Relational grammar

In linguistics, Relational Grammar (RG) is a syntactic theory which argues that primitive grammatical relations provide the ideal means to state syntactic rules in universal terms. Relational grammar began as an alternative to Transformational grammar.

Term Relations

In Relational Grammar, constituents that serve as the arguments to predicates are numbered. This numbering system corresponds loosely to the notions of subject, direct object and indirect object. The numbering scheme is subject -> (1), direct object -> (2) and indirect object -> (3). A schematic representation of a clause in this formalism might look like:

Other Features

• Strata
• Chomage
• Predicate valence

Universals

One of the components of RG theory is a set of linguistic universals stated in terms of the numbered roles presented above. Such a universal is the Stratal Uniqueness Law which states that there can be "at most one 1, 2, and 3 per stratum.

Further reading

• Blake, Barry J. (1990). Relational grammar. London: Routledge.
• Johnson, David; Adam Meyers and Lawrence S. Moss (1993). "A Unification-Based Parser for Relational Grammar". Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. pp. 97–104. 
• Perlmutter, David M. (1980). Relational grammar. In E. A. Moravcsik & J. R. Wirth (Eds.), Syntax and semantics: Current approaches to syntax (Vol. 13, pp. 195-229). New York: Academic Press.
• Perlmutter, David M. (Ed.). (1983). Studies in relational grammar 1. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
• Perlmutter, David M.; & Rosen, Carol G. (Eds.). (1984). Studies in relational grammar 2. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
• Postal, Paul M.; & Joseph, Brian D. (Eds.). (1990). Studies in relational grammar 3. Chicago: Chicago University Press.

See also

• Chômeur
• Arc Pair Grammar
• Role and reference grammar

External links

• RG SIL bibliography

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