Семантички параметри у синтакси

Abstract

As an alternative to semantically based categorial grammar, with at leest two or three primitive nominal categories (of proper and common nouns, or of proper, common and mass nouns), we may introduce semantic indices into a system which retains a single primitive category of nominals. Certain types of expression will then be assigned to functorial categories defined partly in terms of semantic indices. Thus Serbo-Croatian „particularizers" such as parće, kap, zrno, etc. will belong to the category na|n-a, where + a indexes the semantic feature [+ count], rather than to the category offunctors which combine with expressions of category n' to yieldexpres sions of category „n („n and n° being, respectively, the primitive categories of count and mass nouns in a semantically based categorial grammar); quantifierwords such asjedan, neki orsvakiwillbelong to the category (S/(Sn))|n, rather than to the category (S/(S/n))l,n, etc. Unlike the use of more than one primitive category for nouns, the use of semantic indices does not increase the number of derived syntactic categories: for the indexing of nominals is permitted only if it is needed at a particular step of the derivation, and if at the next step the new derivative contains an index it is erased by a general convention (unless it happens to be needed at that step as well, as in the derivation for the Serbo-Croatian string jedno parče hleba). The over-all simplicity of the system with semantic indices may thus be seen as evidence in favour of Chomsky's „parametrized" autonomy thesis (Chomsky 1975): a categorial grammar which incorporates certain semantic parameters with out having a semantic basis is simpler and empirically more convenient than a semantically based categorial grammar.