Question

Consider the following four ungrammatical sentences. Pay attention to the co-indexation. 

(i) *Gopal$_i$ gifted him$_i$ a piano. 
(ii) *Himself$_i$ likes Gopal$_i$. 
(iii) *Gopal$_i$ thinks that Radha will marry himself$_i$. 
(iv) *Radha$_i$'s mother$_i$ loves herself$_i$. 
Which of the following statements are CORRECT with reference to Principles A, B, and C of the Binding Theory?

• A. The sentence in (i) violates Principle-B of the Binding Theory.
• B. The sentence in (ii) violates Principle-A of the Binding Theory.
• C. The sentences in (iii) and (iv) violate the requirement that the antecedent and the anaphor must be contained in the same binding domain.
• D. The sentences in (i) and (iii) both violate Principle-C of the Binding Theory.

Hint:

Binding Theory helps explain why reflexives (Principle A), pronouns (Principle B), and proper names (Principle C) behave differently. Always check local domain binding first for anaphors and pronouns.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B, C

Step 1: Recall Binding Theory Principles. 
- Principle A: An anaphor (e.g., himself, herself) must be bound in its local domain. 
- Principle B: A pronoun must be free in its local domain. 
- Principle C: An R-expression (e.g., Gopal, Radha) must be free everywhere (cannot be co-indexed with anything that c-commands it). 

Step 2: Analyze each sentence. 
(i) *Gopal$_i$ gifted him$_i$ a piano. 
- Here "him$_i$" refers back to Gopal. 
- Pronoun is not free in its local domain \(\Rightarrow\) violates Principle B. - Hence, (A) is correct. 
(ii) *Himself$_i$ likes Gopal$_i$. 
- Reflexive "himself" does not have an antecedent in its local domain. 
- This violates Principle A.
- Hence, (B) is correct. 
(iii) *Gopal$_i$ thinks that Radha will marry himself$_i$. 
- Reflexive "himself" is outside the binding domain of "Gopal". 
- Antecedent and anaphor are not in the same binding domain. 
- Hence, violates binding domain requirement.
(iv) *Radha$_i$'s mother$_i$ loves herself$_i$. 
- Reflexive "herself" must refer to "mother" (closest NP), but is wrongly co-indexed with "Radha". 
- Antecedent and anaphor not in the same domain. 
- Hence, violates binding requirement. 

Step 3: Verify Principle C. 
- None of these sentences involve an R-expression being wrongly bound in violation of Principle C. - So, option (D) is incorrect. 

\[\boxed{\text{Correct Answer: (A), (B), and (C)}}\]