Genderal Ontology for Linguistic Description

CaseProperty is the class of properties that concerns the grammatical encoding of a noun's relationship (syntactic or semantic) to some other element in the sentence, such as a verb, noun, pronoun, or adposition [Pei and Gaynor 1954: 35; Crystal 1980: 53-54; Anderson 1985: 179-180; Andrews 1985: 7172; Kuno 1973: 45; Blake 2001].

• AbessiveCase ^c
• AblativeCase ^c
• AbsolutiveCase ^c
• AccusativeCase ^c
• AdessiveCase ^c
• AllativeCase ^c
• AversiveCase ^c
• BenefactiveCase ^c
• ComitativeCase ^c
• ContablativeCase ^c
• ContallativeCase ^c
• ConterminativeCase ^c
• ContlativeCase ^c
• DativeCase ^c
• DelativeCase ^c
• ElativeCase ^c
• ErgativeCase ^c
• EssiveCase ^c
• GenitiveCase ^c
• IllativeCase ^c
• InablativeCase ^c
• InallativeCase ^c
• InessiveCase ^c
• InstrumentalCase ^c
• InterablativeCase ^c
• InterallativeCase ^c
• InteressiveCase ^c
• InterlativeCase ^c
• InterminativeCase ^c
• InterterminativeCase ^c
• IntertranslativeCase ^c
• IntranslativeCase ^c
• LativeCase ^c
• LocativeCase ^c
• MalefactiveCase ^c
• NominativeCase ^c
• ObliqueCase ^c
• PartitiveCase ^c
• PerlativeCase ^c
• PossessedCase ^c
• SubablativeCase ^c
• SuballativeCase ^c
• SubessiveCase ^c
• SublativeCase ^c
• SubterminativeCase ^c
• SubtranslativeCase ^c
• SuperablativeCase ^c
• SuperallativeCase ^c
• SuperessiveCase ^c
• SuperlativeCase ^c
• SuperterminativeCase ^c
• SupertranslativeCase ^c
• TerminativeCase ^c
• TranslativeCase ^c
• VocativeCase ^c

ModalityProperty is the class of properties that concern the grammatical encoding of the status of the proposition itself, and not of the event to which the proposition refers, cf. AspectProperty. As a grammatical property, it represents those dimensions in the domains of knowledge (epistemic modality), social relations (deontic modality) and ability (abilitative modality), and possibly others. [Palmer 2001: 1, 7-10]

• AbilitativeModality ^c
• ConditionalPhysicalAbilitiveModality ^c
• DeonticModality ^c
• EpistemicNecessityModality ^c
• MentalAbilitiveModality ^c
• NecessityModality ^c
• ObligativeModality ^c
• PermissiveModality ^c
• PossibilityModality ^c
• WeakObligativeModality ^c
• ConditionalModality ^c
• PhysicalAbilitiveModality ^c
• EpistemicPossibilityModality ^c

VoiceProperty is the class of properties that concern the grammatical encoding of the relationship between the verb and the nominals in a subject-predicate configuration. It selects a grammatically prominent syntactic constituent--subject--from the underlying semantic functions. In accusative language, the basic strategy is to select an agent as a subject [Shibatani 1988: 3]. It can be said that all voice systems mark the affectedness/nonaffectedness of sentential subjects [Klaiman 1988: 30].

• AbsolutiveAntipassiveVoice ^c
• ActiveVoice ^c
• AgentDeletionPassiveVoice ^c
• AntiCausativeVoice ^c
• AntiPassiveVoice ^c
• ApplicativeVoice ^c
• CausativeVoice ^c
• DeponentMiddleVoice ^c
• FocusAntipassiveVoice ^c
• ImpersonalPassiveVoice ^c
• IncorporatingAntipassiveVoice ^c
• LocativePassiveVoice ^c
• NecessitativePassiveVoice ^c
• NonAbsolutiveAntipassiveVoice ^c
• NonPromotionalInverseVoice ^c
• NucleonicMiddleVoice ^c
• ObliquePassiveVoice ^c
• PassiveVoice ^c
• PersonalPassiveVoice ^c
• PlainMiddleVoice ^c
• PragmaticInverseVoice ^c
• ProgressivePassiveVoice ^c
• PromotionalInverseVoice ^c
• ReciprocalMiddleVoice ^c
• ReflexiveMiddleVoice ^c
• ReflexivePassiveVoice ^c
• SemanticInverseVoice ^c
• InverseVoice ^c
• DirectVoice ^c
• ReferentialVoice ^c

The class of properties used to describe speech sounds. The properties given here are more or less taken directly from Ladefoged's later works, in particular, the taxonomies of Ladefoged [Ladefoged 1997].

• ArticulatoryProperty ^c
• AcousticProperty ^c

ForceProperty is the class of properties that concern the grammatical encoding of the speech act associated with a proposition. Among the traditionally defined values are Declarative, Imperative and Interrogative. Force is here distinguished from Mood, but there is a close association of Mood with Force values, e.g. between IndicativeMood and DeclarativeForce.

• ActionalForce ^c
• CommissiveForce ^c
• DeclarativeForce ^c
• HortatoryForce ^c
• InformationalForce ^c
• InterrogativeForce ^c
• JussiveForce ^c
• SpeculativeForce ^c
• VolitiveForce ^c
• ImperativeForce ^c

Predicator is the class of syntactic words that are fundamentally relation inducing. That is, predicators license argument structure [Anderson 1997: 14]. Verbs are quintessential predicators, though other categories, such as determiners and some nouns, are also predicative in nature.

• Verbal ^c
• Adjectival ^c
• TertiaryPredicator ^c
• UnaryPredicator ^c
• BinaryPredicator ^c
• Adverbial ^c
• ZeroPlacePredicator ^c
• Complement ^c

Phrase is the class of syntactic constructions that consist of one or more syntactic words, but lack the subject-predicate organization of a clause. Phrases get their grammatical characteristics according to what word occupies the head position; thus, all phrases have heads. [Crystal 1980: 232-233; Pei and Gaynor 1954: 169; Pike and Pike 1982: 453]

• AdjectivePhrase ^c
• NounPhrase ^c
• VerbPhrase ^c

A clause which does not constitute a complete sentence in itself, but must be connected with or attached to an independent clause. [Pei and Gaynor 1980: 206]

• AdjunctSubordinate ^c
• ComplementSubordinate ^c

Functor is the class of syntactic word whose members are neither relation- nor argument-like non-relational [Anderson 1997: 20]. Typical functors include adpositions, subordinators, and complementizers.

• Connective ^c
• Adposition ^c

A subordinating connective is a connective that links constructions by making one of them a constituent of another. The subordinating conjunction typically marks the incorporated constituent. [Crystal 1997: 370]

• Adverbializer ^c
• Complementizer ^c
• Relativizer ^c

The smallest functioning unit in the composition of words, and the minimal distinctive unit of grammar. Morphemes are commonly classified into free forms (morphemes which can occur as separate words) adn bound forms (morphemes which cannot so occur - mainly affixes). A further distinction may be made between lexical and grammatical morphemes; the former are morphemes used for the construction of new words in a language; the latter are morphemes used to express grammatical relationships between a word and its context. [Crystal 2008: 300]

• BoundMorpheme ^c
• Clitic ^c
• Compound ^c
• FreeMorpheme ^c
• Root ^c
• Stem ^c
• Affix ^c

The class of properties defining how sounds are produced in the mouth. [Ladefoged

• LaryngealProperty ^c
• SupraLaryngealProperty ^c
• AirstreamProperty ^c

Properties characterized by focusing on the upper passive articulator on the roof of the mouth [Ladefoged 1997: 597].

• Alveolar ^c
• Dental ^c
• Postalveolar ^c

GenderProperty is the class of properties that are assigned to nouns on the basis of their inherent properties by an AssignmentSystem and required by the syntax to appear on the target in an AgreementSystem. Gender may but need not be assigned on the basis of sex [Corbett 1991].

• AnimateGender ^c
• ArabicNumeralGender ^c
• FeminineGender ^c
• InanimateGender ^c
• NeuterGender ^c
• VegetableGender ^c
• HumanGender ^c
• MasculineGender ^c
• RomanNumeralGender ^c

Properties of sounds produced with passive articulators either lying on the coronal axis, with the blade of the tongue raised from its neutral position, or in the neutral position (for non-coronal sounds). [Crystal 1980: 94]

• AnteriorProperty ^c
• ApicalityProperty ^c

Properties characterized by focusing on the action of the lower, active articulator, i.e. which part of the tongue is used in articulation [Ladefoged 1997: 597].