This document discusses native speaker intuitions about words and lexical categories. It notes that we intuitively understand that words exist as independent linguistic units, even though there is no clear acoustic evidence delineating words. It then discusses how words can be categorized into lexical categories or parts of speech based on semantic definitions, morphological evidence like suffixes, and syntactic evidence like distributional tests that show how words can be inserted into frames depending on their category. Overall, the document examines how we intuitively understand words and lexical categories even without clear-cut evidence, drawing on semantics, morphology and syntax.

1. Native-speaker Intuitions about Words
• We have intuitions about the existence of:
– words
Lexical Categories – syntactic categories: words are not all of the
(or Parts of Speech) same kind (or category)
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Words and word-level categories
Acoustic wave forms
(lexical categories)
My brother will meet a friend from college
Kay saw two pieces.
at the station.
Det N Aux V Det N P
My brother will meet a friend from
N P Det N Adv
K..ay....s.......aw...t......wo...p.....ie....c.......e
college at the station soon.
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Acoustic wave forms A paradox?
You wore a lily.
There is no acoustic evidence for the existence
of words as independent units, yet we have
intuitions that words exist.
Y......ou...w..o....re...a.....l..i......l...y......
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2. Word-level categories: Word-level categories:
phonological evidence phonological evidence
(1) a. We need to increase productivity. (5) a. We want to record this movie.
b. Do you have my record?
b. We need an increase in productivity.
(6) a. We want to reCORD this movie.
(2) a. We need to inCREASE productivity.
b. Do you have my REcord?
b. We need an INcrease in productivity.
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Word-level categories: Word-level categories:
morphological evidence morphological evidence
Verbs: -ed, -s, -ing Adjectives: -er, -est
Base (Past) Present Gerund
walk walked walks walking tall-er, tall-est; short er short est
tall er tall est; short-er, short-est
talk talked talks talking
show showed shows showing *child-er child-est
child *childed *childs *childing
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Word-level categories: Word-level categories:
morphological evidence morphological evidence
Adverbs: -ly Nouns: -s (number)
sad-ly, desperate-ly, aggressive-ly
y p y gg y • idiot-s
idiot s
*child-ly, *walk-ly *idiotic-s, *small-s, *big-s
Prepositions: no inflection
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3. Categories Adverb: property or manner of action
quickly, intelligently, happily, surely
- Semantic Definition:
Preposition: locations, instruments, action
Noun: person, place, thing, concept
modifiers
Bill, man, Boston, pencil, tranquility
in (the garden), near (
( g ), (Fred), with (a knife)
), ( )
Verb: action, state
hit, jump, love, appreciate, know
Adjective: property, attribute
happy, pretty, big, misdirected
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What are these categories? Functional categories
These categories are usually associated with a
under locate particular kind of a phrase.
Chicago be Determiner: (the, a, this, that) requires a noun to
knowledge exquisite form a phrase: the man, a girl
preview slowly Degree Adverbs: (so, very, more) forms a phrase
with an adjective or an adverb: very pretty, very
quickly, so tall, so happily.
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Conjunction: (and, but, or) form a sentence or a Jabberwocky
phrase from 2 sentences or phrases Through the Looking Glass
of the same type. by Lewis Carroll
I studied chemistry and Bill studied ‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves
linguistics. did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
Mary studied but Bill played hockey. All mimsy were the borogroves,
y g ,
You can serve or receive the ball. And the mome raths outgrabe.
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
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4. ‘Twas brillig and the slithy toves
Adj N
did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
V V
All mimsy were the borogroves,
“Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – N
only I don’t exactly know what they are!”
y y y And the mome raths outgrabe.
g
Adj or N N V
- Alice Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!
19 Adj N 20
Word-level Categories Word-level Categories
Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests
Syntactic Frame Syntactic Frame
Noun frame: Det _____ Verb frame: AUX _____________
e.g., th problem, a cat, some students
the bl t t d t e.g., will want, should go, can fl
ill t h ld fly
The/a/some __ can be a pain in the neck. They could __ .
Some chores can be a pain in the neck. They could leave.
*Some destroy can be a pain in the neck. *They could problem. / *They could small.
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Word-level Categories Word-level Categories
Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests
Syntactic Frame Syntactic Frame
Adjective frame 1: Det ___ Adverb frame: Degree Adv ___
e.g., th strange f t a nice d
the t fact, i day e.g., very quickly, quite generously
i kl it l
Adjective frame 2: Degree Adv ___ Adverbial frame: He [VP treats her] ___
e.g., very strange, extremely nice
e.g., treats her nicely
This is very __.
This is very interesting. Adverbials: adverbs, PPs, etc. e.g., treats her
with respect.
*This is very interest.
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5. Word-level Categories Word-level Categories
Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests Syntactic Evidence: Distribution Tests
Syntactic Frame Syntactic Frame
Determiner frame:__ (Adj) Noun Preposition frame:right __
e.g., the problem, a gray cat, some talented students e.g., right under the table, right around the corner
He wrote ___ other books. He found it right ___ the shelf.
He wrote the/those/some other books. He found it right on the shelf.
*He wrote interest other books. * He found it right wooden the shelf.
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