Distribution
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**middle position (MID): coming in the middle of the modified | **middle position (MID): coming in the middle of the modified | ||
**free distribution (FRE): coming in any position described in the grammar | **free distribution (FRE): coming in any position described in the grammar | ||
| − | * | + | *position |
**immediate (IMM): coming right before or after the modified | **immediate (IMM): coming right before or after the modified | ||
**distant (FAR): coming before or after the specifiers and the complements of the modified | **distant (FAR): coming before or after the specifiers and the complements of the modified | ||
| Line 35: | Line 35: | ||
;Order and contiguity may be combined to express specific distributions: | ;Order and contiguity may be combined to express specific distributions: | ||
:BEF&IMM means that the word occurs right before the modified (as with English intensifiers) | :BEF&IMM means that the word occurs right before the modified (as with English intensifiers) | ||
| − | ; | + | ;Position must be informed only when required: |
::English intensifiers must come right before the intensified ("very well"), therefore BEF&IMM; | ::English intensifiers must come right before the intensified ("very well"), therefore BEF&IMM; | ||
::Adverbs of manner normally comes after the complements ("She read the letter slowly"), therefore "AFT&FAR"; | ::Adverbs of manner normally comes after the complements ("She read the letter slowly"), therefore "AFT&FAR"; | ||
Revision as of 16:18, 8 February 2010
Distribution (or word order) refers to the study of the order of the syntactic constituents of a language.
Contents |
Natural Language
In the UNLarium framework, the distribution must be informed through s-rules, except in case of exceptional (non-default) cases, to be registered in the dictionary by the following values:
Examples
- very = BEF (In English, the intensifier "very" is a premodifier): He is very rich (but *He is rich very)
- well = AFT (In English, the adverb of manner "well" is a postmodifier): He speaks well (but *He well speaks)
- yesterday = FRE (In English, the adverb of time "yesterday" may come either before or after the modified): Now I go or I go now.
Observations
- The distribution of words must be informed in the dictionary only if variable.
- The field "distribution" must be filled in only if different words of the same category may occur in different positions
- Adverbs, in English, may be premodifiers or postmodifiers. Therefore, distribution of adverbs must be informed in the dictionary.
- Articles, in English, are always premodifiers. Therefore, distribution of articles must not be informed in the dictionary.
- The distribution of words must be informed in the dictionary only if not the default one.
- The grammar brings the normal (default) distribution of the words in a language. Only exceptions to the rule must be informed in the dictionary.
- Adjectives, in English, are normally premodifiers. Therefore, distribution of premodifier adjectives (such as "beautiful") must not be informed in the dictionary. On the other hand, free order adjectives (such as "possible": "it is the only solution possible" or "it is the only possible solution") must be tagged, in the dictionary, with the corresponding feature (FRE).
- Middle position should be used only for words to be inserted inside others (i.e., between the prefix and the root, or the root and the suffix).
- Adverbs coming between auxiliaries and verbs must be defined as premodifiers.
- Distribution values are not exclusive
- BEF&AFT means that the word may occur both as a premodifier or as postmodifier;
- BEF&MID means that the word may occur both as a premodifier or as a middle modifier.
- Order and contiguity may be combined to express specific distributions
- BEF&IMM means that the word occurs right before the modified (as with English intensifiers)
- Position must be informed only when required
-
- English intensifiers must come right before the intensified ("very well"), therefore BEF&IMM;
- Adverbs of manner normally comes after the complements ("She read the letter slowly"), therefore "AFT&FAR";
UNL
Word order is not informed in UNL.
