1. Coordination and more
Anastasiya Lototska (w48983)
Viktoriya Andrushkiv (w48984)
January 18
2. Coordination as a non-headed
construction
In a coordination, two or more elements of
equal status are joined to make a larger unit.
Special words called coordinators are used to
mark this kind of joining.
3. [1]
1.[Jane is a good teacher and her
students really like her].
2.They offered us a choice of [red wine,
white wine or beer].
3.Her assistant is [very young but a quick
learner].
The highlighted constituents that are joined
are called the coordinates. The coordinators
illustrated are the most common ones in
English: and, or and but.
4. Internal syntax: the composition
of coordinate structures
The coordinates of the examples in [1] are equal in
status: each makes the same sort of contribution
to the whole thing. Coordination is different: it is a
non-headed construction. For example, [1.1] is not
in three parts; it has two parts. The first immediate
constituent is the clause Jane is a good teacher.
The second, and her students really like her, is also
a clause, but it is marked with a coordinator.
5. We distinguish them, when we need to, by calling the
first a bare coordinate and the second an expanded
coordinate. Here are simplified diagrams representing
the structure for [1.1] and [1.3]:
6. External syntax: where coordinate
constituents can occur
If each of the bare coordinates can occur on its own in
some position, the coordination can occur there. Thus
the admissibility of [1.3] is predictable from that of the
separate clauses her assistant is very young and her
assistant is a quick learner.
7. Distinctive syntactic properties
of coordination
There are three main properties of prototypical
coordination:
1.The grammar sets no limit on how many
coordinates a coordination can have.
2.The bare coordinates are required to be
syntactically similar in certain ways.
3.An expanded coordinate can never be preposed.
8. 1.Unlimited number of coordinates
A coordinate construction can have any number
of coordinates from two up:
Nothing [noble, sublime, profound, delicate,
tasteful or even decent] can find a place in such
tableaux.
9. 2. Bare coordinates must be
syntactically similar
In an acceptable coordination the coordinates
are syntactically similar:
*We invited [the Smiths and because they can
speak Italian].
10. Function rather than category is
the crucial factor
The coordinates do not have to belong to the same
category, thus in the most coordinate structures found in
texts we can observe the opposite situation. Here are some
examples where the coordinates do not belong to the same
cathegory:
11. The function is more important than
the cathegory because the
coordination in examples given
become acceptable because each of
the coordinators can occure alone
with the same function.
13. The order of coordinates
In the simplest and most straightforward cases, the order of
the coordinates can be changed without perceptible effect on
the acceptability or interpretation of the coordination.
Coordination of this kind is called symmetric - and contrasts
with asymmetric coordination, such as we find below:
In the first example the order is fixed because this
construction is fossilised. In the second one both versions are
grammaticaly acceptable.
15. Exercise 1
Explain why the following coordinations are
asymmetric.
1.He lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.
2.Talk to me like that again and you'll be fired.
3. Don't tell anyone or we'll be in heaps of trouble.
4. You can't work 18 hours a day and not endanger
your health.
16. 1.He lost control of the car and crashed into a tree.
There is an implication that loosing control of the car took place
before crashing the tree. Crashing was a consequence of loosing
control of the vehicle, that’s why it is asymmetric.
2.Talk to me like that again and you'll be fired.
Here is a conditional implication: „If you talk to me like that again, you
will be fired.”
3. Don't tell anyone or we'll be in heaps of trouble.
It is also a conditional implication, but with or the implicate condition
is negative:”If you don’t tell anyone, we won’t be in heaps of trouble.”
4. You can't work 18 hours a day and not endanger your health.
Conditional implication again: „If you work 18 hours a day, you will
obviously endanger your health.”
.
17. The marking of coordination
There are three possibilities for marking of coordination:
1.Unmarked coordination
He felt [tired, depressed , listless]. And is understood
2.Repetition of coordinator
The repetition of the coordinator gives added emphasis to the relation it
expresses:
He felt [tired, and depressed, and listless].
3. Correlative coordination
[Neither Sue nor her husband] supported the plan.
18. Layered coordination
Here we have layered coordination: one coordinate
structure functioning as a coordinate within a larger
one.
19. Main-clause and lower-level
coordination
We make a general distinction between main-clause
coordination and lower-level coordination:
20. Equivalent main-clause and
lower-level coordinations
In many cases a lower-level coordination can be
expanded into a logically equivalent main-clause
one:
She introduced me to her mother and she
introduced me to her father.
21. Non-equivalent main-clause and
lower-level coordinations
1. a. One teacher was [popular and patient].
b. One teacher was popular and one teacher was
patient.
2. a. No one [stood up and complained].
b. No one stood up and no one complained.
In [1a] we have a single teacher with two properties; [1b]
talks about two teachers.
In [2a] no one both stood up and complained. But standing
without complaining and complaining while seated are both
excluded by [2b] .
22. Exercise 2
Explain why the following lower-level coordinations
are not equivalent to mainclause coordination.
1. Who went to the movies and left the house unlocked?
2. The last and most telling objection concerned the cost.
3. They could find nothing wrong with the battery or with the
thermostat.
4. One guy was drunk and abusive.
23. 1. Who went to the movies and left the house unlocked?
If we say „ Who went to the movies and who left the house unlocked?”, the
meaning of the sentence will change, because it sounds like two different
people did that: the first went to the movies and the second left the house
unlocked.
2. The last and most telling objection concerned the cost.
The last objection and the most telling one are like two different objections: „
The last objection concerned the cost and the most telling objection
concerned the cost”.
3. They could find nothing wrong with the battery or with the thermostat.
„They could find nothing wrong with the battery or they could find nothing
wrong with the thermostat”. In this example suppose they could find nothing
wrong with battery, not thermostat(if we rewrite it). But in first case there
was nothing wrong with both elements.
4. One guy was drunk and abusive.
It means that there is a single guy with two properties ( drunk and abusive). If
we rewritr the sentence like „One guy was drunk and one guy was abusive”, it
looks like we are talking about two different boys.
24. Joint vs distributive coordination
One special case where a lower-level coordination is not
equivalent to a corresponding main-clause coordination is in
joint coordination, as opposed to the default distributive
coordination:
Joint coordination has the following properties:
It requires that each coordinate denote a member of a set.
It requires that the coordinates belong to the same syntactic
category.
It disallows correlative coordination (*Both Kim and Pat are a
good pair).
25. Non-basic coordination
So far we have focused on what can be called basic
coordination constructions, the ones where all the
following properties hold:
The coordination consists of a continuous sequence of
coordinates.
The coordinates are either bare or expanded (by a
coordinator or determinative).
The coordinates can occur as constituents in non-
coordination constructions.
26. Kinds of non-basic coordination, which
depart from that elementary pattern:
1.Expansion of coordinates by modifiers
2.Gapped coordination
3.Right nonce-constituent coordination
4.End-attachment coordination
5. Delayed right constituent coordination
27. Expansion of coordinates by
modifiers
1.We could meet [on Friday or alternatively at
the week-end if you prefer].
2.She can speak [French but not German].
The highlighted expressions are modifiers of
the coordinate in which they are located.
28. Gapped coordination
The middle part of a non-initial coordinate can be
omitted if it is recoverable from the corresponding part
of the initial coordinate:
1.Her son lives in Boston and her daughter - in Chicago.
2.Sue wants to be a doctor, Max - a dentist.
The gap marked ‚-’ is understood by reference to the first
coordinate: in these cases "lives" and "wants to be". The
gap normally includes the verb, but can include other
material too.
29. Right nonce-constituent coordination
A third non-basic coordination construction is
illustrated below:
1.We gave [Kim a book and Pat a CD].
2.They stay [in Boston during the week and with
their parents at week-ends].
3.I could lend you [$30 now or $50 at the end of
the week].
30. End-attachment coordination
1. Kim was included on the shortlist, but not Pat.
2. [Kim but not Pat] was included on the shortlist.
The 1 version differs from the more elementary 2
version in that the second coordinate (including the
coordinator) is not adjacent to the first but is
attached at the end of the clause. The relation
marked by the coordinator but is still expressed, but
in the 1 example the constituents related by the
coordinators don't make up a constituent.
31. Delayed right constituent coordination
Another odd coordination construction is illustrated in
the 1 members of the pairs below, where the 2 members
are the corresponding basic coordinations:
1.She [noticed but didn't comment on] his
inconsistencies.
2.She [noticed his inconsistencies but didn't comment on
them].
1.[Two perfect and four slightly damaged] copies were
found.
2.[Two perfect copies and four slightly damaged ones]
were found.
32. Exercise 3
For each of the following examples, say which kind
of non-basic coordination construction it
exemplifies.
1.I'd expected Jill to back us, but not her father.
2.It was criticised by some for being too long and by
others for being too short.
3.You can have a banana or else an apple instead.
4.Max left the country in May and the rest of the
family in June.
