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Dependency Theory: A Formalism and Some Observations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2026

David G. Hays
David G. Hays*
Affiliation:
The Rand Corporation
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Extract

1. Introduction. In the general theory of linguistics, dependency theory competes for the same role as immediate-constituent (IC) theory: each formalizes a view of tactic relations among elementary units in utterances. In each theory, a finite apparatus is taken to characterize (or generate) a set of utterances that may be infinite. In addition, each theory specifies a structure, or perhaps alternative structures, for each utterance it generates.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Language , Volume 40 , Issue 4: October-December , December 1964 , pp. 511 - 525
Copyright
Copyright © 1964 by Linguistic Society of America

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References

1 Zellig S. Harris, Lg. 22.161–83 (1946).

2 Noam Chomsky, ‘Three models for the description of languages’, I.R.E. trans. PGIT 2.113–24 (1956).

3 L. N. Iordanskaja, ‘O nekotoryx svojstvax pravil'noj sintaksičeskoj struktury’, Voprosy jazykoznanija 4.102–12 (1963).

4 Louis Hjelmslev, Prolegomena to a theory of language 24 (translated by Francis J. Whitfield; Madison, 1961).

5 Noam Chomsky and George A. Miller, ‘Introduction to the formal analysis of natural languages’, Handbook of mathematical psychology 2.292–3 (edited by R. Duncan Luce, Robert R. Bush, and Eugene Galanter; New York; 1963).

6 Y. Bar-Hillel, M. Perles, and E. Shamir, ‘On formal properties of simple phrase structure grammars’, Zeitschrift für Phonetik, Sprachwissenschaft und Kommunikationsforschung 14.143–72 (1961).

7 Haim Gaifman, ‘Dependency systems and phrase structure systems’, Information and control (in press).

8 Chomsky and Miller 283.

9 Eric P. Hamp et al., Georgetown University monograph series on language and linguistics 15.36 (Washington, 1963).

10 Chomsky and Miller 283.

11 Noam Chomsky, ‘Formal properties of grammars’, Handbook of math, psych. 2.326–31.

12 David G. Hays, ‘Basic principles and technical variations in sentence-structure determination’, Information theory 367–76 (edited by Colin Cherry; Washington, 1961). The procedure was suggested by Thomas Mullikin.

13 ‘Dependency systems and phrase structure systems’.

14 David G. Hays, ‘Automatic language-data processing’, Computer applications in the behavioral sciences 394–421 (edited by Harold Borko; Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1962).

15 Y. Lecerf, ‘Programme des conflits, modèle des conflits’, La traduction automatique 1:4.11–20, 1:5.17–36.

16 Saul Gorn, ‘Specification languages for mechanical languages and their processors—a baker's dozen’, Comm. of the ACM 4.535–7 (1961).

17 Claude Berge, Théorie des graphes et ses applications (Paris, 1959).

18 P. Ihm and Y. Lecerf, Eléments pour une grammaire générale des langues projectives (Bruxelles, 1963).

19 ‘Dependency systems and phrase structure systems’.

20 Chomsky, ‘Three models’.

21 David G. Hays, ‘Grouping and dependency theories’, Proceedings of the national symposium on machine translation 258–66 (edited by H. P. Edmundson; Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 1961).

22 Noam Chomsky, ‘On the notion “rule of grammar” ‘, Proceedings of symposia in applied mathematics 12.18 (1961).

23 Sydney M. Lamb, ‘The sememic approach to structural semantics’, Transcultural studies in cognition (edited by Roy d'Andrade and A. Kimball Romney; in press).

24 Seymour Ginsburg and G. F. Rose, ‘Operations which preserve definability in languages’, JACM 10.175–95 (1963).

25 Sheila A. Greibach, personal communication.

26 David G. Hays, ‘Linguistic methodology and the theory of strata’, presented at a meeting of the Philological Association of the Pacific Coast, November 1961.

27 Sydney M. Lamb, ‘Stratificational linguistics as a basis for mechanical translation’, Proceedings of the US-Japan seminar on mechanical translation (to appear).

28 Sydney M. Lamb and William H. Jacobsen Jr., ‘A high-speed, large-capacity dictionary system’, Mechanical translation 6.76–107 (1961).

29 Paul L. Garvin, ‘A descriptive technique for the treatment of meaning’, Lg. 34.1–32 (1958).

30 I am especially grateful to Charles F. Hockett, Martin J. Kay, Sydney M. Lamb, and Yves Lecerf for discussions of the subject of this paper.