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French clitics and cognition

Dick HudsonOxford, November 2012

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Plan

1. Cognition in Word Grammar2. Clitics in Word Grammar3. French clitics4. Conclusions

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1. Cognition in Word Grammar

• Language is part of cognition– both competence and performance.

• All of general ability is available– so let's assume language can use it all.

• Maybe language needs nothing else?– This is a question for research.

• So what does general cognition offer?

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General cognition

• A variety of units:– concepts, e.g. 'cat'– percepts, e.g. cat purring– motor-programs, e.g. how

to stroke– feelings, e.g. liking for cats

• A network structure– linking units– defining concepts

cat

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Networks and activation

• The brain is a 'neural' network– which carries activation.

• The mind is a 'mental' network– built on the neural network– and therefore affected by

activation.

• But the mental network has special properties too.

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is-a

The mental network• Nodes are classified

in 'is-a' hierarchies• Properties are links to

other nodes. • All links are

classified. • These hierarchies

allow generalisations – so a token X inherits

properties by default

bird

robin

flying

flier

X

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Default inheritance

• Penguins are birds.• A typical bird flies.

– flying is expected– quantity (#) = 1

• But for penguins, there's no flying – # = 0– i.e. They don't fly.

• So X doesn't fly.

bird

penguin

flying

flier

X

0#

1

#

0#

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Types of link in cognitive networks

• Basic (?innate?) links– is-a (classification) – quantity (how many? true/false?) – identity (binding – more later) – argument, value

• Relational concepts – in an is-a hierarchy– e.g. 'flier' is-a 'actor'

#

=

flier

actor

argument

value

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Binding

• To 'find' a node, bind it to another one.

• Q. Who is John? A. He's the cook.• Follows activation:

– choose the most active candidate.

John ?= cook

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Limitless cognitive networks

• Limitless creation of relations as needed– e.g. for kinship

• Limitless creation of properties as needed– e.g. for people

• Limitless exceptionality as needed– e.g. for birds

• Limitless binding as needed

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2. Clitics in Word Grammar

• By default, a word is realized by a word-form.

• But a clitic is realized by an affix.

• Default inheritance allows this.

word-form word

realization

form

affix clitic

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Default morphology• Base is-a realization.• Top is-a realization.

– Top is fully inflected.• By default, Base =

Top.• But for inflections:

– Top is a 'variant' of Base.

word-form word

realization

base

variant

top

inflection

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Affixes and hosts• By default, an affix has a

host– the wordform it defines.

• Every affix has a position within its host– at least as prefix or suffix– but the position may be

defined by a template– e.g. Latin am-a-b-i-t-ur

{ } {s}host

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1 { }

{ } {ur}host

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{ }

1 2 3 4 5 6

{ }{ }

{ }{ }

1

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s-variantsecond part

fourth part

'he/she will be loved'

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Clitics and hostforms• A clitic is fully realized

by an affix.• The affix needs a host.• So the host is a special

'hostform'.• Maybe this inherits a

template structure from inflections?– special clitics always

combine with complex morphology?

affix clitic

top

hostform

host

part

e.g. third part

wordform

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John is/'s late.

realization

JOHN BE,3sg LATE

{John} {i-z} {late}

realization

JOHN BE,3sg,clitic

LATE

{John} {z} {late}

{John-z}

hostpart 2part 1

hostform

Bound to realization of previous word.

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The entry for {z}

• {z} is-a suffix.• So it has a host.• Its host is-a hostform• whose part2 it is • and part1is bound to

the preceding wordform.

form

host

suffixhostform

{z}2

1

next=

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Summary of apparatus

• Rich relations– realization– host– part 1/2/…

• Forms– hostforms

• Default inheritance• Activation• Binding

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3. French clitics

• Je ne me les y ai pas mis. I not for-me them there have not put.• Clitics combine in an order which is

– rigidly fixed– different from full NPs:

• J'ai mis les lettres sur la table. I have put the letters on the table

clitics underlined

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The football team1 2 3 4 5 6 7

subj neg 1/2/ref 3 dir 3 ind y en

jetuil/ellenousvousils/elles

ne

metesenousvous

lelales

luileur y en

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The challenges of French clitics

A. Positive imperatives: Verb + clitics.Donnez-le-moi! (*Me le donnez!) "Give it to me!"

B. Only one per column.*Je te me présenterai. "I'll introduce myself to you"

C. *3 + 5 (*1/2/ref + 3 ind) *Je me lui présenterai."I'll introduce myself to her."

D. and …

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Clitic climbing

• Je ai donné. I have given him it.le lui

le

aux

'make'

• Je te ferai manger. I'll make you eat it.

• Je te laisserai le manger. I'll let you eat it.

• Je te laisserai manger. I'll let you eat it.leOr …

'let', 'send' or perception

• Je le lui donne. I give him it.

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Classifying clitics

• Clitics are classified.– 'subj', 'neg', etc.

• One item per class.• '1/2/ref' is-a 'obj'

– so *me lui– and Donnez-le-moi – = Donnez-le-lui

clitic

subj

ne

obj 3dir

y

en

1/2/ref

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Adding hostforms

• Each clitic brings its own hostform.

• Each clitic class has a position.

• Each verb also has its own hostform.

• Hostforms bind together.

hostform

3dir

host4

hostform

imperative

host<4

?

=

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Classifying hostforms

• Positive imperatives have ordinary order.

• Compare: – Donnez-le-moi– Donnez le livre à

Jean!• But other verbs

are different…

imperative

host<4

obj3dir y en

4 765

hostform1

hostform2

3dir en

Give it to me!

Give the book to John!

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The paradoxes

hostform2

verb

host>7

imperative

host<4

hostform1

4

3dir en

7 1

subj 1/2/ref

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obj

• Positive imperatives are exceptional verbs,

• but they have default hostforms.

• Why?

• Order shows function (direct/indirect) in hostform1,

•but person in hostform2.

•Why?

2

neg

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Why positive imperatives?

Why do positive imperatives have default order?

• Because they don't include subjects and negatives.

• subjects contrast before/after verb.• negatives contrast ne ….. pas.• So subj and neg drag hostword1 before the

verb.

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Why function > person?

• Pos imperatives: Donnez-le-moi/lui!– follows non-clitic order: Donnez le livre à Jean!

• Others: Il me le donne ~ Il le lui donne– follows semantic link to subject:

• reflexive > non-reflexive– also animacy hierarchy:

• 1 > 2 > 3

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Je les fais manger.

I them make eat

How do clitics climb?

• Each clitic brings a hostform.

• But so does each clitic-available verb.

• Then the various hostforms merge.

Je les mange.

I them eat

host

hf

host

hf

host

hf

host

hf

=

=

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Binding again

• Binding in parsing,• and in semantics,• and in clitic

climbing.

He hurt himself.

subj=

referent

=

referent

Je les ai mangés.

host

=

host

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4.Conclusions

• French clitics require only:– default inheritance– binding– unlimited relations

• All these tools are available in general cognition.

• So clitics are ordinary cognition.

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Thank you

• This show is available atwww.phon.ucl.ac.uk/home/dick/talks.htm