Augmented X’ - Schemes

AUGMENTED X' -SCHEMES Neculai CURTEANU Institute for Computer Technique and Informatics ~ IASI Branch, IASI ROUmaNIA Abstract The paper presents the embedding of an original parsing strategy for Romanian,call- ed Segmentation-Cohesion-Dependency (SCD) , into Chomsk~'s well-known Government and Binding (BG) theory. In order to bring closer the SCD concepts and techniques to the GB theory, the following questions have had to be dealt with: (1) a specification of the Principle of Maximal Projection (PMP), (2) extending the X'-theory (X - bar) by introd- using Augmented X' (AX')-schemes, these ones being obtained by (3) specific constraints imposed on the new shapes of X'-schemes. (4) The AX'-schemes can be represented in terms of a tree (paranthetic) language, whose tran -slation in a logic progran~ing language fol -lows naturally. 1. Introduction Our approach represents a theoretical adaptation of Chomsky's subset of theories to the practical results obtained from and designed for SCD parsing strategY /Curteanu 1986/, /Curteanu 1987/. Mainly designed for Romanian, this strategy proved to be effect- ive (with some peculiarities) also for English /Curteanu 1988b/. Let us consider the classical notations: X'-the second level of X projection, X''=XP-the third (top) level of projection for X=N,V,A,P. Consider also S , S' and PMP(X)=XP. We do not intend to dis- cuss the problems of S''=PMP(S). We shall call X'-structures (middle level in the max- imal projections) as "groups": a group con- tains an overt or an empty head, wrapped by its specifiers (denoted Specif) and modifiers (denoted Modif) but without argument(s) (ds~ noted Arg). Thus X'=XG. N~N' is called Elem • oentary Noun Group (ENG). Tensed Verbal Group (TVG) is V' with the (morphologic or syntac- tic) feature of being tensed. Non-tensed Verbal Group (NVG) is V' with the (morpho- logic) feature of being untensed. ECP abbrev- iates the Empty Category Principle. We note that X'-struotures are naturally obtained by SCD rules. As Chomsky remarks "...the distinction between modifiers and arguments is notorious- ly difficult in certain cases" /Chomsky 1982 P.44/. Giving a general solution for the dis -tribution of the verbal nature modifiers , the kX'-schemes offer also the correct assign -ment of the functional dependencies between the head and its Modif, on the one hand, and the head and its Arg(s), on the other hand. The paper presents a PMP specification,which the adopted solutions are based on. It mainly says that not only V has suboategorization properties, but also some N and A (part of these verbal Ns or As being, in some lang- uages, V). The new features of the AX'-schemes are: (1) an arbitrary number (n ~o) of Arg(s) are permitted, (2) the AP is always a Modlf ! and (3) the PP is always an Arg in AX -schemes Mailing Address : Universitatea "Al.I.Cuza", Seminarul Matematic "A.Myller", 6600 IASI, ROMANIA whose overt or empty head is N,V,A. The sub- categorization properties depend on an ab ~ assigment, at the dictionary level~ef xical feature VERB of the category. (4) The overt or empty (PRO) subject is considered as a …

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