DEPENDENCY CATEGORIAL GRAMMAR AND COORDINATION

This paper proposes a linguistic theory based on dependency relations between words and applies it to the analysis of coordinate constructio ns. First, we present arguments for ''flexible'' constituency, where c onstituents may overlap on a single reading of a sentence. In the cont ext of dependency grammar, we then define the theory of dependency con stituency, where words that are all linked by dependencies form a cons tituent, and formalize this approach within categorial grammar. Next w e apply this theory to the analysis of coordinate constructions, with the goal of determining what strings of words can be coordinated We su rvey a range of approaches to coordination, at first concentrating on the assumption that it should only be possible to coordinate constitue nts of the same category. We show that this account is inadequate even with flexible constituency. Therefore we suggest that coordination ma y be bound by a parallelism restriction, under which conjuncts must co nsist of equivalent sequences of constituents, and examine this in rel ation to various theories of constituency. After considering coordinat ion in dependency grammar, we propose that an adequate account is prov ided by restricting coordination to equivalent sequences of dependency constituents. Finally, we demonstrate how the conjoined expressions s hould themselves be analyzed in order to be incorporated into complete sentences.