Chains in Syntax and Morphology

This paper argues for the existence of a deeper and more primitive structural unit of syntax and morphology than the constituent. Data from ellipsis, idiom formation, predicate complexes, bracketing paradoxes, and multiple auxiliary constructions challenge constituency-based analyses. In chain-based dependency grammar, however, constituents are seen as complete components. Components are units that are continuous both in the linear and in the dominance dimension. A unit continuous in the dominance dimension is called a chain. Evidence suggests that chains constitute the fundamental structural relationship between syntactic and morphological units, and that constituents are just a special subset of chains. If these assumptions are correct, linguistic research may need to change direction.