Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1996. Vol. 1. Eger Journal of English Studies.(Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 24)

Éva Kovács: Complements vs. adjuncts in valency grammar

ÉVA KOVÁCS COMPLEMENTS VS. ADJUNCTS IN VALENCY GRAMMAR Abstract: Valency is concerned with relationships between the verbal predicate and the other elements making up the predication, i.e. complements and adjuncts. By far the most researched question in Valency Grammar is the practical distinction of complements and adjuncts. My paper aims to review the different tests proposed by different authors to make a distinction (elimination test, the extraction method, the backformation test, substitution test and the do so test). Furthermore I shall present how Somers (1987) expanded the traditional distinction of complements and adjuncts into a new six-term system (integral-complements, obligatory complements, optional complements, middle, adjuncts, and extra-peripherals), which considerably strengthens the valency theory introduced by Tesniere (1959) and discussed in details by the German Grammarians. 1 Introduction In General Linguistics Valancy Grammar holds a rather strange position. German Valency Grammar is more or less regarded as the classical approach to linguistic description, though now there is a growing number of Valency treatments of other languages such as English, French, Latin and Japanese. In this paper I wish to consider the linguistic theory of valency in the light of the distinction between complements and adjuncts. First I shall give a brief historical overview of the notion of Valency as regards the complement adjunct distinction. Then I shall review the different tests proposed by different authors to make a distinction. Finally I shall present how Somers (1984, 1987) expanded the 115