Linguipedia: New page: '''Preferred Argument Structure''' is a term introduced by Du Bois (1987) for a set of universal statistical tendencies of (or "constraints on") argument distribution in discourse (see...

2007-08-30T16:44:08Z

New page: '''Preferred Argument Structure''' is a term introduced by Du Bois (1987) for a set of universal statistical tendencies of (or "constraints on") argument distribution in discourse (see...

New page

'''Preferred Argument Structure''' is a term introduced by Du Bois (1987) for a set of universal statistical tendencies of (or "constraints on") [[argument]] distribution in discourse (see also Du Bois et al. (ed.) 2003). The four tendencies/constraints identified by Du Bois are listed below.

===Preferred Argument Structure constraints===

*a. Avoid more than one [[lexical]] [[core argument]] (''One Lexical Argument Constraint'')
*b. Avoid lexical [[A]] (''Nonlexical A Constraint'')
*c. Avoid more than one [[new]] [[core argument]] (''One New Argument Constraint'')
*d. Avoid new [[A]] (''Given A Constraint'')

(Du Bois 1987:829, Du Bois 2003:34)

===Origin===
The term was introduced by Du Bois (1987) and quickly picked up by others (e.g. Durie 1988).

===References===
*[[John W. Du Bois|Du Bois, John W.]] 1987. "The discourse basis of ergativity." ''Language'' 64:805-855.
*Du Bois, John W. & Kumpf, Lorraine E. & Ashby, William J. (eds.) 2003. ''Preferred Argument Structure: Grammar as architecture for function.'' (Studies in discourse and grammar, 14.) Amsterdam: John Benjamins. ISBN 1 58811 369 8.
*Durie, Mark. 1988. "Preferred argument structure in an active language: Arguments against the category 'intransitive subject'." ''Lingua'' 74:1-25.

===other languages===
German [[bevorzugte Argumentstruktur]]

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[[Category:Syntax]]
[[Category:Valence]]

Preferred Argument Structure - Revision history

Linguipedia: New page: '''Preferred Argument Structure''' is a term introduced by Du Bois (1987) for a set of universal statistical tendencies of (or "constraints on") argument distribution in discourse (see...