A Constraint-based Analysis of English NPN Constructions

Abstract

This paper investigates the syntax and semantics of English Noun-Preposition-Noun Constructions (NPNs), such as day after day and face to face. These constructions present several theoretical challenges, including the peculiar properties of their nouns, constructional meanings, and dual functionality as arguments and adjuncts. Owing to these properties, previous studies have typically treated NPNs as idiomatic constructions, assuming that they are recalcitrant to explanation within standard syntactic structures and mechanisms of semantic composition. This paper argues that, within the framework of Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar (HPSG), NPNs can, in fact, be systematically accounted for, thereby revealing their substantial degree of regularity and compositionality. Ultimately, this paper offers a concrete demonstration of the explanatory power of constraint-based grammar, in which syntax, semantics, and their interface are precisely defined as formal constraints.