Subcategorization

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Subcategorization is the definition of the number and types of the syntactic arguments that co-occurs with the base form in order to form a multi-word expression or a phrase.

Subcategorization rules and subcategorization frames

In the UNLarium framework, subcategorization is indicated by a set of transformations carried over the base form. This set of transformations can be represented by:

  • subcategorization frames, in case of regular behaviour (i.e., a set of transformations that is followed by several different words)
  • subcategorization rules, in case of irregular behaviour (i.e., a set of transformation that is followed by very few words); or
  • subcategorization frames and subcategorization rules, in case of quasi-regular behaviour (i.e., when the word is mainly regular but has some subcategorization particularities).

For instance, the rule VP:=VS(NP),VC(NP); (= the verb takes a noun phrase as the subject and a noun phrase as a complement) is associated to all direct transitive verbs of English (to buy, to make, to do, etc) and should be defined, therefore, as a subcategorization frame. The same happens to the rule VP:=VS(NP),VC(PP("on")); (= the verb takes a noun phrase as the subject and a prepositional phrase headed by "on" as a complement), which is less general, but still quite comprehensive, and would be applicable to all indirect transitive verbs that select the preposition on (such as to depend, to insist,to operate, etc). However, the rule VP:=VA("into account") (= the verb takes the expression "into account" as an adjunct) is restricted to the expression take into account (whose base form is take), and must be defined as a subcategorization rule (and not a subcategorization frame). On the other hand, the form take into acount is still a direct transitive verb ("someone takes something into account"), which means that it should be associated both to the subcategorization frame of transitive verbs and to its specific subcategorization rule.

Syntax

Subcategorization frames and subcategorization rules are expressed by S-rules, a special formalism for representing the syntactic structure of the phrase.

Software