Advances in Role and Reference Grammar

A SYNOPSIS OF ROLE AND REFERENCE GRAMMAR 3

abstract syntactic underlying form, but the details of the syntactic and (lex­
ical) semantic representations, as well as of the linking algorithm for relat­
ing the two, are quite different in the two theories (cf. Van Valin 1990a).
Generalized Phrase Structure Grammar [GPSG] and its offshoots are also
unilevel theories, like RRG, but they are based on particular conceptions
of X-bar syntax and constituent-structure rules, neither of which are
assumed by RRG. Thus, basic assumptions about the nature of grammati­
cal structure distinguish RRG from other current syntactic theories.
The presentation of RRG will proceed as follows. The next five sec­
tions deal with simple clauses: in section 1 the conception of clause struc­
ture proposed in RRG will be detailed; in section 2 the notion of informa­
tion structure is introduced and related to clause structure; section 3 brings
in the theory of lexical representation and semantic roles; section 4 intro­
duces grammatical functions and their interaction with semantic roles and
information structure; and section 5 presents the algorithm which links syn­
tactic and semantic representations in simple clauses. The final two sections
deal with complex sentences: in section 6 the theories of the syntax and
semantics of clause linkage are outlined, and in section 7 the linking
algorithm is expanded to deal with argument linking in complex sentences.

1. Clause structure

1.1 General considerations

There are two fundamental aspects of clause structure which every theory

must deal with; they may be termed relational and non-relational. Rela­

tional structure is concerned with relations between a predicate and its

argument(s), however they are conceived in a particular theory; they may

be syntactic, semantic, pragmatic or some combination thereof. Non-rela­

tional structure is concerned with the hierarchical organization of clauses

and sentences, however it may be conceptualized in a given theory. Among

generative theories LFG is alone in positing distinct formal representations

for each type of structure (f-structure = relational, c-structure = non-rela­

tional). Others either simply ignore one of them, e.g. RelG ignores non­

relational structure, GPSG ignores relational structure, or attempt to

deduce one type from the other, e.g. GB derives relational structure from

non-relational.