Abstract Graf (2017) warns that every syntactic formalism faces a severe overgeneration problem because of the hidden power of subcategorization. Any constraint definable in monadic second-order logic can be compiled into the category system so that it is indirectly enforced as part of subcategorization. Not only does this kind of feature coding deprive syntactic proposals of their empirical bite, it also undermines computational efforts to limit syntactic formalisms via subregular complexity. This paper presents a subregular solution to feature coding. Instead of features being a cheap resource that comes for free, features must be assigned by a transduction. In particular, category features must be assigned by an input strictly local (ISL) tree-to-tree transduction, defined here for the first time. The restriction to ISL transductions correctly rules out various deviant category systems.

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Graph Transductions and Typological Gaps in Morphological Paradigms

Fri 14 July 2017 | in Presentations |
| morphology | morphosyntax | typology | person hierarchy | person case constraint | subregular | transductions | *ABA |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Several typological gaps have attracted a lot of interest in the linguistic literature recently. These concern the Person Case Constraint and the absence of ABA patterns in adjectival gradation, pronoun suppletion, case syncretism, and singular noun allomorphy, among others. This paper is …
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Graph Transductions and Typological Gaps in Morphological Paradigms

Sat 01 July 2017 | in Papers |
| morphology | morphosyntax | typology | person hierarchy | person case constraint | subregular | transductions | *ABA |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Several typological gaps have attracted a lot of interest in the linguistic literature recently. These concern the Person Case Constraint and the absence of ABA patterns in adjectival gradation, pronoun suppletion, case syncretism, and singular noun allomorphy, among others. This paper is …
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Do We Need Features for Morphosyntax?

Mon 26 June 2017 | in Presentations |
| morphology | morphosyntax | typology | person hierarchy | person case constraint | subregular | features | transductions | *ABA |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract Bobaljik & Sauerland’s *ABA and the Combinatorics of Morphological Features attempts to explain the absence of ABA patterns across languages in terms of feature combinatorics. Their approach marks a step in the right direction by focusing on the algebra underlying the feature …
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Movement-Generalized Minimalist Grammars

Wed 04 July 2012 | in Papers |
| Minimalist grammars | movement | MSO | tree languages | transductions | Tree Adjoining grammar | sideward movement | lowering movement | clustering | generative capacity |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract A general framework is presented that allows for Minimalist grammars to use arbitrary movement operations under the proviso that they are all definable by monadic second-order formulas over derivation trees. Lowering, sidewards movement, and clustering, among others, are the result of instantiating …
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Movement-Generalized Minimalist Grammars

Wed 04 July 2012 | in Presentations |
| Minimalist grammars | movement | MSO | tree languages | transductions | Tree Adjoining grammar | sideward movement | lowering movement | clustering | generative capacity |

Graf, Thomas

Abstract A general framework is presented that allows for Minimalist grammars to use arbitrary movement operations under the proviso that they are all definable by monadic second-order formulas over derivation trees. Lowering, sidewards movement, and clustering, among others, are the result of instantiating …
read more

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