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title: linguistics/syntax
---
+# morphology and syntax
+
+Morphology is the study of **word formation**.<br>
+Syntax is the study of **sentence formation**.<br>
+Specifically, both morphology and syntax focus on **structure**.
+
+The distinction between syntax and morphology varies across languages. They can be considered to form an overarching **morphosyntactic** theory.
+
+## Summary
+
+> Be warned! These notes are incomplete and almost certainly somewhat inaccurate. Proceed at your own risk.
+
+- History of Syntax
+ - A wrong approach: Phrase Structure Rules
+- Morphology [SKS 2]
+ - Syntactic Categories [SKS 2.1]
+ - Compositionality [SKS 2.3]
+ - Headedness [SKS 2.4]
+ - Features
+- Basic Ideas
+ - Constituency [SKS 3]
+ - Heads, Specifiers and Complements
+ - Minimalism [n/a]
+- Notation
+ - X'-theory [SKS 6]
+ - Bare Phrase Structure [n/a]
+ - Lexical Entries [SKS 6.8]
+- Merge
+ - Projection [SKS 5]
+ - Selection
+ - Small Clauses
+ - Silent Heads
+- Move [SKS 8]
+ - Head Movement (affix hopping) [SKS 8.3]
+ - Questions
+ - vP Shells [SKS 12.4]
+- Agree
+ - Theta Roles (assigned by verbs)
+ - Locality (c-command)
+ - Binding (Principles A, B, C) [SKS 7]
+ - Small Clauses [SKS 7.4]
+ - Raising & Control [SKS 9]
+- References
+
+## Morphology
+
+...
+
+## Notation
+
+So far, we've been discussing syntax and giving examples using somewhat informal notation. We now formalize this notation.
+
+It cannot be emphasized enough that notational conventions are *just that*: notational conventions. There's nothing stopping us from exclusively using X'-notation or exclusively using bare phrase structure, and syntactic concepts are *not* tied to any specific notation. I will pretty much exclusively bare phrase structure going forth as I like it a whole lot more.
+
+### X'-theory
+
+**X'-theory** (x-bar theory) is a notation originally put forth by Chomsky...
+
+```forest
+[XP
+ [X [(head)]]
+ [Y [(complement)]]]
+```
+
+```forest
+[XP
+ [Y [(complement)]]
+ [X [(head)]]]
+```
+
+```forest
+[X
+ [Y_X [(left adjunct)]]
+ [X [(head)]]]
+```
+
+```forest
+[X
+ [X [(head)]]
+ [Y_X [(right adjunct)]]]
+```
+
+...
+
+### Bare Phrase Structure
+
+**Bare Phrase Structure** (BPS) is a more modern notation that does away with much of the notational cruft of X'-theory. Instead of bar levels and distinctions between bar levels and "phrases", we simply put the *formal features* of our lexicon in the chart itself and only indicate the *types* of phrases. Whether a phrase has yet to close yet or not (previously indicated by a 'bar) is now indicated by whether there are any unsatisfied selectional requirements on the phrase label.
+
+As such, we may represent phrases with the
+
+**Head-Initial Phrases**
+![`[X [X_Y (head)] [Y (complement)]]`](head-initial.png)
+<details markdown="block">
+<summary>LaTeX</summary>
+
+```latex
+\begin{forest}
+[$X$
+ [$X_Y$ [(head)]]
+ [$Y$ [(complement)]]]
+\end{forest}
+```
+
+</details>
+
+**Head-Final Phrases**
+![`[X [Y (complement)] [X_Y (head)]]`](head-final.png)
+<details markdown="block">
+<summary>LaTeX</summary>
+
+```latex
+\begin{forest}
+[$X$
+ [$Y$ [(complement)]]
+ [$X_Y$ [(head)]]]
+\end{forest}
+```
+
+</details>
+
+Recall that adjuncts are able to appear on either side of their head. Also recall that adjuncts *select* for their head. We indicate this in our labeling: adjuncts, like heads, have their selectional requirements marked, but do not propagate their type. While certain constructions may lead to notational ambiguity - an adjunct and a head of the same type, specifically - this is rare enough (only really occurring with adverbs) that we take the convenience of BPS notation regardless.
+
+**Left Adjuncts**
+![`[X [Y_X (left adjunct)] [X (head)]]`](left-adjunct.png)
+<details markdown="block">
+<summary>LaTeX</summary>
+
+```latex
+\begin{forest}
+[$X$
+ [$Y_X$ [(left adjunct)]]
+ [$X$ [(head)]]]
+\end{forest}
+```
+
+</details>
+
+**Right Adjuncts**
+![`[X [X (head)] [Y_X (right adjunct)]]`](right-adjunct.png)
+<details markdown="block">
+<summary>LaTeX</summary>
+
+```latex
+\begin{forest}
+[$X$
+ [$X$ [(head)]]
+ [$Y_X$ [(right adjunct)]]]
+\end{forest}
+```
+
+</details>
+
+As a reminder, English is not consistently head-initial. Subjects ("specifiers") in English appear before the verb, breaking this convention. This common structure is represented as the following:
+
+![`[X [Y (specifier)] [X_Y [X_{Y,Z} (head)] [Z (complement)]]]`](english-specifier.png)
+<details markdown="block">
+<summary>LaTeX</summary>
+
+```latex
+\begin{forest}
+[$X$
+ [$Y$ [(specifier)]]
+ [$X_Y$
+ [$X_{Y,Z}$ [(head)]]
+ [$Z$ [(complement)]]]]
+\end{forest}
+```
+
+</details>
+
+The lexicon and structure are blended in bare phrase structure. This is useful, and allows us to indicate more specific selectional requirements on the tree itself.
+
+...
+
+### Lexical Entries
+
+...
+
+## References
+
+- ✨ [An Introduction to Syntactic Analysis and Theory](https://annas-archive.org/md5/11bbf70ff9259025bc6985ba3fa4083b)
+- MIT 24.902: [2017](https://web.mit.edu/norvin/www/24.902/24902.html), [2015](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/24-902-language-and-its-structure-ii-syntax-fall-2015/), [2003](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/24-902-language-and-its-structure-ii-syntax-fall-2003/)