Notes on computational linguistics.pdf - UCLA Department of ...

Stabler - Lx 185/209 2003
10.4 Modifiers as adjuncts
One thing we have not treated yet is the adjunction of modifiers. We allow PP complements of N, but traditional
transformational grammar allows PPs to adjoin on the right of an NP to yield expressions like
student [from Paris]
student [from Paris] [in the classroom]
student [from Paris] [in the classroom] [by the blackboard].
Adjective phrases can also modify a NP, typically adjoining to the left in English:
And of course both can occur:
[Norwegian] student
[young] [Norwegian] student
[very enthusiastic] [young] [Norwegian] student.
[very enthusiastic] [young] [Norwegian] student [from Paris] [in the classroom] [by the blackboard].
Unlike selection, this process seems optional in all cases, and there does not seem to be any fixed bounds on
the number of possible modifiers, so it is widely (but by no means universally) thought that the mechanisms
and structures of modifier attachment are fundamentally unlike complement attachment. Adopting that idea
for the moment, let’s introduce a new mechanism for adjunction.
To indicate that APs can left adjoin to NP, and PPs and CPs (relative clauses) can right adjoin to NP, let’s use
the notation:
a»N N«p N«Cwh
(Notice that in this notation the “arrows” point to the head, to the thing modified.) Similarly for verb modifiers,
as in Titus loudly laughs or Titus laughs loudly or Titus laughs in the castle:
Adv»v v«Adv v«P
For adjective modifiers like very or extremely, in the category deg(ree), as in Titus is very happy:
Deg»a
Adverbs can modify prepositions, as in Titus is completely up the creek:
Adv»P
The category num can be modified by qu(antity) expressions like many,few,little,1,2,3,…as in the 1 place to go
is the cemetery, the little water in the canteen was not enough, the many activities include hiking and swimming:
Qu » Num
Determiners can be modified on the left by only, even which we give the category emph(atic), and on the right
by CPs (appositive relative clauses as in Titus, who is the king, laughs):
Emph»D D«Cwh
Constructions similar to this were mentioned earlier in exercise 3 on page 55.
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