Z connects the preposition "as" to certain verbs.
+-----CO--+
+--Z--+ |
| | |
As I said, I like broccoli
Some verbs which take clausal complements - "threaten", "say",
"mention" - can also be used in constructions like the above;
in such cases, the complement requirement of the verb - which
may be mandatory ("*I said") - is satisfied. Such verbs
therefore have "Z-" disjoined with their other complement
connectors
(TH+,
Ce+,
etc.). The word "as" has "Z+" disjoined
with "Cs+"
(used in conjunction phrases) and
J+ (used for
prepositional objects). Z+ is conjoined with
"CO+ or MVs-";
this allows such phrases as closers as well:
"I like broccoli, as I said".
as.p: (Z+ or J+ or Cs+) & (CO+ or MVs-);The Z link can also be used in comparative expressions:
He was not as late as I expected ?He was not as late as I said"As.z" (the second "as" in a comparative expression) therefore has Z+ as well. However, some verbs can be used in this construction only as openers and closers, not as comparatives (such as "said" above). Therefore we subscript the connector on "as.z" Zc+; verbs with can not take Z in comparatives have Zs-.
"As" phrases of this kind can also be used without a subject:
He likes broccoli, as was expected He earns as much as was expectedHere, the phrase "was expected" has two demands: "is" demands a subject, and "expected" demands a complement. "As" must fulfill both of these demands. So "as" has a subject connector, optionally conjoined with the Z+.
as.z: ({SFsic+} & Zc+
+----Z-----+
+SF-+--Pv--+
| | |
he earns as much as was expected
"Than" may also be used in this way. The use of comparatives
is highly constrained by post-processing:
see "MV:
Comparatives III".
The "Zc" link here starts a domain, which includes only the "than" or "as" phrase. Note also that the subject link here is an SF, not a S, and that it is subscripted. In post-processing, we then enforce the same restrictions on the verbs that may occur with "SFsic" that we enforce with the filler subjects "it" and "there". Thus we allow "...than seemed to be expected", but prohibit "...than wanted to be expected", etc.. See "SF: Filler-it" for more explanation.