Difference between revisions of "Valence (definition)"
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| − | '''Valence''' (also called "valency") is a property of [[Verb (definition)|verbs]]. It indicates the number of [[Argument (definition)|arguments]] a verb requires to make a [[Clause (definition)|clause]] | + | '''Valence''' (also called "valency") is a property of [[Verb (definition)|verbs]]. It indicates the number of [[Argument (definition)|arguments]] a verb requires to make a [[Clause (definition)|clause]]. Valence is roughly equivalent to the traditional concept of transitivity. |
(1) contains a verb with a valence of 1 (sometimes called univalent or intransitive), (2) a verb with valence of 2 (divalent or transitive), and (3) a verb with valence of 3 (trivalent or ditransitive). | (1) contains a verb with a valence of 1 (sometimes called univalent or intransitive), (2) a verb with valence of 2 (divalent or transitive), and (3) a verb with valence of 3 (trivalent or ditransitive). | ||
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:''3) Jones gave the cheese to the mouse.'' | :''3) Jones gave the cheese to the mouse.'' | ||
| − | Although ''the mouse'' in (3) looks superficially like an object of a preposition (and therefore an [[Oblique (definition)|oblique]] | + | Although ''the mouse'' in (3) looks superficially like an object of a preposition (and therefore an [[Oblique (definition)|oblique]] , it is in fact a core argument (an [[Indirect Object (definition)|indirect object]]) of the verb ''give''. |
While valence is conceived as a property of verbs (and therefore is lexically determined), human languages have a wide variety of [[Valence Changing Operation (definition)|valence changing operations]] by which valence can be increased or decreased. [[Passive voice (definition)|Passive voice]], for instance, is one example of an "operation" which decreases the valence of a given verb. | While valence is conceived as a property of verbs (and therefore is lexically determined), human languages have a wide variety of [[Valence Changing Operation (definition)|valence changing operations]] by which valence can be increased or decreased. [[Passive voice (definition)|Passive voice]], for instance, is one example of an "operation" which decreases the valence of a given verb. | ||
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*[[Valence Changing Operation (definition)]] | *[[Valence Changing Operation (definition)]] | ||
*[[Argument (definition)]] | *[[Argument (definition)]] | ||
| + | *[[Transitivity (definition)]] | ||
| + | *[[Transitive (definition)]] | ||
| + | *[[Intransitive (definition)]] | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== | ||
| + | The link below takes you away from the Gaelic Wiki to Wikipedia. Since wikipedia pages can be edited by anyone, they often contain inaccurate information. So be careful! | ||
*wikipedia article on Valence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valency_(linguistics) | *wikipedia article on Valence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valency_(linguistics) | ||
Revision as of 06:08, 17 June 2012
Valence (also called "valency") is a property of verbs. It indicates the number of arguments a verb requires to make a clause. Valence is roughly equivalent to the traditional concept of transitivity.
(1) contains a verb with a valence of 1 (sometimes called univalent or intransitive), (2) a verb with valence of 2 (divalent or transitive), and (3) a verb with valence of 3 (trivalent or ditransitive).
- 1) Jones snored.
- 2) Smith bewildered the pedestrians.
- 3) Jones gave the cheese to the mouse.
Although the mouse in (3) looks superficially like an object of a preposition (and therefore an oblique , it is in fact a core argument (an indirect object) of the verb give.
While valence is conceived as a property of verbs (and therefore is lexically determined), human languages have a wide variety of valence changing operations by which valence can be increased or decreased. Passive voice, for instance, is one example of an "operation" which decreases the valence of a given verb.
See Also
- Valence Changing Operation (definition)
- Argument (definition)
- Transitivity (definition)
- Transitive (definition)
- Intransitive (definition)
External Links
The link below takes you away from the Gaelic Wiki to Wikipedia. Since wikipedia pages can be edited by anyone, they often contain inaccurate information. So be careful!
- wikipedia article on Valence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valency_(linguistics)
