPT

Af3sPres/ᵠTPV

want

T’PRNhim

VPT

to/ ᵠNP

syntaxV

enjoy

NULL T IN FINITE AND INFINITE CLAUSES

• The complementizer (if, that)in finite clause is omitted

• That makes declarative force while if makes interrogative force

• It helps to determine uniform characterization of all finite clauses that they manifest force feature

• Complementizer is obligatory in subjunctive clause

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•She said (that) she was tired

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TP

VP

PRNshe

CPVsaid

TPCThat/ᵠ

T’PRNshe

Vtired

Twas

•NULL C IN FINITE CLAUSES

T’

Tᵠ

•I wonder where (that)she has gone

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TP

VP

PRNI

TPVwonder

CPPRNwhere

TPCThat/ᵠ

T’PRNshe

•NULL C IN FINITE CLAUSES

Thas

Vgone

T’

Tᵠ/Af

• All constituents of the same type belong to the same category

• All the clauses with the same force belong to same category

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CP

TPCᵠ

T’PRNI

VPTam

Vfeeling

•CATEGORY UNIFORMITY PRINCIPLE

Athirsty

• The clause is interpreted as force it has• There can be declarative, interrogative, exclamative

and imperative force

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CP

TPCᵠ

T’PRNyou

VPTare

Vhiding

•FORCE INTERPRETATION CONDITION

Nnuts

VP

Vknow

TP

PRNI

CP

TPCᵠ

T’PRNyou

VPTare

Vhiding

VPV

wonderPRN

I

TP

TP

PRNwhere

Nnuts

T’

Tᵠ/Af

T’

Tᵠ/Af

• The complementizer (for)in infinite clause is omitted

• That makes declarative force while if makes interrogative force

• Complementizer is found with the help of coordination test of clauses

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•She wanted (for) him to visit a doctor

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TP

VP

PRNshe

CPVwanted

TPCfor/ᵠ

T’PRNhim

VPTto

•NULL C IN INFINITE CLAUSES

V visit

DP

D a

Ndoctor

• This example indicates Null C (for)

• I want (for)[Mary to come to Japan] and [for her to see my parents]

T’

Tᵠ/Af

• Nouns and pronouns have specific morphological cases

• Cases are nominative (he), accusative (him)and genitive(his)

• Null complementizer determine the case of pronouns• C command (the effect on immediate following

constituents) plays important role in all operations especially case marking

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• A transitive head assigns accusative case to noun or pronoun which is C commanded

• Nominative case if C commanded by intransitive finite C (that, if) or Null C

• Null case if C commanded by null intransitive infinite C

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TP

T’PRNI

VPTwould

CPVprefer

TPCFor/ᵠ

T’PRNhim

• NULL C AND CASE MAKING AND STRUCTURAL CASE ASSIGNMENT

T to

VP

V meet

PRNthem

• I would prefer for/ᵠ him to meet them (Null C & Trans V)

• Every one knows that, If/ᵠ he is crazy (Null finite C)

• I will arrange for[PRO to see a specialist](C commanded by Null Intransitive infinite C)

• Operations apply as early in a derivation as possible

• Derivation is the accusative case which is C commanded by transitive verb

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TP

T’PRNI

VPTwould

CPVprefer

TPCFor/ᵠ

T’PRNhim

•EARLINESS PRINCIPLE

T to

VP

V meet

PRNthem

• The exceptional or incomplete clauses because it lacks CP layer

• They are different from complete clauses which have CP layer

• They have infinitive complement clauses• They are called Exceptional Case-Marking

Clauses or ECM clauses• They can’t be coordinated with for-infinitives

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• They believe him to be innocent

• There is no CP in this TP• This complement clause can’t

be coordinated with “for him to hurt you”

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TP

VPPRNThey

TPVbelieve

T’PRNhim

Tto

•DEFECTIVE CLAUSES

VP

Vbe A

innocent

T’

Tᵠ

• A constituent in the domain of (i.e. c-commanded by) a complementiser is impenetrable to (and so cannot be attracted by) a higher head c-commanding the complementiser

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•IMPENETRABILITY CONDITION

[CP [C Ø] [TP You [Tweren’t] intended [CP [Cfor] [TP you [Tto] hurt anyone]]]]

• Nominals are noun expressions• Bare nominals are headed by overt determiner or

quantifier• The null determiners indicate the definite nouns• Bare nominals are coordinated with DP’s

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• The assumption that all definite noun expressions are DP’s (including null determiners) is known as DP Hypothesis

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CP

TPCᵠ

T’DP

VPTAf

DPVadmire

MaryDᵠ

•BARE NOMINALS AND DP HYPOTHESIS

• John admires Mary• John and [the chairman] are attending a

meeting (test for Null D)• Eggs and many dairy products cause

cholesterol• I’d like toasts and some coffee please

Dᵠ

NJohn

QP

Qᵠ

NEggs/toasts

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