Linguistics 55							Spring 2009


Assignment 13
Due Friday, May 15

I:  German Word Order

The word order of main clauses in German is strikingly different from the
word order of embedded clauses.  In this problem set you will analyze both
types of word order. 

PART A

Assume that the word order of simple German embedded clauses is produced
directly by the phrase structure rules (i.e. no transformations are involved).

Using the examples below, propose a set of phrase structure rules for embedded
clauses in German.  The examples will give some clues about the order in main
clauses, which you can comment on as you notice it; but the main task in this
part is to devise a grammar that accounts for the word order inside embedded
clauses.  The order in main clauses will be dealt with in parts D and E.

Pay no attention to commas in the German examples.  They are there because of
standard German punctuation conventions, and have no grammatical significance.
Also, German has a system of cases for NPs and Tense and agreement marking
on Verbs.  You are not supposed to try to figure all that out, but just assume
that there will be some form rules provided by people in the Morphology class.


(1)	Ich glaube, dass Hans studiert.
	I   believe that Hans studies
	`I believe that Hans is studying'

(2)	Ich glaube, dass er in Berlin wohnt.
	I   believe that he in Berlin lives
	`I believe that he lives in Berlin'

(3)	Ich glaube, dass die Kinder nach Berlin fahren.
	I   believe that the children to Berlin go
	`I believe that the children are going to Berlin'

(4)	Ich glaube, dass sie einen Sohn haben.
	I   believe that they a son have
	`I believe that they have a son'

(5)	Ich glaube, dass der Student Medizin studiert.
	I   believe that the student medicine studies
	`I believe that the student is studying medicine'


(6)	Ich glaube, dass du den Wagen brauchst.
	I   believe that you the car need
	`I believe that you need the car'


(7)	Ich glaube, dass der Professor ein Buch liest.
	I   believe that the professor a book reads
	`I believe that the professor is reading a book'


(8)	Ich glaube, dass die Kinder ein fremdes Maedchen nach Hause bringen.
	I   believe that the children a strange girl to house bring
	`I believe that the children are bringing a strange girl home'


(9)	Dass die Kinder ein fremdes Maedchen nach Hause bringen, stoert mich.
	that the children a strange girl to house bring disturbs me
	`That the children are bringing a strange girl home disturbs me'


(10)	Es stoert mich, dass die Kinder ein fremdes Maedchen nach Hause bringen.
	it disturbs me that the children a strange girl to house bring
	`It disturbs me that the children are bringing a strange girl home'

PART B


Revise and expand your grammar so as to account for
the examples below.  Treat 'haben' (have) and 'sein' (be)
below as belonging to the same Aux category (you are not expected to
know what determines which of these verbs occurs, but if any generalization
catches your eye, you may speculate about it).  Comment on any 
relevant generalizations.  Then illustrate your rules by deriving
(13) and (20).


(11)	Es ist traurig, dass alle Menschen sterben muessen
	`It is sad that all men must die'
(12)	Dass die Kinder nach Berlin fahren sollen, stoert mich.
	`That the children should go to Berlin disturbs me'
(13)	Ich weiss, dass er in Berlin gewohnt hat.
	`I know that he has lived in Berlin'
(14)	Wir glauben, dass er angekommen ist.
	`We believe that he has arrived'
(15)	Dass die Kinder nach Berlin gefahren sind, ist klar.
	`That the children have gone to Berlin is clear'
(16)	Er weiss, dass wir das Haus gesehen haben muessen
	`He knows that we must have seen the house'
(17)	Ich glaube, dass der Professor das Buch gelesen haben kann.
	`I believe that the professor can have read the book'
(18)	Es ist unwahrscheinlich, dass er angekommen sein kann.
	`It is improbable that he can have arrived'
(19)	Dass die Kinder ein fremdes Maedchen nach Hause bringen wollen, ist unglaublich.
	`That the children want to bring a strange girl home is unbelievable.'
(20)	Es ist klar, dass er einen Affen nach Hause gebracht hat.
	`It is clear that he has brought a monkey home'
(21)	Wir glauben, dass die Kinder ueber den Fluss schwimmen koennen.
	`We believe that the children can swim across the river.'

PART C


Now revise your rules further to account for the following.  Comment
in full on everything relevant, and derive (26).


(22)	Ich glaube, dass Hans nicht studiert.
	`I believe Hans is not studying'

(23)	Ich denke, dass du nicht stehlen sollst.
	`I think you should not steal'

(24)	Ich glaube, dass die Kinder nicht nach Berlin gefahren sind.
	`I believe the children did not go to Berlin'

(25)	Ich glaube, dass der Professor nicht Fussball gespielt hat.
	`I believe the professor has not played soccer'

(26)	Ich denke, dass die Kinder nicht einen Affen nach Hause bringen sollen.
	`I think the children should not bring a monkey home'

PART D


The following examples show how to form yes-no questions in main clauses.
Analyze these questions.

To do this, begin by assuming that the phrase structure rules you formulated
in Parts A-C are valid for all clauses in German, including main clauses.
Differences in word order between embedded and main clauses will be analyzed as
resulting from one or more movement transformations.  First, propose a 
transformation that will derive the questions below.  First state your
transformation in words, then explain why you have formulated it as you have.
Illustrate your proposal by giving the complete derivations of (28) and (31). 


(27)	Wohnt er in Berlin?
		`Does he live in Berlin?'
(28)	Fahren die Kinder nach Berlin?
		`Are the children going to Berlin?'
(29)	Haben sie nicht einen Sohn?
		`Don't they have a son?'
(30)	Brauchst du den Wagen?
		`Do you need the car?'
(31)	Muessen alle Menschen sterben?
		`Must all men die?'
(32)	Ist er nicht angekommen?
		`Didn't he arrive?'
(33)	Hat der Professor das Buch gelesen?
		`Has the professor read the book?'
(34)	Koennen die Kinder nicht einen Affen nach Hause bringen?
		`Can't the children bring a monkey home?'


PART E

The following examples show how to form ordinary main clauses.  You are 
now ready to analyze these clauses.

Once again, assume all of your previous analysis.  Propose a single
transformation that, when combined with your previous rule system, will derive 
the sentences below.  Be sure to explicate carefully the transformation
that you are proposing.  State it in words, then explain carefully why you
formulate it as you do.  Illustrate your proposal by giving the complete
derivations of (45) and (48).

WARNING:  In solving this Part, you should assume that e.g. sentences
(38), (39), and (40) have exactly the same meaning.  (Though these sentences
differ slightly in focus, it is not the job of the syntax to describe such
differences.)  You should also assume that it is the job of the semantics
(or the pragmatics), not the job of the syntax, to decide whether
a sentence derived by the grammar makes a statement or asks a question.


(35)	Hans studiert.
	`Hans is studying'

(36)	Er wohnt in Berlin.
	`He lives in Berlin'

(37)	In Berlin wohnt er.
	`He lives in Berlin'

(38)	Die Kinder bringen einen Affen nach Hause. 
	`The children are bringing a monkey home'

(39)	Nach Hause bringen die Kinder einen Affen.
	`The children are bringing a monkey home'

(40)	Einen Affen bringen die Kinder nach Hause.
	`The children are bringing a monkey home'

(41)	Alle Menschen muessen sterben.
	`All men must die'
(42)	Du sollst nicht stehlen.
	`You should not steal'
(43)	Die Kinder sind nicht nach Berlin gefahren.
	`The children didn't go to Berlin'
(44)	Nach Berlin sind die Kinder nicht gefahren.
	`The children didn't go to Berlin'
(45)	Der Professor hat das Buch gelesen.
	`The professor has read the book'
(46)	Das Buch hat der Professor gelesen.
	`The professor has read  the book'
(47)	Die Kinder muessen einen Affen nach Hause gebracht haben.
	`The children must have brought a monkey home'
(48)	Nach Hause muessen die Kinder einen Affen gebracht haben.
	`The children must have brought a monkey home'
(49)	Einen Affen muessen die Kinder nach Hause gebracht haben.
	`The children must have brought a monkey home'


If you have been successful, your solution will be simple, elegant, 
and satisfying.  (It will also be motivated throughout in clear,
coherent prose.)  It will remain only for you to demonstrate its
power by giving the derivation, according to your completed grammar,
of the following:


(50)	Stoert es dich, dass die Kinder nicht den Affen nach Hause bringen
wollen?
	bothers it you, that the children not the monkey to home bring will
	`Does it bother you that the children won't bring the monkey home?'