Subcategorization frame
In linguistics, the subcategorization frame of a word (usually a verb) is defined to be the number and types of syntactic arguments that it co-occurs with (i. e. the number and kinds of other words that it chooses when appearing in a sentence)[1]. The notion of subcategorization is similar to the notion of verb valency[2], although the two concepts (subcategorization and valency) stem from different traditions in the study of syntax and grammar.
Examples
The following sentences are employed to illustrate the concept of subcategorization:
- Luke worked.
- Indiana Jones ate chilled monkey brain.
- Tom waited for us.
- Luke worked.
The verb worked/work is intransitive and thus subcategorizes for a single argument (here Luke), which is the subject; therefore it's subcategorization frame contains just a subject argument. The verb ate/eat is transitive, so it subcategorizes for two arguments (here Indiana Jones and chilled monkey brain), a subject and an object, which means that its subcategorization frame contains two arguments. And the verb waited/wait subcategorizes for two arguments as well, although the second of these is a prepositional argument associated with the preposition for. In this regard, we see that the subcategorization frame of verbs can contain specific words. Subcategorization frames are sometimes schematized in the following manner:
- work [NP __ ]
- eat [NP __ NP]
- wait [NP __ for]
These examples demonstrate that subcategorization frames are specifications of the number and types of arguments of a word (usually a verb), and they are believed to be listed as lexical information (that is, they are thought of as part of a speaker's knowledge of the word in the vocabulary of the language). Dozens of distinct subcategorization frames are needed to accommodate the full combinatory potential of the verbs of any given language. Finally, subcategorization frames are associated most closely with verbs, although the concept can also be applied to other word categories.
Subcategorization frames are essential parts of a number of phrase structure grammars, e.g. Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar, Lexical Functional Grammar, and Minimalism.
Historical note: subcategorization vs. valency
The subcategorization notion is similar to the notion of valency, although subcategorization originates with phrase structure grammars in the Chomskian tradition, whereas valency originates with Lucien Tesnière of the dependency grammar tradition. The primary difference between the two concepts is mainly historical. As it was originally conceived of, subcategorization did not include the subject, that is, a verb subcategorized for its complement(s) (=object arguments) but not for its subject. Valency, in contrast, included the subject from the start. In this regard, subcategorization has moved in the direction of valency, since verbs are now widely assumed to subcategorize for their subject as well as for their object(s).
Notes
References
- Chomsky, Noam. 1965. Aspects of the thoery of syntax. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
- Tesnière, Lucien 1959. Éleménts de syntaxe structurale. Paris: Klincksieck.