C-command
Encyclopedia
In syntax
, c-command is a relationship between nodes in parse tree
s. Originally defined by Tanya Reinhart
(1976, 1983),
it corresponds to the idea of "siblings and all their descendants" in family tree
s.
Using this definition of dominance, node A c-commands node B if and only if:
For example, according to this definition, in the tree at the right,
dissertation (p. 32), and is a shortened form of "constituent
command." Reinhart herself thanks Nick Clements for suggesting both the term and its abbreviation. As discussed by Andrew Carnie
, the term "c-command" may also have been chosen so as to contrast with the similar notion kommand (often read as "k-command"), proposed by Howard Lasnik
in 1976.
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
, c-command is a relationship between nodes in parse tree
Parse tree
A concrete syntax tree or parse tree or parsing treeis an ordered, rooted tree that represents the syntactic structure of a string according to some formal grammar. In a parse tree, the interior nodes are labeled by non-terminals of the grammar, while the leaf nodes are labeled by terminals of the...
s. Originally defined by Tanya Reinhart
Tanya Reinhart
Tanya Reinhart was an Israeli linguist who wrote frequently on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She contributed columns to the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot and longer articles to the CounterPunch, Znet, and Israeli Indymedia websites....
(1976, 1983),
it corresponds to the idea of "siblings and all their descendants" in family tree
Family tree
A family tree, or pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. The more detailed family trees used in medicine, genealogy, and social work are known as genograms.-Family tree representations:...
s.
Definition and Example
The definition of c-command is based partly on the relationship of dominance. A node "dominates" another node if it is above it in the tree (it is a parent, grandparent, etc.)Using this definition of dominance, node A c-commands node B if and only if:
- A does not dominate B
- B does not dominate A
- The first branching node that dominates A, also dominates B
For example, according to this definition, in the tree at the right,
- M does not c-command any node because it dominates all other nodes.
- A c-commands B, C, D, E, F, and G.
- B c-commands A.
- C c-commands D, F, and G.
- D c-commands C and E.
- E c-commands D, F and G.
- F c-commands G.
- G c-commands F.
Origin of term
The term "c-command" was introduced by Reinhart in her 1976 MITMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
dissertation (p. 32), and is a shortened form of "constituent
Constituent (linguistics)
In syntactic analysis, a constituent is a word or a group of words that functions as a single unit within a hierarchical structure. The analysis of constituent structure is associated mainly with phrase structure grammars, although dependency grammars also allow sentence structure to be broken down...
command." Reinhart herself thanks Nick Clements for suggesting both the term and its abbreviation. As discussed by Andrew Carnie
Andrew Carnie
Andrew Carnie is a Canadian professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona. He is the author or coauthor of eight books, and has several papers published on formal syntactic theory and on the linguistic aspects of the Scottish Gaelic and Irish languages. He was born in Calgary, Alberta...
, the term "c-command" may also have been chosen so as to contrast with the similar notion kommand (often read as "k-command"), proposed by Howard Lasnik
Howard Lasnik
Howard Lasnik is a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Linguistics at the University of Maryland.He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology , Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
in 1976.
C-command and the first branching node
The above definition specified that the domain of c-command is the first branching node that dominates A. This relationship is sometimes known as strict c-command. Without this specification, c-command would be limited to cases in which the first node of any sort dominating A also dominates B. The following tree illustrates how these two accounts differ in their result. If all nodes are considered, then A does not c-command any other nodes, because B dominates it and does not dominate any other nodes; if only branching nodes are considered, then B is irrelevant in evaluating the third criterion, and A does c-command D, E, and F.External links
- c-command and pronouns
- Node relations, University of Pennsylvania
- Some Basic Concepts in Government and Binding Theory