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MatrixDoc_Coordination
While the coordination library is optional (you can create a grammar without using it), if your language has AND-style coordination of any constituent type it is a good idea to have it in the grammar from the beginning. Coordination interacts with many different phenomena, and so building your analyses of the various phenomena with coordination in the mix from the start is a good idea.
Generally, the Grammar Matrix Coordination customization page is divided into two pieces. The coordination library enables users to add coordination strategies to their grammars ("Add a Coordination Strategy"). Additionally, users may describe how agreement features (like person, number, and gender) work in coordinated phrases in the language they are describing.
Descriptive grammars frequently describe coordination strategies, and somewhat less frequently describe how agreement features work within those coordination strategies. It may make sense to add a coordination strategy without also describing how agreement works in that language's coordinated phrases.
- [ This documentation is under construction. When it is more complete, this section should describe the effects of the various options provided in this library in terms of the behavior of the grammar. It is also a good place for tips on how to get the most from the library. ]
- [ This documentation is under construction. When it is more complete, this section should describe the analyses that are implemented as part of this library and/or point to publications where those analyses are described. ]
The coordination library allows the user to specify different coorindation strategies for different types of coordinands (e.g., NP and S). This results in specialized grammar rules for each type of coordinand. This may seem surprising in light of the very general coordination schemas sometimes encountered in the HPSG literatures, but in fact it is well-supported from both typological and theoretical angles. From a typological point of view, many languages use different coordination strategies for the coordination of different constituent types. From a theoretical point of view, the work that the coordination rule needs to do, both syntactically and semantically, differs according to the type of constituent being coordinated.
The coordination library does not presently constrain the value of any HEAD or INDEX features on the mother. Such constraints can be added to the starter grammar by hand. Note that in some cases, you'll need to create further subtypes of each rule type (e.g., to handle the resolution of such features as PERSON and NUMBER in NP coordination, based on the value of these features on the coordinands).
The analyses implemented in this library are partially described in Drellishak and Bender 2005.
The following sections describe the additions to the Matrix that account for how agreement features work in coordinated phrases.
Generally, the agreement features of a coordinated phrase are decided one of two ways: feature resolution and distinguished (or closest) conjunct. The term "agreement pattern" is used throughout these MatrixDoc pages, as well as on the Coordination page, as an overarching term for the feature resolution and distinguished conjunct patterns defined on the page.
In feature resolution, the grammar follows fairly predictable logic and/or sets of rules (e.g. "whenever a noun phrase includes a masculine conjunct, the gender of the entire phrase will be masculine", "all coordinated phrases are plural", "any noun phrase including a 1st person element is also 1st person") to derive the features to use for the entire coordinated phrase.
In distinguished conjunct patterns, a single conjunct in a predictable position (first, last, or closest to the verb) decides the features used by a word agreeing with the coordinated phrase. No matter how long or what other elements the phrase contains, the agreement features are always decided by the first conjunct, last conjunct, or the closest conjunct to the verb.
This section describes the various options and typical paths for defining how agreement features work in coordinated phrases.
Once you have defined at least one agreement pattern, you may associate it with any coordination strategy. In fact, you must link it with a coordination strategy for it to work.
The feature resolution section allows you to add full feature resolution-style rule sets to a coordination strategy.
"The same" is used to identify two or more values.
For example, if your language has three genders, "m" , "n" , and "f", and a coordinated phrase with conjuncts of the same gender always has that gender value, you could use this option. By choosing "the same" for Child 1, "the same" for Child 2, and "the same" for Parent, these values will be identified.
Selecting a value of "any" will leave the feature value for that child underspecified.
For example, to write a feature resolution rule that any coordinated phrase including a 1st person conjunct is 1st person, you could choose "1st" for Child 1, "any" for Child 2, and "1st" for Parent.
Note that in this case, you would also want to fill in the remaining two feature resolution rules, covering all possible combinations of person that include 1st person: "2nd" & "1st" = "1st"; "3rd" & "1st" = "1st".
Some languages have feature resolution patterns that define a "default" value for non-matching conjuncts.
For example, if a language has 5 noun classes, and any combination of two different noun classes resulted in a value of noun class 3, you would use this option.
In this case, define a list of feature values under Child 1. The Child 1 list allows you to select multiple options, so select all possible feature values (e.g. noun classes 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5). Then, select "Any non-matching value in that list" for Child 2. Define the "default" value by selecting a feature value under Parent (e.g. noun class 3).
Some descriptive grammars do not include very much information about how agreement features work in coordinated phrases. Even without detailed information about agreement patterns in a language, it can be useful to add some constraints to coordinated phrases to cut down on overgeneration and spurious ambiguity in the final grammar.
Out of the box, coordination strategies are underspecified for HEAD and INDEX features. If you do not plan to add additional information about agreement patterns, the Feature Resolution section is a place where you can add some constraints on coordinated phrases.
For example, even if you aren't specifically modeling how case works in coordinated phrases in the language we're modeling, it's possible to identify case values to reduce spurious ambiguity in sentences with coordinated phrases. (See the section on the "the same" value for information on how to identify feature values.)
This will force both coordinands to have the same case value, and the top-level node of the coordinated phrase will also have the matching case value.
Compared to a feature resolution pattern, distinguished conjunct patterns are relatively simple to define.
Click the "Add a distinguished conjunct pattern" button, then select one of the radio button options: "First," "Last," or "Closest Conjunct."
As mentioned above, an agreement pattern must be "attached" to a coordination strategy. Coordination strategies are underspecified for agreement features by default. A coordination strategy with an associated agreement pattern will, when customized, allow only the feature combinations described in the agreement pattern.
Note that it is possible to attach multiple agreement patterns to a coordination strategy.
- [ This documentation is under construction. When it is more complete, this section should describe any modifications to or enhancements of this library that are either in progress or planned. ]
Drellishak, Scott and Emily M. Bender. 2005. A Coordination Module for a Crosslinguistic Grammar Resource. Stephan Müller, ed. Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar. Stanford: CSLI.
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