Argument Linking in LDG

concerns the TS-MS interface.  

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In a correspondence-theoretic perspective: TS is the input, and MS the output.

TS:         lz     ly     lx    

             +hr    +hr    -hr

                -lr     +lr     +lr             

MS: All possible structural linkers (agreement affixes, pronominal affixes, and clitics on the head, as well as morphological case on the dependent) are encoded by means of the abstract case features [+hr] and [+lr], and, possibly, by additional semantic features (such as animate, control). 

• Dative: [+hr,+lr]         

• Accusative: [+hr] 

• Ergative: [+lr] 

• Nominative: [     ] 

• Genitive: [+hr]/noun 

By contrast, semantic case (which adds some predicate) is encoded purely by means of morpho-semantic features. 

Linking can be performed in two steps: (i) by marking on the head, and (ii) by case marking on the dependent.

Faithfulness constraints:

• Max(+hr/+lr/f-feature): Every feature in the input has a correspondent in the output.

• Ident(hr/lr/f-feature)/role: Every features values of a role are identical in the input and the output.

Surface(MS) constraints

•  Alignment

•  Markedness (can be contextualized): *(+hr) (Do not realize the feature [+hr]); *(+hr)/N (Do not realize the feature[+hr] in the context of a low-salient noun).

 Higher-order constraints:

• Uniqueness: Each linker applies only once in a domain.

• default: Every linking domain displays the default linker (nominative).

• Max(lexF): Every lexically assigned (positively-valued) feature in the input has a correspondent in the output.

• Max(+hr,+lr): Every feature combination [+hr,+lr] in the input has a correspon­dent in the output.