sum native speaker intuitions several weeks ago posted question current status native speaker intutions discipline particular wondered problems posed variations interpretation sentences variations sometimes become apparent teach modern english grammar course treats english syntax nonformal surfacestructure terms primarily aimed nonlinguists post mentioned two sentences gave rise varying intuitions discuss summary first viz john asked mary leave one student claimed ambiguous reading mary would leaving john would leaving claimed got second reading thinking something like john asked leave clearly means john would leave asked mary continue discussion must point class solicit interpretations sentence expect challenges reading essentially presupposed assuming erroneously students saw perhaps make point clear posting list since several respondents implied problems arise solicit interpretations judgments indeed generative grammar however though approach syntax course generative request interpretation sentence students sometimes challenge assumptions meaning students involved merely contentious would chalk differences personality continue unabashed describing students contentious case would certainly distortion observations arose seems genuine desire come grips issue several respondents pointed recent research syntax deal thorny issue interpretation georgia green reports one students tim williams completed dissertation infinitive complements one major points illustrated reaction john asked mary leave subject infinitive called equi constructions syntactically fixed dissertation deals articulating pragmatic principles govern interpretation misled us long thinking interpretation syntactically fixed dan alford dale russell noted interpretation sentence john asked mary leave meaning john asked mary permission leave could enhanced power status differential two nps dale wrote realworld stuff makes us lean toward one reading point even aware potential ambiguity provides example realworld stuff johnny asked teacher go get drink water sentence far easier read subject sentence also subject infinitive points changed lexical items made first object someone likely position grant permission subject sentence someone likely want perform action infinitival following line inquiry tony bex offers enlightening pair examples 1 teacher asked child leave room 2 child asked teacher leave room contends sentences typically interpreted pragmatically taking account perceived authority e 1 teacher tells child leave 2 child asks whether leave either case likely child leaving note pair examples proved particularly amusing illuminating students especially like found permission reading peculiar tony examples demonstrated extent pragmatic knowledge plays part interpretation responses infinitive problem constituted one several lines pursued respondents like teach undergraduate syntax courses commented difficulty students even rudimentary syntactic analysis e g subject predicate split often claimed universal strategy among english speakers others commented familiar problem intuition fatigue could summed say weird string 50 times sounds good say good string 50 times sounds weird still others took issue entire enterprise separate syntax particularly generative variety though clear decontextualized sentence potential give rise one intepretation fact idea discussed carson schutze forthcoming book _ empirical base linguistics grammaticality judgments linguistic methodology _ published university chicago press 1995 post carson contends judgment data provide real useful data would systematical careful collect course speakers differ certain points interesting question whether range variation find systematically constrained ways interesting theories grammar explain finally one last thread contributed larry hutchinson mentioned history introspection century point fact first psychology labs set introspectionists completely taken behaviorists introspection dumped linguists 50 pretty much sway behaviorists emotionally introspectionism enthusiasm generated chomsky swept away behaviorist viewpoint along contempt unguided use speaker opinions thank respondents cited insightful helpful remarks hope distorted positions serious way marilyn silva respondents dan alford mark arnold laurie bauer kirk belnap tony bex scott delancey jakob dempsey susan ervin tripp georgia green larry hutchinson ingo plag jim jewett jules levin chris li steve matthews dan maxwell micheal palmer jeanmarie rouhier dale russell mary ellen ryder carson schutze linda shockey jacques steyn one respondent prefers remain anonymous