Theories about ‘binding’ try to explain when a noun phrase must, may or must not refer to the same item as an earlier noun phrase in the same sentence (an antecedent). Binding theories typically identify 3 types of noun phrases: anaphors, such as herself in example 1 below. An anaphora must have an antecedent in…… Continue reading Antecedents of reflexives and pronouns
Tag: Binding
C-command
Linguists often refer to a relation called c-command. Some types of syntactic operation are often analysed as being possible only if one item c-commands another item. Examples of such operations include relations between quantifiers (such as all and some) and the items they qualify. What is c-command? C-command is a relation between some of the…… Continue reading C-command