Chapter 6 Flashcards
a grammatical case that marks noun phrases that occur as objects of clauses
accusative
a construction in which the semantic agent of a transitive verb is the grammatical subject
active voice
a syntactic constituent headed by an adposition; includes prepositional phrases and postpositional phrases
adpositional phrase
a dependent clause that is linked to a matrix clause by an adverbial conjunction or affix that specifies the semantic relationship between clauses, most commonly manner, time, location, quantity, condition, or cause.
adverbial clause
free word or affix that specifies the semantic relationship between clauses, e.g., conditional (English if), causal (because), temporal (when)
adverbial conjunction or affix
semantic case role denoting the volitional instigator (the “do‑er”) of an activity or event
agent
a noun phrase holding a particular grammatical status in relation to a verb; can be core or oblique
argument
semantic case role denoting an entity who benefits from an action
beneficiary
syntactic unit typically consisting of a verb (in some languages within a verb phrase), its noun phrase arguments, and adverbial elements (usually adverbs and adpositional phrases)
clause
dependent clauses that function as noun phrase arguments of verbs systematically and absolutely opposite contributions to the meaning of an expressed proposition: e.g., on/off, once/never, real/imaginary; can neither both be true nor both be false at any time; one is always true, and the other false
complement clauses
a sentence with more than one clause
complex sentence
a sub‑part of a higher unit
constituent
the constituents of a unit and their structural relationships
constituent structure
fixed grammatical patterns associated with particular functions
constructions
the combination of two independent elements of the same type using a conjunction; in clause‑combining, refers to the formation of a complex sentence by linking two clauses using a conjunction; contrasts with subordination
coordination
a special type of verb, such as be in English, which denotes a relation between two noun phrases (e.g., he is a teacher) or between a noun phrase and an adjective (e.g., he is tall)
copula
a noun or adjective which is related to the subject in a copula clause
copula complement
an argument that has a direct grammatical relationship with a verb
core argument
two or more morphemes, words, or other linguistic forms that index (i.e., point to, refer to) the same entity (i.e., the referent, thing referred to)
coreference / coreferential
a nominal case used with semantic recipient noun phrases of ditransitive verbs
dative
an element that modifies and is structurally subordinate to a head; can refer to words, phrases, and clauses
dependent
grammatical relation based on morphosyntactic behavior shared by the object of transitive verbs and the non‑recipient object of ditransitive verbs
direct object
verbs that take at most three core arguments
ditransitive
a construction in English and some other languages in which the two objects of a ditransitive verb are positioned directly following the verb, with the semantic recipient first; e.g., John gave Fred the book
double‑object construction
semantic case role denoting an entity that experiences a physical or emotional state
experiencer
linguistic theories that analyze structures independently of function, instead constructing a formal model of linguistic knowledge based on abstract categories, structures, and principles; the model is posited to represent a single Universal Grammar taken to be part of humankind’s genetic endowment
formal theory
linguistic theory based on the premise that language is shaped by its role as a tool of human communication, including its embedding in general human cognition and its role in human social, cultural, and communicative interaction; focuses on both formal and functional properties of language; takes naturally occurring discourse as the primary source of data that has bearing on the central questions of the field
functional discourse‑based theory
semantic case role denoting the endpoint of a motion trajectory
goal
relationships between core arguments and verbs and that are marked by particular grammatical behaviors, such as agreement, case‑markers, or constraints on ordering
grammatical relations
the element that determines the syntactic function of a phrase (e.g., a phrase headed by a noun is called a noun phrase and occupies the syntactic position of a noun within a clause); must be present for its modifiers or dependents to appear
head
the noun in a noun phrase; typically mentioned in contrast to its dependents; sometimes specifically refers to the noun modified by a dependent relative clause
head noun
grammatical relation pertaining only to the recipient object of ditransitive verbs
indirect object
semantic case role denoting an entity that is used to perform an action
instrument
verbs that take at most one core argument
intransitive
a schematic representation of the hierarchical structure of a phrase, clause, or sentence; includes a labeled node for each phrase and labels for word classes
labeled tree diagram
semantic relation of location and/or the grammatical marking of location by case; refers to static location when contrasting with categories of source and/or goal.
locative
the grammatically primary clause in a complex sentence; the head clause upon which other clauses are dependent; similar to a main clause, but also implies a relationship with a dependent clause
matrix clause
a grammatical case that marks noun phrases that occur as subjects of clauses
nominative
a syntactic constituent headed by a noun or pronoun; optionally includes one or more dependent modifiers
noun phrase
grammatical relation based on morphosyntactic behavior pertaining to the less agentive arguments of transitive and ditransitive verbs; includes direct objects and indirect objects
object
complement clause that functions as the grammatical object of a verb
object complement
noun phrase dependent on an adposition in an adpositional phrase
object of an adposition (preposition/postposition)
argument that does not have a direct grammatical relationship with a verb; oblique arguments typically convey information external to the strict verbal semantics (such as spatial, temporal, or logical relations), so are often “optional” elements of the clause
oblique argument
in English, compound verbs containing a verb plus a particle that historically developed from a preposition but no longer functions as one
particle verb
a construction which allows the semantic patient to function as the grammatical subject of an intransitive clause; agentive arguments are either unexpressed or placed in an adpositional phrase
passive voice
semantic case role denoting an entity that undergoes a change of state as the result of an activity or event
patient
a structurally defined subpart of a sentence, including a head and optional dependents; used in Chapter 10 to a sequence of words within a single intonation unit
phrase
a question that one could answer with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response; contrasts with content questions (also known as wh‑questions) that ask for a specific piece of information, such as when something will or did occur.
polar question
(syntax) the central structural element of a clause, typically a verb, that determines the number and type of core arguments of the clause; (traditional) the portion of the clause that conveys information about the subject (e.g., the state or activity), typically consisting of the verb, its objects, adverbials, adjectives, or other modifiers;
predicate (i) (noun)
(semantics) the part of a proposition that is actually proposed, ‘put forth’, i.e., predicated about a subject
predicate (ii) (verb)
adjective that occurs as the primary element of the predicate, e.g., He is tall.
predicate adjective
noun phrase that occurs as the primary element of the predicate, e.g., He is a millionaire.
predicate nominal
a verb that can substitute for a verb phrase; e.g., English do
pro‑verb
semantic case role denoting an entity that receives a theme
recipient
the ability for a phrasal constituent to embed another phrasal constituent of the same type within it; e.g. the English prepositional phrases in the cat on the pillow in the corner of the room
recursion
a dependent clause embedded in a noun phrase that modifies a noun
relative clause
semantic (meaning) relationships between verbs and arguments; distinct from grammatical relationships
semantic case roles
an integrated syntactic unit consisting of at least one clause and optionally adverbials that have scope over the sentence as a whole
sentence
semantic case role denoting the beginning point of a motion trajectory
source
grammatical relation based on morphosyntactic behavior shared by the single argument of an intransitive verb and the more agentive argument of a transitive or ditransitive verb, but not shared by other arguments
subject
a word or affix that marks an adverbial subordinate clause by specifying the specific semantic relationship between the adverbial clause and the matrix clause (e.g., English if, because, when, although)
subordinating conjunction
the set of grammatical structures that allow for the combination of words into phrases and sentences the study of such structures and the principles underlying them
syntax
semantic case role denoting a location in time
temporal
semantic case role denoting an entity undergoing motion or being located
theme
verbs that take two core arguments
transitive
property of a verb to take a particular number of arguments
transitivity (i)
the extent to which a verb expresses an action that affects a participant
transitivity (ii)
syntactic constituent consisting of a verb as the head of the phrase, and optional dependents including adverbs, prepositional phrases, object noun phrases, and indirect objects in prepositional phrases
verb phrase
a grammatical construction providing alternate mappings between semantic roles and grammatical relations; includes active and passive
voice
