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|  | '''Distribution''' or '''precedence''' refers to the study of the order of the syntactic constituents of a language. In the UNL<sup>arium</sup> framework, the distribution is informed in the grammar, if general, or in the dictionary, in case of exceptions or categories that do not follow a regular distributional pattern (such as English adverbs). Distribution is not informed in UNL.
 |  | == IBEF/IAFT == | 
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|  | == Values ==
 |  | What's this? Any examples? | 
|  | In the UNL<sup>arium</sup> framework, distribution may assume the following values:
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|  | {{#tree:id=DIS|openlevels=0|root=Distribution (DIS)|
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|  | *front (FRT): at the beginning of the clause
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|  | *before (BEF or <<): at the left side, before a blank space
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|  | *after (AFT or >>): at the right side, after a blank space
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|  | *immediately before (IBEF or <): at the left side, without any blank space
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|  | *immediately after (IAFT or >): at the right side, without any blank space
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|  | *middle (MID): coming in the middle
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|  | *free (FRE): coming either before or after
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|  | *end (END): at the end of the clause
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|  | }}
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|  | == Dictionary ==
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|  | Distribution is to be included in the dictionary in two cases:
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|  | *Exceptions to the general distribution rules, such as in some free order adjectives:
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|  | **"it is the only solution '''possible'''" or "it is the only '''possible''' solution"
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|  | *Categories with irregular distribution, such as adverbs:
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|  | **'''Usually''' I get up early.
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|  | **I '''often''' get headaches.
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|  | **She speaks English '''well'''.
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|  | In English, for instance, articles are always premodifiers. Therefore, distribution of articles must not be informed in the dictionary, but stated through a rule in the grammar. The same applies to determiners (such as "this") and ordinary adjectives (such as "beautiful"), whose distribution may be assumed by default: adjectives and determiners normally precede their modified. 
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|  | === Examples ===
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|  | *beautiful
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|  | **No distribution to be informed in the dictionary
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|  | *the
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|  | **No distribution to be informed in the dictionary
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|  | *very = BEF
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|  | **In English, the intensifier "very" is a premodifier: ''He is very rich'' (<strike>''He is rich very''</strike>)
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|  | *well = AFT
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|  | **In English, the adverb of manner "well" is a postmodifier: ''He speaks well'' (<strike>''He well speaks''</strike>)
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|  | *yesterday = FRE
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|  | **In English, the adverb of time "yesterday" may come either before or after the modified: ''Now I go'' or ''I go now''.
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|  | === Observations ===
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|  | ;Middle position is used only for words to be inserted inside others (i.e., between the prefix and the root, or the root and the suffix).
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|  | :Adverbs coming between auxiliaries and verbs must be defined as premodifiers.
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|  | == Grammar ==
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|  | In the grammar, distribution is defined through [[S-rule]]s in the following format:
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|  |  <SYNTACTIC ROLE>(<DISTRIBUTION>);
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|  | Where:<br />
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|  | *<SYNTACTIC ROLE> is the [[Syntax#Syntactic_Roles|syntactic role]] (VA, VC, VS, VH, etc) of the constituent in relation to the head; and
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|  | *<DISTRIBUTION> is the position of the constituent in relation to the head. It may assume one of the distribution values indicated above ("FNT","BEF",">>",etc).
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|  | === Examples ===
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|  | ;VS(<<);
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|  | :the specifier must be generated to the left of the verb
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|  | ;VC(>>);
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|  | :the complement must be generated to the right of the verb
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|  | === Observations ===
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|  | ;Complex distribution
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|  | :A single distribution rule may contain several distribution operations:
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|  | :*VS(<<)VC(>>); (the specifier will be generated to the left and the complement to the right of the head)
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|  | ;Conditional distribution
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|  | :Conditional distribution may be stated by defining the left side of the s-rule and coindexing it to the right side:
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|  | :*VC(>>); (unconditional distribution: the complement will be always generated to the right of the verb);
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|  | :*VC(PPR):=VC(<<); (conditional distribution: the complement will be generated to the left of the verb if a personal pronoun (PPR);
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|  | ;Reordering
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|  | :Reordering can be done in three different ways:
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|  | :*By [[Ph-rule]]s, if the process involves neighbour constituents and affects only the surface structure of the phrase;
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|  | :*By attribute change (i.e., deleting and adding distribution features), such as in "VC(->>,<<);" (i.e.,delete the "after" attribute and add the "before" attribute), in case of neighbour constituents or neighbour projections
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|  | :*By [[movement]], in case of more complex inversions and extraction of constituents
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|  | ;The symbol '''^''' is used for negation and to control infinite recursion:
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|  | :*VC(^>>):=VC(>>); (assign the "after" attribute to the complement of the verb if it does not have it yet)
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IBEF/IAFT
What's this? Any examples?