C command

The C command is a relation of the nodes in the syntax tree of a sentence. It is mainly used in phrase structure grammars based on Chomsky theories (Government & Binding and Minimalism ) and is not necessarily applicable in other syntactic theories, such as the dependency grammars.

A node A in a syntax tree c-commands another node B in the same syntax tree if B is a sister node to A, or B is dominated by a sister node A.

definition

The definition of the c command is based on the dominance relation in trees. A node A dominates another node B if A is above B in the tree and there is a path from A to B that only goes down the tree. A dominates B if B is a direct descendant (daughter, grandchild, great-grandchild, etc.) of A. B is dominated directly if there is no other node between A and B. The c-command relation between two nodes A and B now exists when AB does not dominate, but B is dominated by the same node that dominates A directly.

If two nodes A and B command each other, then one speaks of a symmetrical c command; if this is not the case, one speaks of the asymmetric c command.

example

Figure 1. A simple syntax tree

The example tree (see Figure 1) contains the following c command relationships:

M c- does not command any other node because it is at the top of the tree

A c-commands B, as well as all daughter nodes of B

B c-commands A

C c-commands D, F and G

D c-commands C and E

E does not c-command a node, but in some definitions E can c-command nodes D, F and G

F c-commands G

G c-commands F

A and B, C and D, and F and G c-command each other, so they c-command each other symmetrically.

Applications

One possible application of the C command is in attachment theory , in which possible candidates for co-referencing pronomial phrases with their antecedent are examined. The correspondence of these syntactic phrases seems to follow certain rules; one of them is that the pronoun cannot c-command the other phrase if both phrases are to be co-referent:

He said Peter was coming.

His mother said that Peter was coming.

In the second sentence, "his" and "Peter" can refer, so it could be Peter's mother. But that is not possible in the first sentence. The explanation for this should be the C-command: He c-commands Peter , and this means that the phrases cannot coreferenced. His is deeper in the tree structure, however, and can no longer c-command Peter , which means that the phrases can be co-referent.

literature

David Adger: Core Syntax . Ed .: Oxford University Press. 2012, ISBN 978-0-19-924370-9 .

Remarks

↑ Most text books introduce the term, see for example Adger (2003).
↑ Kayne, Richard S .: The antisymmetry of syntax . MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1994, ISBN 978-0-262-61107-7 .

[1] Most text books introduce the term, see for example Adger (2003).

[2] Kayne, Richard S .: The antisymmetry of syntax . MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass. 1994, ISBN 978-0-262-61107-7 .