This lesson introduces dependency grammar (DG), its central ideas, and the historical development of the approach. Understanding these foundations makes it easier to compare DG with other theories of syntax.
Dependency grammar is a family of grammatical theories built around dependencies between linguistic units, typically words. A dependency is a directed relationship linking one word, the head, to another word, its dependent. The head determines or governs the dependent in a particular syntactic relationship.
All flashcards
Semantic dependency
A relation between a predicate and its arguments, which may differ from syntactic dependency.
Morphological dependency
A relation in which one element influences the form of another, as in agreement.
Clitic
A syntactically autonomous element that depends prosodically on a neighboring host.
Hierarchical versus linear order
Hierarchy describes head–dependent organization; linear order describes the sequence of words.
Dependency-based frameworks
Theories that use dependency relations but may differ in their broader assumptions and analyses.
Quiz questions
What is a typical structural difference between dependency grammar and phrase structure grammar?Answer: Dependency grammar links word nodes, while phrase structure grammar may add constituent nodes.
What can different dependency diagrams, such as trees, arrows, brackets, or indentation, represent?Answer: The same basic dependency relations using different display conventions.
Why can the phrase “big bones” illustrate a difference between semantic and syntactic dependency?Answer: The adjective can act semantically as a predicate of the noun, while syntax may link the noun to the adjective.
What does prosodic dependency describe in the case of a clitic?Answer: How the clitic attaches phonologically to a neighboring host.
Under the standard definition, what makes a dependency tree projective?Answer: Its dependency links can be drawn without crossing.
Based on the Wikipedia article Dependency grammar, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.