Distribution
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{{#tree:id=DIS|openlevels=0|root=Distribution (DIS)| | {{#tree:id=DIS|openlevels=0|root=Distribution (DIS)| | ||
*order (PSN) | *order (PSN) | ||
| + | **front(FRT): at the beginning of the clause | ||
**premodifier (BEF): coming before the modified | **premodifier (BEF): coming before the modified | ||
**postmodifier (AFT): coming after the modified | **postmodifier (AFT): coming after the modified | ||
**middle position (MID): coming in the middle of the modified | **middle position (MID): coming in the middle of the modified | ||
| − | **free | + | **end (END): at the end of the clause |
| + | **free (FRE): coming in any position | ||
*adjacency (PXM) | *adjacency (PXM) | ||
| − | **immediate (IMM): | + | **immediate (IMM): right after or right before |
| − | **distant (FAR): | + | **near (NEA): precedence over other constituents (except IMM) |
| + | **distant (FAR): no precedence over other constituents | ||
}} | }} | ||
=== Examples === | === Examples === | ||
| − | *very = BEF | + | *Order |
| − | *well = AFT | + | **very = BEF - In English, the intensifier "very" is a premodifier: ''He is very rich'' (<strike>''He is rich very''</strike>) |
| − | *yesterday = FRE | + | **well = AFT - In English, the adverb of manner "well" is a postmodifier: ''He speaks well'' (<strike>''He well speaks''</strike>) |
| + | **yesterday = FRE - In English, the adverb of time "yesterday" may come either before or after the modified: ''Now I go'' or ''I go now''. | ||
| + | *Adjacency | ||
| + | **the = FAR (In English, the article "the" has no precedence over other modifiers: ''the small round black leather handbag'' (<strike>small the round black leather handbag</strike>). | ||
| + | **after (in "look after") = IMM (In English, the preposition after must come right after the base form "come" in order to form the compound "look after": ''We look after them'' (<strike>We look them after</strike>) | ||
=== Observations === | === Observations === | ||
Revision as of 15:23, 23 March 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
- Order
- very = BEF - In English, the intensifier "very" is a premodifier: He is very rich (
He is rich very) - well = AFT - In English, the adverb of manner "well" is a postmodifier: He speaks well (
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.
- very = BEF - In English, the intensifier "very" is a premodifier: He is very rich (
- Adjacency
- the = FAR (In English, the article "the" has no precedence over other modifiers: the small round black leather handbag (
small the round black leather handbag). - after (in "look after") = IMM (In English, the preposition after must come right after the base form "come" in order to form the compound "look after": We look after them (
We look them after)
- the = FAR (In English, the article "the" has no precedence over other modifiers: the small round black leather handbag (
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 adjacency may be combined to express specific distributions
- BEF&IMM means that the word occurs right before the modified (as with English intensifiers)
- Order 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.
