Subcategorization rules

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(Syntax of subcategorization rules)
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*Multi-word expressions (such as "take into account"); and
 
*Multi-word expressions (such as "take into account"); and
 
*Exceptions to the subcategorization frames.
 
*Exceptions to the subcategorization frames.
 
=== Separable words and multi-word expressions ===
 
  
 
Let's consider, for instance, the case for the multiword expression "take into account", which is inflectional and separable at the same time, and it is the English word corresponding to the UW "take into account(agt>thing, obj>thing)". In ordinary English dictionaries, "take into account" is not an independent entry, but a sub-entry of the verb "take", which should be considered therefore as the [[lemma]], so that we would be able to use the same inflectional paradigm already created for all instances of "take" (= "takes", "taking", "took", "taken"). However, in order to deal with the fact that the verb is actually "take into account" and not only "take", we should create a subcategorization rule with the following format:
 
Let's consider, for instance, the case for the multiword expression "take into account", which is inflectional and separable at the same time, and it is the English word corresponding to the UW "take into account(agt>thing, obj>thing)". In ordinary English dictionaries, "take into account" is not an independent entry, but a sub-entry of the verb "take", which should be considered therefore as the [[lemma]], so that we would be able to use the same inflectional paradigm already created for all instances of "take" (= "takes", "taking", "took", "taken"). However, in order to deal with the fact that the verb is actually "take into account" and not only "take", we should create a subcategorization rule with the following format:

Revision as of 14:43, 15 September 2009

In the UNL framework, Subcategorization Rules are rules for generating multi-word expressions out of lemmas. They can also be used for creating exceptions to subcategorization frames.

Contents

When to use subcategorization rules

Subcategorization rules must be used in three cases:

  • Separable words, such as "fernsehen" (= "watch TV"), from German, that may be generated as "sehen [...] fern", as in "Sie sehen im Wohnzimmer fern." (= "They watch TV in the living room");
  • Multi-word expressions (such as "take into account"); and
  • Exceptions to the subcategorization frames.

Let's consider, for instance, the case for the multiword expression "take into account", which is inflectional and separable at the same time, and it is the English word corresponding to the UW "take into account(agt>thing, obj>thing)". In ordinary English dictionaries, "take into account" is not an independent entry, but a sub-entry of the verb "take", which should be considered therefore as the lemma, so that we would be able to use the same inflectional paradigm already created for all instances of "take" (= "takes", "taking", "took", "taken"). However, in order to deal with the fact that the verb is actually "take into account" and not only "take", we should create a subcategorization rule with the following format:

VA(>PP("into account"));

which means that the string "into account", which is a prepositional phrase (PP), is a necessary adjunct of the verb (VA), after which (">") it should be generated. It is interesting to notice that the alternative, which is to represent the whole string "take into account" as the lemma and to provide a very specific inflectional paradigm ("takes into account", "taking into account", "took into account", "taken into account") is not only much more expensive but also insufficient, because it does not allow any string to come in between the verb and the particle (as in "take something into account").

When not to use subcategorization rules

Subcategorization rules should be avoided in case of multiword expressions that are not inflectional or separable, such as many English prepositional phrases ("in accordance with"), adverbial phrases ("once upon a time") and conjunctional phrases ("on the contrary"). In those cases, there is no need for splitting the expression at the level of lemma.

Subcategorization rules should also be avoided in case of inflectional multiword expressions that do not pose any problem to generating inflected forms. The plural of the English noun phrase "acid rain", for instance, can be formed by simply adding an "s" to the string, such as many other single-word entries, and there is no actual need for creating a subcategorization rule for those cases.

It should be noticed that, if the multiword expression is not to be represented by a subcategorization rule, the lemma should be the multiword expression itself.

Syntax of subcategorization rules

Subcategorization rules must comply with the S-Rule formalism for representing syntactic information in the UNLarium framework.

Examples of subcategorization rules

bring back
VA(>AP("back");
The adverb "back", which is the head of an adverbial phrase (AP), is the adjunct of verb (VA).
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