Control (linguistics)
In linguistics, control is a construction where the understood subject of a given predicate is determined by some expression in context. Stereotypical instances of control involve verbs. A superordinate verb "controls" a subordinate, non-finite verb. Control was intensively studied in the Government and Binding (GB) framework in the 1980s, and much of the terminology from that era is still used today. In the days of Transformational Grammar, control phenomena were discussed in terms of Equi-NP deletion. Control is often analyzed in terms of a null pronoun called PRO. Control is also related to raising, although there are important differences between control and raising. Most if not all languages have control constructions and these constructions tend to occur frequently.
Read more about Control (linguistics): Examples, Control Verbs Vs. Auxiliary Verbs, Non-obligatory or Optional Control, Arbitrary Control, Representing Control, Control Vs. Raising
Famous quotes containing the word control:
“There is one thing you and I as parents cannot do, not do we want to do if we really think about it, and that’s control our children’s will—that spirit that lets them be themselves apart from you and me. They are not ours to possess, control, manipulate, or even to make mind.”
—Barbara Coloroso (20th century)