Subcategorization frames

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Subcategorization frames are sets of rules used to generate syntactic structures out of the base form.

Contents

When to use subcategorization frames

Subcategorization frames are used in case of regular syntactic behaviour, i.e., whenever there can be stated a regular pattern for generating words linked to the base form, such as specifiers, complements and adjuncts.

When not to use subcategorization frames

Subcategorization frames are not used in case of avalent words or in case of irregular behaviour, which is described by subcategorization rules.

What is to be included inside a subcategorization frame

Subcategorization frames must include only necessary arguments (specifiers, complements and adjuncts) to the base form. Optional arguments must not be represented inside subcategorization frames.

Reference

The subcategorization frames are referred as follows:

  • by its common name (such as "intransitive", "direct transitive"), in case of well-established reference;
  • by the rule itself, in case of single-rule frames;
  • by the most distinctive rule, if any; or
  • by a "leading form", i.e., a typical example (a prototype) representative of the whole category, otherwise.

There are two predefined frames in the UNLarium:

AVALENT
If the word has valency equal to 0, i.e., if it does not require any argument.
IRREGULAR
If the word requires an argument but does not follow any existing frame.

Syntax

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

<SYNTACTIC ROLE>(<REQUIRED>);

Where:
<SYNTACTIC ROLE> is the syntactic role (VA, VC, VS, VH, etc) of the term required by the base form; and
<REQUIRED> is the term required by the base form to saturate its syntactic structure. It is normally a maximal projection (NP, VP, JP, AP, PP) or a lemma (between [ ]). In case of PP, the head of the prepositional phrase is always informed: PP([in]), for instance, indicates a prepositional phrase whose head is the preposition "in".
A subcategorization frame normally involves more than one syntactic role.

Examples

Rules Description Examples
NS([the]); The noun phrase requires the article "the" as its specifier the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom
VS(NP); The verbal phrase requires a noun phrase as a specifier (intransitive verbs) sleep, die, etc.
VS(NP)VC(NP); The verbal phrase requires a noun phrase as a specifier and a noun phrase as a complement (direct transitive verbs) make, read, write, etc
VS(NP)VC(PP([on])); The verbal phrase requires a noun phrase as a specifier and a prepositional phrase headed by "on" as a complement (indirect transitive verbs governing "on") depend, insist, operate
Software