Binding theory for beginners

1. Binding

2. This is easy

3. Let’s be Minimalists!!

4. Keep it simple!!

5. Keep it EASY

6. Phrases have heads

7. Verb phrase and noun phrase

8. Is it a DetPhrase?

9. What do you think?

10. Det P with Det head?

11. Or this?

12. NP with N head?

13. Det P with Det head?

14. NP with N head?

15. You don’t care?
• Neither
• Do
• I
• Just make sure your phrases have heads
• And have fun playing with it

16. Maybe a determiner is a bit like a head

17. But N is the real head?

18. Who cares?

19. Just make sure your phrases HAVE
heads!

20. Phrases have heads

21. How about this?

22. Sentence is a Verb Phrase

23. The verb is the head

24. Usually like this

25. The subject is “higher up”

26. Sentence is a special Verb Phrase

27. Phrases have heads

28. Phrases have heads!!!!!!

29. PHRASES HAVE HEADS!!!!!!!!!!!

30. Forget about IP or TP

31. Keep it simple

32. Why not this!

33. It’s simpler

34. Taro loves himself

35. This is OK

36. “himself” refers to Taro

37. No problem

38. Taro comes before himself

39. And it’s “higher up”

40. Maybe we need this structure

41. Subjects are “higher” than objects

42. But this doesn’t work

43. him could refer to another male
person

44. But it cannot refer to Taro

45. So him can be Ichiro or Ken, but NOT
Taro

46. • Himself
• Herself
• Itself
• Themselves
• Ourselves
• These expressions look for an antecedent that
is structurally close

47. • Antecedent:
• A word or expression that (usually) comes
before and gives its meaning to another word
• Postcedent example:
• When he has finished his homework, I’ll speak
to Taro.

48. Taro is structurally close enough

49. Taro thinks that Hanako loves him

50. Phrases have HEADS!

51. This is OK

52. Taro is outside the complement
sentence

53. him can be Taro OR some other male
person

54. “Taro thinks that Hanako loves
himself” is no good

55. • Taro thinks that Hanako loves himself.
• No good
• himself needs a structurally close antecedent.
• Taro thinks that Hanako loves him.
• This is OK
• Taro is not too close to him.

56. We nominated ourselves

57. This is OK

58. This is no good

59. himself needs a structurally close
antecedent

60. Hanako cannot match himself

61. Unless Hanako is actually male!

62. OK, so how about this?

63. Taro wants to improve himself

64. No problem

65. Taro is close enough to himself

66. The verb “improve” is untensed

67. “to improve himself” is an infinitival
clause

68. Notice that Taro is the subject of wants

69. Taro is the wanter

70. But Taro ALSO seems to be the
improver

71. It’s like Taro is the subject of two
clauses

72. Taro is the logical subject of the [-
tense clause]

73. What about this?

74. Look what happens here

75. Hanako is the object of wants

76. And Hanako is the logical subject of
the [-tense clause]

77. Now it’s him, not himself

78. “Taro wants Hanako to like himself”
A bit strange

79. Hanako blocks the reference for
himself

80. • Taro wants Hanako to like herself
• That’s OK
• Hanako is close enough to herself

81. How about this?

82. Seems fine

83. her doesn’t block himself from
matching He

84. This seems OK

85. him can match He

86. “He wants her to see a picture of
himself” Seems a little strange

87. Logical subject seems wrong

88. her is the logical subject of [-tense
clause]

89. • He wants her to see a picture of him
• ??He/x wants her to see a picture of himself
• ?? I want you to see a picture of myself
• I want you to see a picture of me

90. I want you to see a picture of yourself

91. yourself goes with the logical subject

92. This one’s no good

93. This one’s good

94. The logical subject you is too close to
you in the picture NP

95. Seems like you is the subject of [-tense
clause]

96. Why?

97. Did it start off there and move?