Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases

This book provides a theoretical account of Swedish noun phrases and, in particular, of the distribution of features within them. The account is formulated in terms of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG) and is based on a detailed discussion of two aspects of Swedish noun phrase; the status of the definite ending and the headedness of the phrases. The Swedish definite ending is compared to similar elements in a number of other European languages.The conclusion is that the element does not have any independent syntactic status, and should be represented in the syntax only in the form of a feature. The book contains a review of the arguments that have been used in the debate on the headedness of noun phrases and finds no compelling evidence in favour of a DP analysis. Instead the book claims that certain properties of Swedish noun phrases can be more accurately accounted for if the noun is assumed to be the head of the noun phrase. The analysis provided within the HPSG framework is then an NP analysis.

Kersti Borjars is the author of Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases, published by Wiley.

Acknowledgements

xi

(1)

List of Tables

xii

(1)

Abbreviations

xiii

1 Introduction

1

(6)

2 Determiners and Modifiers

7

(33)

2.1 Previous studies of prenominal elements

7

(3)

2.2 The determiner field

10

(16)

2.2.1 Problems with Loman's (1956) position classes

10

(2)

2.2.2 Criteria for determiner status

12

(7)

2.2.3 Lexically complex determiners

19

(4)

2.2.4 Prenominal genitives and possessive pronouns

23

(3)

2.3 The description field

26

(5)

2.4 The determiner field vs. the description field

31

(7)

2.5 Conclusions

38

(2)

3 Definite Feature or Definite Article

40

(49)

3.1 Introduction

40

(1)

3.2 Previous analyses

41

(3)

3.3 What is a clitic?

44

(13)

3.3.1 Phrasal host

45

(2)

3.3.2 Selectivity

47

(3)

3.3.3 Ordering

50

(2)

3.3.4 Irregularities

52

(4)

3.3.5 Phonological processes

56

(1)

3.3.6 Conclusions based on the clitic-affix distinction

57

(1)

3.4 DEF as syntactic element

57

(3)

3.4.1 The issues

57

(1)

3.4.2 Word order

58

(1)

3.4.3 Co-occurrence with other determiners

58

(1)

3.4.4 Co-ordination

59

(1)

3.4.5 Conclusions based on a comparison with syntactic determiners

60

(1)

3.5 A comparison with the possessive -s in Swedish

60

(4)

3.5.1 Criteria for an affix-clitic distinction

60

(3)

3.5.2 Possessive -s as a syntactic element

63

(1)

3.5.3 Conclusions

64

(1)

3.6 A comparison with `enclitic articles' in other languages

64

(19)

3.6.1 The issues

64

(1)

3.6.2 Clitic vs. affix status

65

(1)

3.6.2.1 Phrasal host

65

(2)

3.6.2.2 Selectivity

67

(3)

3.6.2.3 Ordering

70

(3)

3.6.2.4 Irregularities

73

(1)

3.6.2.5 Conclusions

74

(1)

3.6.3 DEF as a syntactic element

75

(1)

3.6.3.1 Co-occurrence with other determiners

75

(7)

3.6.3.2 Co-ordination

82

(1)

3.6.3.3 Conclusions

82

(1)

3.7 Conclusions about the status of the `enclitic article'

83

(6)

4 The Head of the Noun Phrase

89

(46)

4.1 Introduction

89

(2)

4.2 The Zwicky-Hudson criteria

91

(25)

4.2.1 Functor and argument

91

(2)

4.2.2 Subcategorizand

93

(5)

4.2.3 Morphosyntactic locus

98

(7)

4.2.4 Governor

105

(2)

4.2.5 Determinant of concord

107

(4)

4.2.6 Distributional equivalence

111

(2)

4.2.7 Obligatory constituent

113

(1)

4.2.8 Ruler

114

(1)

4.2.9 Conclusions

115

(1)

4.3 Arguments for D as the head of the noun phrase

116

(9)

4.3.1 Types of arguments

116

(1)

4.3.2 Arguments based on headedness criteria

117

(1)

4.3.3 Arguments based on similarities with clauses

118

(5)

4.3.4 Typological arguments

123

(2)

4.4 Arguments against D as the head of the noun phrase

125

(5)

4.5 Conclusions

130

(5)

5 Features in Definite Noun Phrases

135

(82)

5.1 Introduction

135

(7)

5.1.1 The approach

135

(1)

5.1.2 Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar basics

136

(4)

5.1.3 The issues

140

(2)

5.2 Nouns without syntactic determiners

142

(16)

5.2.1 The data

142

(1)

5.2.2 Previous analyses

143

(1)

5.2.2.1 Analyses in which DEF has independent syntactic status

143

(2)

5.2.2.2 Analyses in which DEF does not have independent syntactic status

145

(6)

5.2.3 Proposed analysis and comparisons

151

(1)

5.2.3.1 The issues

151

(1)

5.2.3.2 NP analysis

152

(1)

5.2.3.3 Netter (1994)

153

(1)

5.2.3.4 DP analysis

154

(2)

5.2.3.5 Conclusions

156

(2)

5.3 Nouns with syntactic determiners

158

(17)

5.3.1 The data

158

(1)

5.3.2 Previous analyses

159

(1)

5.3.2.1 Analyses in which DEF has independent syntactic status

159

(4)

5.3.2.2 Analyses in which DEF does not have independent syntactic status

163

(3)

5.3.3 Proposed analysis and comparisons

166

(1)

5.3.3.1 The issues

166

(2)

5.3.3.2 NP analysis

168

(3)

5.3.3.3 Netter (1994)

171

(1)

5.3.3.4 DP analysis

172

(2)

5.3.3.5 Conclusions

174

(1)

5.4 Nouns with adjectives and determiners

175

(28)

5.4.1 The data

175

(2)

5.4.2 Previous analyses

177

(1)

5.4.2.1 Analyses in which DEF has independent syntactic status

177

(4)

5.4.2.2 Analyses in which DEF does not have independent syntactic status

181

(6)

5.4.3 Proposed analysis and comparisons

187

(1)

5.4.3.1 The issues

187

(2)

5.4.3.2 NP analysis

189

(7)

5.4.3.3 Netter (1994)

196

(3)

5.4.3.4 DP analysis

199

(3)

5.4.3.5 Conclusions

202

(1)

5.5 Some residual issues

203

(12)

5.5.1 Types of Adj + N combinations seemingly without a determiner

203

(1)

5.5.1.1 The issues

203

(1)

5.5.1.2 Lexical phrases

203

(3)

5.5.1.3 Adjectival determiners

206

(4)

5.5.1.4 Predeterminers

210

(2)

5.5.1.5 Conclusions

212

(1)

5.5.2 Subjects and specifiers in HPSG

212

(3)

5.6 Conclusions

215

(2)

6 Features in Indefinite Noun Phrases

217

(41)

6.1 Introduction

217

(1)

6.2 Nouns with determiners

218

(6)

6.2.1 The issues

218

(1)

6.2.2 Previous analyses

219

(3)

6.2.3 The proposed analysis

222

(2)

6.3 Noun phrases containing adjectives

224

(3)

6.3.1 The issues

224

(1)

6.3.2 Previous analyses

225

(1)

6.3.3 The proposed analysis

226

(1)

6.4 Nouns without determiners

227

(27)

6.4.1 Plural and non-count nouns

227

(1)

6.4.1.1 The issues

227

(2)

6.4.1.2 Previous analyses

229

(3)

6.4.1.3 Conclusions and proposed analysis

232

(1)

6.4.2 Non-agreeing noun phrases

233

(1)

6.4.2.1 The issues

233

(2)

6.4.2.2 Previous analyses

235

(3)

6.4.2.3 Conclusions and proposed analysis

238

(5)

6.4.3 Bare singular nouns in object position

243

(4)

6.4.4 Predicative `role' nouns

247

(1)

6.4.4.1 The issues

247

(1)

6.4.4.2 Previous analyses

248

(4)

6.4.4.3 Conclusions and proposed analysis

252

(2)

6.5 Conclusions

254

(4)

7 Conclusion

258

(3)

Notes

261

(16)

References

277

(8)

Indexes

285

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Feature Distribution in Swedish Noun Phrases

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials