LINGUIST List 13.2695

Fri Oct 18 2002

Qs: 'The Pear Story', Wh-Movement

Editor for this issue: Renee Galvis <reneelinguistlist.org>

Directory

1. Pepi Stamouli, query about 'the Pear story'
2. Toru Ishii, WCO and Subjunctive

I'd like to know how one goes about getting an actual copy of the film
(and if possible, also a video) of "The Pear Story", the film that the
text-analytic studies were based on.

As I understand it, the film was made on a grant to Wallace Chafe from
some public agency in the U.S., and should therefore be in the public
domain. But I may be wrong.

If anyone knows how I can order a copy, please let me know.

I appreciate your help,

 Thank you in advance,

p.

Dear All,

There are two questions I'd like to ask you concerning WH-movement. 

First, Mahajan (1992) observes the following contrast in acceptability
regarding the WCO:

(1) a. John, I think his mother likes [t]. 
 (where ''John'' = ''his'') 
 b.???John, his mother thinks that Mary likes [t]. 
 (where ''John'' = ''his'')

I'd like to know whether such a contrast can also be observed in the
following pairs of sentences:

(2) a. Who do you think that his teacher scolded [t] in yesterday's
geology class?
 b. Who do his teacher think that Mary scoled [t] in yesterday's
geology class?

(3) a. (Among the students in this classroom)
 Which student do you think that his teacher scolded [t] in
yesterday's geology class?
 b. (Among the students in this classroom)
 Which student does his teacher think that Mary scolded [t]
in yesterday's geology class?

(4) a. (Among the students in this classroom)
 Which student do you think that his teacher talked to [t] on
the phone last night?
 b. (Among the students in this classroom)
 Which student does his teacher think that Mary talked to [t]
on the phone last night?

(5) a. (Among the laywers in this courtroom)
 Which laywer do you think that his client went for [t] with
knife in the courtroom yesterday?
 b. (Among the laywers in this courtroom)
 Which laywer does his client remember that Mary went for [t]
with knife in the courtroom yesterday?

Second, Boeck (2001) observes that no wh-island effects emerge when
the indirect questions are subjunctive. I'd like to know whether this
generalization on the right track, i.e., whether the following
examples are good:

(6) Which of the new books do you wonder [when you should buy [t]]?

(7) Which of the students do you wonder [when you should talk to [t]]?

(8) Which of the companies do you wonder [when you should go to [t]]?

I'll post a summary if I get enough response. Thanks.

Toru Ishii
Meiji University
Tokyo, JAPAN 

Subject-Language: English; Code: ENG 

Language-Family: English; Code: IEFBBBAAA