Guide-to-Links: SJ

*** Guide-to-Links *** SJ

SJ connects nouns to the word "and" to create a conjoined noun phrase. The SJ link allows conjoined nouns to appear in almost any situation where a plain, common noun may appear: thus, typically, as subject, object or prepositional object.

                +------Spx-----+         
         +--SJ--+--SJ--+       +---Pg---+
         |      |      |       |        |
      Mike.b and.j-n Joe.b went.v-d fishing.v 


                    +-------Ju-------+        
      +--Ss-+--MVp--+       +---SJ---+---SJ--+
      |     |       |       |        |       |
     he wrote.v-d for.p piano.n-u and.j-n flute.s

In the above examples, the SJ links join the two nouns to the central coordinator "and". The "and" acts as a head-word, connecting as if it were a noun itself: in the first case, connecting with an S link to form the subject of the sentence, and with a J link in the second example, to become the prepositional object.

The subtypes SJl, SJr, standing for "left" and "right", are used to maintain sequential ordering; thus, for example:

         +-SJl--+--SJr--+ 
         |      |       | 
      Jack.b and.j-n Jill.f

Ordering is important for parsing comma-conjoined lists:

             +----SJl----+------Spx------+        
         +SJl+SJr-+      +--SJr--+       +---K---+
         |   |    |      |       |       |       |
      Jack.b , Jill.f and.j-n Mike.b fell.v-d down.r

The SJ*s subtype is used to coordinate singular nouns, SJ*p coordinates plural, and SJ*u coordinates uncountable (mass) nouns. This is used for enforcing number agreement in various situations:

      cars and trucks are vehicles
      *cars and trucks is vehicles
      *car and truck are vehicles