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nert-nlp / cgel

CGEL trees.
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ExtMod? #45

Open nschneid opened 2 years ago

nschneid commented 2 years ago

As @BrettRey and I discussed today, PreDetMod seems too specific as a function, but it would be nice to distinguish all external modifiers. How easy would it be to find them all?

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

External modifiers in NPs should have an NP as a sibling.

The rest is spitballing: By analogy, any mod with a clause as a sibling might be an external modifier, so any pre-marker modifier in a clause. Not, even, just, also, and a few other adverbs might commonly appear as peripheral modifiers in other phrases (e.g., even after eliminating outliers).

nschneid commented 2 years ago

We have a case of "literally" modifying an NP

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

I think that's a good example of an external modifier.

nschneid commented 2 years ago

Chris Traeger would agree.

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

literally

nschneid commented 2 years ago

I see you put Mod_ext in the doc. That works for me.

nschneid commented 2 years ago

Looking at CGEL, it seems the use of the term "external modifier" is limited to NP structure. Is it equivalent to saying a Mod outside the Nom? If so I suppose we don't need to designate a separate function.

Focusing modifiers are not limited to NPs, but I'm not sure we want to broaden the term "external modifier" to include them when they modify VPs, PPs, etc.

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

Yes, only in NPs in CGEL, but I think it would be useful to say that even in Even that he could is in question is an external modifier, or even after dark.

nschneid commented 2 years ago

Here are words marked as adverbial modifiers of non-copular nominals (including PPs) in UD: http://universal.grew.fr/?custom=62fd6a084013d

Several interesting constructions here.

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

Can you say more about these?

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

Here is a list of "adverbs" that occur at the start of a sentence before a that clause. Some of them are obviously the result of mistagged that. The only cases that strike me a external modifiers are just, also (?), and even; to these I would add simply. I think maybe, perhaps, and somehow, are not semantically modifying the that clause but a higher VP, and, while namely certainly is, syntactically it has to follow another that clause.

On the other end (post-head), too and even again, maybe anyway, also, and indeed.

nschneid commented 2 years ago

And a similar list for UD: http://universal.grew.fr/?custom=62fe4681ea5a8

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

So, what's your feeling about external modifiers for non-NPs?

nschneid commented 2 years ago

I think it's worth exploring as an enhancement, but not as high-priority as other tasks.

BrettRey commented 2 years ago

Fair enough!