A two-rule analysis of measure noun phrases
In this paper we present an analysis of English measure noun phrases. Measure noun phrases exhibit both distributional idiosyncrasy, in that they appear in positions normally lled by degree adverbs: a ten inch long string;...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Conference or Workshop Item |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2010
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/92172 http://hdl.handle.net/10220/6436 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | In this paper we present an analysis of English measure noun phrases.
Measure noun phrases exhibit both distributional idiosyncrasy, in that they
appear in positions normally lled by degree adverbs: a ten inch long string;
and agreement discord: ten inches is enough, it is ten inch/*inches long. The
analysis introduces one idiosyncratic construction, the Measure Phrase Rule,
which links together syntax and in ectional morphology. Combined with
existing rules, in particular the Noun-noun Compound Rule, the new rule
accounts for the both the distributional and agreement idiosyncrasies. The
rule has been implemented and tested in the ERG, a broad-coverage grammar
of English. Our analysis supports the position that broad-coverage grammars
will necessarily contain both highly schematic and highly idiosyncratic rules. |
|---|