Syntactic annotation – clause types

Finite clauses (IP-MAT, IP-SUB)

Any complete finite clause (IP-MAT, IP-SUB) must contain at least:

• a finite verb
• a subject

All finite subordinate clauses are labelled as a CP, and any CP is labelled for type (see below) and will contain an IP-SUB.

Ambiguous finite clauses (IP-X)

For finite clauses introduced by wente which are ambiguous and cannot be labelled as either matrix (IP-MAT) or subordinate (IP-SUB), we use a novel label, IP-X.

This applies to wente-clauses which are unambiguously V2:

( (IP-X-SPE (KON wente)
            (NP-SBJ (PPER se))
            (VVFIN is)
            (NP-OB2 (PPER dy))
            (ADJP-PRD (PTKA so)
                      (ADJD lef))
                      (CP-DEG (KOUS Dat)
                              (IP-SUB ... )))
)

 

This also applies to wente-clauses where the verb position is hard to diagnose, since there are only two constituents in the clause:

( (IP-X (KON wente)
        (NP-SBJ (PPER he))
        (VVFIN sprak))
)

 

Note: wente-clauses which are clearly verb-final are treated as CP-THT/IP-SUB:

 ( (IP-MAT ...
           (CP-THT (KOUS Wente))
                   (IP-SUB (NP-SBJ (DPOSA ere)
                                   (NA werck))
                           (ADJP-PRD (ADJD boze))
                           (VVFIN sint)))
 )

See Booth et al. 2020: 773 for more details on the motivation for and use of IP-X.

Infinitival clauses (IP-INF)

• are headed by a verb in its infinitive form (VVINF)
• do not necessarily require a subject, though they may have one

 

Note that not all infinitives (tagged VVINF) project an IP-INF.

Constructions where no IP-INF is projected:

• Modal auxiliaries + inf

(IP-MAT (KON Vnde)
        (NP-SBJ (PPER et))
        (VMFIN mach)            ← modal auxiliary
        (ADVP (AVD wal))
        (VVINF heten)           ← infinitive
)

Constructions where an IP-INF is projected:

• beginnen + to inf

(IP-MAT (KON Vnde)
        (NP-SBJ *con*)
        (VVFIN beghinnen)
        (IP-INF (PTKZU to)
                (VVINF dweelen))
        ...
) 

• laten + inf

(IP-MAT (NP-SBJ (PPER He))
        (VVFIN leyt)
        (IP-INF (VVINF (VVINF buwen)
                       (KON vnd)
                       (VVINF betern))
                (NP-OB1 (NP (DDARTA den)
                            (NA tempel))
                        (CONJP (KON 0)
                        ...)))
)

• menen + to inf

(IP-SUB (NP-SBJ (PPER he))
        (VVFIN mende)
        (IP-INF (NP-OB1 (PRF sick))
                (PTKZU to)
                (VVINF verhoghen))
)

• plegen + to inf

(IP-MAT (PP (APPR ouer)
            (NP (CARDA hundert)
                (NA iaren)))
        (VAFIN plach)
        (NP-SBJ (DPIS men))
        (IP-INF (NP-OB1 (PPER se))
                (APPR to)
                (NA done))
)

IP-INF also applies to inflected infinitives which are tagged not as VVINF but as a nominal category (NA). To is not tagged as a particle (PTKZU) in such cases, but instead as a preposition (APPR):

(IP-MAT (KON Wante)
        (PP (APPR ouer)
            (NP (CARDA hundert)
                (NA iaren)))
        (VAFIN plach)
        (NP-SBJ (DPIS men))
        (IP-INF (NP-OB1 (PPER se))
                (APPR to)
                (NA done))
)

 

Imperative clauses (IP-IMP)

• are headed by a verb in its imperative form (VVIMP)
• do not necessarily require a subject, though they may have one

(IP-IMP (NP-OB1 (NA (NA Vader)
                    (KON vnde)
                    (NA moder)))
        (VVIMP sulle)
        (NP-SBJ (PPER ghi))
        (VVINF eeren)
)

 

Clause extended labels

For IPs:

• -MAT: matrix clause
• -SUB: subordinate clause
• -INF: infinitival clause
• -IMP: imperative clause

 

For CPs:

• -REL: relative clause
• -FRL: free relative clause
• -THT: that-clause
• -ADV: adverbial clause
• -CMP: comparative clause
• -QUE: interrogative clause
• -DEG: degree clause

 

Additional functional extended labels which an IP or CP may have (added in this order where there are multiple functional labels):

• -PRN: parenthetical
• -LFD: left-dislocated
• -SPE: direct speech
• -n: an index