From Chomsky's Aspects-model to a linear dependency grammar

Most of the components of Chomsky's 1965 model are accepted, however their arrangement is criticized and reconstructed so that a linear dependency grammar results. Redundant features were repeated: (1) horizontally, e.g., repetition of the category article and the noun feature, or of verb subcategory features and of the noun phrases with their features; and (2) vertically, e.g., repetition of prelexical information and of features of the lexical entries. The division of selectional features in the syntactic part and of semantic features in the lexical entries is arbitrary and unmotivated. Dependency grammar starts with lexical items, preferably with the verb, thus avoiding these types of repetition. The first lexical item of a sentence is specified according to its features, which give the information about how and within what boundaries to continue. Transformations are made to the surface, whenever possible, after each step of this generative process. Those features of an item which are left to be worked off, and psychologically speaking, those features which must be kept in mind until the next lexical item is selected become evident. These reconstructions are intended to simplify Chomsky's grammar; but new types of continuation rule are needed. At the same time, however, an attempt is made to bring "the generation of a sentence in a grammar" and "the production of a sentence when speaking/hearing" closer together. AA