Syntax as an exponent of morphological features

Lexical-Functional Grammar (LFG) and Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG) are both lexicalist, non-transformational, constraint-based grammatical frameworks. While they differ in many respects, they share a number of fundamental principles relevant to morphological theory and analysis, which guide the overall architecture of the grammar. The two frameworks also share a common commitment to being fully explicit and implementable, with strong links to computational implementations. This chapter provides an overview of the general approaches to morphology and the morphology-syntax interface taken by researchers working within these frameworks, illustrating the relevant aspects of each framework through discussion of morphological phenomena such as multiple exponence, auxiliaries, case stacking, morphotactics and clitics.

The aim of this research is to compare the headline of two online media platform in Indonesia; the Republika and Media Indonesia. This research use qualitative descriptive analysis method. The data is analyzed using the Lexical Functional Grammar as an approach. The purpose of using Lexical Functional Grammar is to take a deep look on how the headline news is constructed, as Lexical Functional Grammar is also completed with Constituent Structure, Functional Structure, and Lexical Entry. This research found that there is a difference in the headline construction of Republika and Media Indonesia. Republika tends to use argument ellipsis or additional adjunct and complement. The use of adjunct and complement is to replace the use if the argument elapsed in the headline. Meanwhile, Media Indonesia tends to use complete and standard sentence as their headlines. Even when the headline uses adjunct, actually, without the adjunct the headline in Media Indonesia is already acceptable as Media Indonesia’s headline use complete argument and predicate as the base of their headline.

Gender marking is a language universal, although some languages have a stronger Gender-marking grammar. The Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), a linguistic theory, has a set of rules and levels to render for Gender marking. Bornee and developed within the larger framework of the Generative Grammar, the Lexical Functional Grammar has become a standalone autonomous theoretical theory. This paper draws data from French language to present a comprehensive development of Gender-marking analysis within the Lexical Functional Grammar Framework. Fundamentally, the LSG posits for four phrase structures, which are the C-structure representing lexical entries, the F-structure, which deals with the functional information, the A-structure, which structures predicate-argument relationships, and the ơ-structure, which handles semantic representations. Although the grammatical gender is arrayed all over the four structures, it is mainly presented in this paper as a feature in the lexicon, typically integrated in the C-structure and F-structure mapping.

Where does a verb's frame come from? The obvious answer is the verb itself, and this is the answer that syntacticians have traditionally provided, whether they describe predicator-argument relations as syntactic sisterhood relations or as lexical properties (the predicator's combinatoric potential, or valence). Thus, Haegeman, in her introduction to Government and Binding theory, states, "the thematic structure of a predicate, encoded in the theta grid, will determine the minimal components of the sentence" (Haegeman 1994: 55). Similarly, Bresnan, in her introduction to Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG), states, "[o]n the semantic side, argument structure represents the core participants and events (states, processes) designated by a single predicator. […] On the syntactic side, argument structure represents the minimal information needed to characterize the syntactic dependents of an argument-taking head" (Bresnan 2001: 304). In lexicalist theories like LFG, whenever the arguments of a verb can have more than one set of syntactic realizations, each distinct realization pattern corresponds to a different mapping from semantic roles to grammatical functions, as expressed in a unique lexical entry, and lexical entries, or classes of lexical entries, are related by lexical rules (Neidle 1994).

Preface Part I. Formal Architecture: 1. The formal architecture of Lexical Functional Grammar Ronald M. Kaplan 2. Lexical Functional Grammar: a formal system for grammatical representation Ronald M. Kaplan and Joan Bresnan Part II. Nonlocal Dependencies: 3. Long-distance dependencies, constituent structure, and functional uncertainty Ronald M. Kaplan and Annie Zaenen 4. Modeling syntactic constrants on anaphoric binding Mary Dalrymple, John T. Maxwell III, and Annie Zaenen 5. An algorithm for functional uncertainty Ronald M. Kaplan and John T. Maxwell III 6. Constituent coordination in lexical functional grammar Ronald M. Kaplan and John T. Maxwell III Part III. Word Order: 7. Formal devices for linguisic generalizations: West Germanic world order in lexical functional grammar Annie Zaenen and Ronald M. Kaplan 8. Linear order, syntactic rank, and empty categories: on weak crossover Joan Bresnan Part IV. Semantics and Translation: 9. Projections and semantic description in lexical-functional grammar Per-Kristian Halvorsen and Ronald M. Kaplan 10. Situation semantics and semantic interpretation in constraint-based grammars Per-Kristian Halvorsen 11. Translation by structural correspondences Ronald M. Kaplan, Klaus Netter, Jurgen Wedekind and Annie Zaenen Part V. Mathematical and Computational Issues: 12. Three seductions of computational psycholinguistics Ronald M. Kaplan 13. Logic and feature structures Mark Johnson 14. A method for disjunctive constraint satisfaction John T. Maxwell III and Ronald M. Kaplan 15. The interface between phrasal and functional constraints John T. Maxwell III and Ronald M. Kaplan.

The two levels of syntactic representation induced by lexical functional grammars (LFG) consist of c-structures and sets of attribute-value pairs called f-structures. F-structures are built up from the syntactic surface structure of a sentence by unification of the attribute-value graphs that are associated with each word and each constituent of the c-structure of that sentence. Thus (2) shows an f-structure for the sentence (1).

This paper aims to discuss the analysis of verbless sentences in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) within the Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) framework. It discusses the previous analyses in transformational grammar and shows some problems in these analyses, arguing that LFG is more flexible and able to analyze this kind of sentences with fewer problems. This paper argues that verbless sentences in MSA should be divided into two types: the first is when the second part of a verbless sentence is an adjective, and in this type, we argue that the adjective should be analyzed as a predicate within the single-tier analysis. The second type is verbless sentences that contain a nonadjectival complement, and this type is analyzed as containing a null copula within the double-tier analysis.

Morphological marking of negation through verbal reduplication and tone is a typologically rare phenomenon attested in Eleme (Niger-Congo; Nigeria). Using Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) and Paradigm Function Morphology (PFM) to model first-hand data, I argue that reduplication is not a direct exponent of negation in Eleme, but an asemantic morphomic process, indirectly associated with the presence of a negative polarity feature in LFG’s m(orphological)-structure. While negative verb forms of this kind are typologically unusual, the data can be explained by independently motivated morphology-internal principles. The empirical facts thereby provide support for an m-structure, characterised by its own principles and rules, which interfaces with a bifurcated lexicon that separates content from form.

The aim of this paper is to present parts of our system [2], which is to construct a database out of a narrative natural language text. We think the parts are of interest in their own. The paper consists of three sections:(1) We give a detailed description of the PROLOG - implementation of the parser which is based on the theory of lexical functional grammar (LFG). The parser covers the fragment described in [1,§;4]. I.e., it is able to analyse constructions involving functional control and long distance dependencies. We will to show that- PROLOG provides an efficient tool for LFG-implementation: a phrase structure rule annotated with functional schemata likes S → NP VP is to be interpreted as, first, indetifying the special grammatical relation of subject position of any sentence analyzed by this clause to be the NP appearing in it, and second, as identifying all grammatical relations of the sentence with those of the VP. This universal interpretation of the LFG-metavariables ↑ and ↓ corresponds to the universal quantification of variables appearing in PROLOG-clauses. The procedural semantics of PROLOG is such that the instantiation of the variables in a clause is inherited from the instantiation given by its subgoals, if they succeed. Thus there is no need for a separate component which solves the set of equations obtained by applying the LFG algorithm.-there is a canonical way of translating LFG into a PROLOG programme.(II) For the semantic representation of texts we use the Discourse Representation Theory developped by Hans Kamp. At present the implementation includes the fragment described in [4]. In addition it analyses different types of negation and certain equi- and raising-verbs. We postulate some requirements a semantic representation has to fulfill in order to be able to analyse whole texts. We show how Kamp's theory meets these requirements by analyzing sample discourses involving anaphoric NP's.(III) Finally we sketch how the parser formalism can be augmented to yield as output discourse representation structures. To do this we introduce the new notion of 'logical head' in addition to the LFG notion of 'grammatical head'. The reason is the wellknown fact that the logical structure of a sentence is induced by the determiners and not by the verb which on the other hand determiners the thematic structure of the sentence. However the verb is able to restrict quantifier scope ambiguities or to induce a preference ordering on the set of possible quantifier scope relations. Therefore there must be an interaction between the grammatical head and the logical head of a phrase.

This study identifies, analyses and describes the devices and functions of focus in information structuring in Hadiyya, a Highland East Cushitic language. Data, which were collected from native speakers, were dealt with based on the theory of Functional Grammar (Dik 1997). For focalization, the language uses morphological, lexical and syntactic means. The latter involves word-order change and cleft construction (including pseudo-cleft). Comparatively, the morphological mechanism is the most dynamic and frequent in use while the lexical means is limited both in the number of items employed and in frequency of occurrence.

Modern studies in linguistics are based on functional approach that gives an opportunity to overcome some classic understandings of a language nature. Theory of functionalism is based on dual-track analyse of grammatical structures such as from function to way of semantically expression and from expression to function. Any field has a structure which consists of the core and the periphery. As a rule the core is formed by lexical, morphological and syntactical means that are the most specialized to express meanings of a semantic category and are systematically used. This article deals with the way of expression of the semantic category of aim in modern Gagauz language. The functional-semantic field of aim in modern Gagauz language consists of the core and the periphery. The core of the field of aim consists of lexemes that express semantic of aim and purpose such as “neet”, “amaç”. These lexemes are used not only in Gagauz language but also in Turkish and in both languages are functioning either as separate verbs or as a part of construction with the meaning of purpose. The semantic of aim is expressed on morphological, lexical and syntactical level. On morphological level it is represented by –sin morpheme. Also, the meaning of aim or purpose is expressed by using verb with dative case. On lexical level the semantic of aim is expressed by words with meaning of aim, goal, purpose. As a rule in Turkic languages these lexemes are used to form syntactical constructions with semantic meaning of purpose, such as deyni. Nowadays deyni is the most frequently used lexeme with the meaning of purpose. The article describes several scientific opinions about the origin of deyni, which is used only in Gagauz language. On syntactic level the semantic of aim is expressed by the means of lexemes ani, aniki which are used both in syntactic constructions an compound sentences. The specific feature of sentences that express the meaning of aim in Gaguz language is that syntagma with the meaning of aim and purpose can be used either in preposition or postposition, while in Turkish it can be used in preposition only. In some cases the semantic of aim can be expressed by syntactic means without using special lexemes. In such cases predicate is used in imperative form. Also, sometimes such type of sentences has auxiliary lexeme tâ. Sentences that express the semantic of aim in Gagauz language have some particularities in compare with same constructions in western Turkic languages, for example Turkish. Due to the influence of Slavic syntax for a long period of time constructions with semantic of aim may have different position in sentence, while in other Turkic languages they are in preposition.

Obituary: Martin Kay

Generative Grammar

Lexical Functional Grammar (LFG) is developed to understand the syntactic and semantic structure of Urdu modal verbs from a corpus. The most popular tool XLE for parsing is used to implement LFG and analyze the results. Published literature of modal verbs in Urdu is very much short and limited in nature; however, modal verbs in Urdu are identified and collected from Urdu literature and English literature by translation. A huge corpus is analyzed and sentences including modal verbs like `UW', `UL' etc are extracted from the corpus. Rules are extracted from these sentences and finally, lexical functional grammar for these sentences is developed which provides syntactic and semantic structure of sentences.

The aim of this paper is to provide an adequate analysis in LFG of the prepositional passive, e.g. That problem has been dealt with, My pen has been written with. This construction has been examined in LFG before by Bresnan (1982), Lødrup (1991), and Alsina (2009), but empirical and theoretical problems, some well-documented, some new, mean that such proposals cannot be maintained. Instead, I offer an account couched in recent work on the mapping between grammatical functions and arguments (Asudeh et al., 2014; Findlay, 2014a) that treats the defining characteristic of the prepositional passive not as purely syntactic, but rather as being located at the interface between syntax and semantics.