Exam question 4 · Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes

It is given that the article les precedes the noun amis. Determine the pronunciation of the phrase thus formed.

Mova's choice: option 1 · The right answer: option 1 · right ✓ · Who acts: article les, you, pronunciation · What happens: give, precede, determine, form, pronounce · To what, where: It, noun amis, phrase

This is exam question 4 of lesson 1 «Silent letters: why French doesn't say everything it writes» of the French course of Mova's primary school, asked in stiff, formal language. The page gives the question's syntax tree — a dependency tree in the style of Universal Dependencies — and its pragmatics clause by clause, then the 4 options as the student saw them, each with its tree and pragmatics. Every text is parsed by Mova itself. How the student answered it, with the score of every option and why: the test at school.

The question

Sentence 1: It is given that the article les precedes the noun amis.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	It	it	PRON	Case=Nom Gender=Neut Number=Sing Person=3 PronType=Prs	3 given	nsubj:pass
2	is	be	AUX	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 given	aux:pass
3	given	give	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	root	root
4	that	that	SCONJ	_	8 precedes	mark
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	7 les	det
6	article	article	NOUN	Number=Sing	7 les	compound
7	les	les	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 precedes	nsubj
8	precedes	precede	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Pres VerbForm=Fin	3 given	advcl
9	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	11 amis	det
10	noun	noun	NOUN	Number=Sing	11 amis	compound
11	amis	ami	NOUN	Number=Plur	8 precedes	obj
12	.	.	PUNCT	_	3 given	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	give	present · passive		It					vn give-13.1-1 «NP V NP»: subject=Theme
2	precede	present	the article les	the noun amis					vn contiguous_location-47.8 «NP V NP»: agent=Theme ami=Co-Theme

One row per clause the reader finds. «not said here»: a role filled from the clause above. «roles by»: a VerbNet class and frame when one fits the verb, else the reader's rules on the tree.

Sentence 2: Determine the pronunciation of the phrase thus formed.

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	Determine	determine	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
2	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	3 pronunciation	det
3	pronunciation	pronunciation	NOUN	Number=Sing	8 formed	nsubj
4	of	of	ADP	_	6 phrase	case
5	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	6 phrase	det
6	phrase	phrase	NOUN	Number=Sing	3 pronunciation	nmod
7	thus	thus	ADV	_	8 formed	advmod
8	formed	form	VERB	Mood=Ind Number=Sing Person=3 Tense=Past VerbForm=Fin	1 Determine	ccomp
9	.	.	PUNCT	_	1 Determine	punct

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	other	roles by
1	determine	imperative	you not said here			vn conjecture-29.5 «NP V that S»: agent=Agent clause=Theme
2	form	past	the pronunciation of the phrase		thus property	vn appear-48.1.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme
3	pronounce			the phrase		nom pronunciation «communication transitive»: of=patient

The options

Option 1 · ← Mova's choice · ✓ the right answer

"lay-za-MEE", the s being sounded as z by liaison

The tree, 11 words

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	"	"	PUNCT	_	2 lay	punct
2	lay	lay	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	-	-	PUNCT	_	4 za	punct
4	za	za	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 lay	obj
5	-	-	PUNCT	_	6 MEE	punct
6	MEE	MEE	PROPN	Number=Sing	4 za	appos
7	"	"	PUNCT	_	2 lay	punct
8	,	,	PUNCT	_	12 sounded	punct
9	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	10 s	det
10	s	s	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 sounded	nsubj:pass
11	being	be	AUX	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	12 sounded	aux:pass
12	sounded	sound	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	2 lay	advcl
13	as	as	ADP	_	14 z	case
14	z	z	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 sounded	obl
15	by	by	ADP	_	16 liaison	case
16	liaison	liaison	NOUN	Number=Sing	12 sounded	obl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	lay in a quote	imperative	you not said here	za					vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent za=Result
2	sound	gerund · passive	liaison	the s				as z	vn sound_emission-43.2 «PP.location V NP»: agent=Location subject=Theme

Option 2

"lay a-MEE", the s remaining entirely silent

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	"	"	PUNCT	_	2 lay	punct
2	lay	lay	VERB	Mood=Imp VerbForm=Fin	root	root
3	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	5 MEE	det
4	-	-	PUNCT	_	5 MEE	punct
5	MEE	MEE	PROPN	Number=Sing	2 lay	obj
6	"	"	PUNCT	_	2 lay	punct
7	,	,	PUNCT	_	10 remaining	punct
8	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	9 s	det
9	s	s	NOUN	Number=Sing	10 remaining	nsubj
10	remaining	remain	VERB	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	2 lay	advcl
11	entirely	entirely	ADV	_	12 silent	advmod
12	silent	silent	ADJ	Degree=Pos	2 lay	advcl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	lay in a quote	imperative	you not said here	a MEE					vn create-26.4 «NP V NP»: agent=Agent mee=Result
2	remain	gerund	the s						vn exist-47.1 «NP V»: agent=Theme

Option 3

"lez-AM-iss", in the English manner

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	"	"	PUNCT	_	6 iss	punct
2	lez	lez	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 iss	nsubj
3	-	-	PUNCT	_	2 lez	punct
4	AM	a.m.	NOUN	Number=Sing	2 lez	conj
5	-	-	PUNCT	_	6 iss	punct
6	iss	ISS	PROPN	Number=Sing	root	root
7	"	"	PUNCT	_	6 iss	punct
8	,	,	PUNCT	_	12 manner	punct
9	in	in	ADP	_	12 manner	case
10	the	the	DET	Definite=Def PronType=Art	12 manner	det
11	English	English	ADJ	Degree=Pos	12 manner	amod
12	manner	manner	NOUN	Number=Sing	6 iss	appos

The frames reader finds no event or fact in this sentence.

Option 4

"less a-MEES", both terminal letters being sounded

The words, one row each (CoNLL-U)

#	word	lemma	UPOS	features	head	relation
1	"	"	PUNCT	_	5 MEES	punct
2	less	less	ADV	Degree=Cmp	5 MEES	advmod
3	a	a	DET	Definite=Ind PronType=Art	5 MEES	det
4	-	-	PUNCT	_	5 MEES	punct
5	MEES	MEES	PROPN	Number=Sing	root	root
6	"	"	PUNCT	_	5 MEES	punct
7	,	,	PUNCT	_	10 letters	punct
8	both	both	DET	PronType=Tot	10 letters	det
9	terminal	terminal	ADJ	Degree=Pos	10 letters	amod
10	letters	letter	NOUN	Number=Plur	5 MEES	nmod
11	being	be	AUX	Tense=Pres VerbForm=Part	12 sounded	aux:pass
12	sounded	sound	VERB	Tense=Past VerbForm=Part Voice=Pass	10 letters	acl

#	verb	tense, mood	who	what, whom	to whom	where	when	other	roles by
1	sound	gerund · passive		both terminal letters not said here					vn stimulus_subject-30.4 «NP V PP.attribute»

Text: the tests of Mova's primary school, written for Mova (world/data/school/), as the course runner gave them to the student. Trees: Mova's own parse — the en model on the CPU, when the site is built — not checked by a teacher; they may be wrong. Frames: Mova's frames reader (prag), each text read on its own. Elamur Cosmic License.

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