Subcategorization frame

In the UNL framework, Subcategorization Frames are the number and types of syntactic arguments that co-occurs with the lemma in a sentence.

When to use subcategorization frames

Subcategorization frames are mandatory for words that take one or more syntactic argument, such as:

• intransitive verbs ('sleep', 'rain')
• direct transitive verbs ('kill', 'kiss')
• indirect transitive verbs ('depend', 'rely')
• ditransitive verbs ('give')
• deverbals ('arrival', 'construction')
• adjectives that require a complement ('loyal', 'interested')
• adverbs that require a complement ('contrarily to')
• prepositions ('in', 'after', 'near', 'instead')
• conjunctions ('because', 'and', 'but')

Subcategorization frames are optional for words that take no syntactic argument, such as:

• nouns ('table', 'computer')
• adjectives ('beautiful', 'intelligent')
• adverbs ('yesterday', 'here')
• determiners ('the', 'this')
• pronouns ('he', 'yours')

Syntax

Subcategorization frames should comply with the S-Rule formalism for writing syntactic rules in the UNL framework.

Examples

Adjectives

• BEAUTIFUL
  • There is no need for a subcategorization frame.
• LOYAL (TO)
  • JC(PP("to"));
    • The complement of the adjective (JC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "to".
• INTERESTED (IN)
  • JC(PP("in"));
    • The complement of the adjective (JC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "to".

Adverbs

• HERE
  • There is no need for a subcategorization frame.
• CONTRARILY (TO)
  • AC(PP("to"));
    • The complement of the adverb (AC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "to".

Nouns

• TABLE
  • There is no need for a subcategorization frame.
• CONSTRUCTION (OF)
  • NC(PP("of"));
    • The complement of the noun (NC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "of"

Prepositions

• NEAR(TO)
  • PC(PP("to"));
    • The complement of the preposition (PC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "to".
• IN
  • PC(NP);
    • The complement of the preposition (PC) is a noun phrase (NP).

Verbs

• INTRANSITIVE ("sleep")
  • VS(NP,NOM,ANUM,APER);
    • The subject (specifier of the verb = VS) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the nominative case (NOM) and that assigns the number (ANUM) and the person (APER) agreement to the head
• COPULA ("be")
  • VS(NP,NOM,ANUM,APER),VC({NP,JP}, NOM);
    • The subject (specifier of the verb = VS) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the nominative case (NOM) and that assigns the number (ANUM) and the person (APER) agreement to the head, and the complement of the verb (VC) is either a noun phrase (NP) or an adjective phrase (JP), that receives the nominative case (NOM) as well.
• DIRECT TRANSITIVE ("kill")
  • VS(NP,NOM,ANUM,APER), VC(NP,ACC);
    • The subject (specifier of the verb = VS) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the nominative case (NOM) and that assigns the number (ANUM) and the person (APER) agreement to the head, and the complement of the verb (VC) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the accusative case (NOM).
• INDIRECT TRANSITIVE ("depend")
  • VS(NP,NOM,ANUM,APER),VC(PP("on"),ACC);
    • The subject (specifier of the verb = VS) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the nominative case (NOM) and that assigns the number (ANUM) and the person (APER) agreement to the head, and the complement of the verb (VC) is a prepositional phrase (PP) whose head is "on". The PP receives the accusative case (ACC).
• DITRANSITIVE ("give")
  • VS(NP,NOM,ANUM,APER), VC(NP,ACC), VC(PP("to"),DAT);
    • The subject (SPEC) is a noun phrase (NP) that receives the nominative case (NOM) and that assigns the number (ANUM) and the person (APER) agreement to the head, and there are two complements: a noun phrase (NP), that receives the accusative case (ACC), and a prepositional phrase (PP), whose head is "to", and that receives the dative case (DAT).