Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

A-Z 479governing categoryA syntactic domain in binding theory within which a reflexiv e pronoun must have anantecedent. In Chomsky’s Government and Binding theory, the governing category ofa node X is defined as a first approximation by Y (=NP or S) is the governing categoryfor X, if Y is the minimal category containing X, a governor of X, and a subject. Acategory is minimal with respect to P, if it contains P and does not dominate any othercategory that contains P.binding theoryReferencesgovernment1 Lexeme-specific property of verbs, adjectives, prepositions, or nouns that determinesthe morphological realization (especially case) of dependent elements. Government canbe subsumed under valence in so far as elements with valence govern the morphologicalform of their ‘governed’ (dependent) elements. The term ‘government’ is used especiallywith verbs whose differing valence is the primary criterion for distinguishing betweentransitive and intransitive verbs ( transitivity). The syntactic functions of theelements accompanying the verb are based on the various governing cases. Case can alsobe determined by genitive or prepositional attributes (Ger. Land des Glaubens (genitive)‘land of faith,’ Hoffnung auf Frieden (accusative) ‘hope for peace’), adjectives (Ger. demVater ähnlich (dative) ‘like the father’), and prepositions (Russ. c (instrumental) ‘with, bymeans of). The term government is used in some studies to indicate the marking of objectfunctions by means of prepositions rather than case marking: the verb to think governsthe preposition of. ( also prepositional object)ReferencesBarlow, M. and C.A.Ferguson (eds) 1988. Agreement in natural language: approaches, theories,descriptions. Chicago, IL.Hjelmslev, L. 1939. La notion de rection. Acta Linguistica 1.10–23.Lyons, J. 1968. Introduction to theoretical linguistics. Cambridge.Van Valin, R.D. 1987. The role of government in the grammar of head-marking languages. IJAL53.371–97.2 In the framework of transformational grammar ( Government and Bindingtheory), the term government has a more precise use: in order for government to be