Direct subordination also occurs within words and phrases. The structure of compound words (see Unit 4) can be analysed to show subordination:
However, it is often difficult to decide which element of the compound is subordinate to which.
Direct subordination often occurs within NP's: ( ( ) ).
Consider the role of the PP's in the sentences below:
In (7a), the PP answers the question "Where did he plant the tree?" It is associated with the verb and thus functions as an adverbial:
In (7b) the PP is more closely associated with the subject NP and answers the question "Which boy planted the tree?". It thus functions like an adjective in describing the boy. Compare:
On the analogy of these two sentences, it would seem reasonable to argue that the PP in (7b) is a Modifier. It must therefore be placed WITHIN the NP brackets as an embedded constituent.
Note the position of the brackets in the NP: the brackets of the MAIN PHRASE do not close until after the brackets of the subordinate phrase. Main and subordinate phrases thus behave in exactly the same way as main and subordinate clauses. The subordinate phrase is embedded within another phrase just as the subordinate clause is embedded within another clause. In both cases there is also the possibility of multiple subordination:
Sometimes we find phrases which are paraphrases, one containing an adjective and the other a PP. The adjective usually occurs before the noun and is a PREMODIFIER, while the PP occurs after the noun and is a POSTMODIFIER:
If you are unsure whether a PP is A or M, it is a good idea to test its mobility. Adverbials, as we know, can move around a sentence while modifiers must stay within their phrases, as in the following examples:
This type of subordination enables us to produce quite complex phrases, and is common in descriptive writing since detailed information can be conveyed economically. In (10a) each phrase adds a further layer of detail and does so much more economically than the equivalent set of simple sentences in (10b).
10b.
(31 words)
Direct subordination also occurs with AjP's, NP's and GP's, all of which can have a modifying function. The commonest function for an Aj is as a premodifier (see 7d and 8a) or as a complement after certain intransitive verbs (see 3). Sometimes there are two or more Aj's either as premodifiers or within a complement, as in (11):
In this case it is clear that all the Aj's modify the noun hat. We could subtract one or two of them and still have a phrase with an acceptable structure. However, sometimes the function of an Aj is less clear-cut:
This could be paraphrased as either
or
It can be seen from the bracketing of (12b) and (12c) that (12a) is ambiguous because it is not clear which noun fresh modifies. The ambiguity can be clarified by bracketing 12a in two ways.
Direct subordination also occurs when an Aj is modified by a degree Av, as in:
In this case subordination has to be marked because very modifies the Aj but does not directly modify the N. If we subtract the Aj, we are left with
13b. * a very laugh
Ambiguity can also occur within AjP's:
14a. We need more interesting lectures.
PARAPHRASES:
14b. We need lectures that are more interesting.
14c. We have interesting lectures but we need more of them.
Here the ambiguity resides in the fact that more can be either a degree adverb modifying an adjective (14b) or a determiner modifying a noun (14c).