Parseme MWE Template: English

Author(s):

• Manfred Sailer, Frankfurt a.M.

Fixedness/flexibility of MWE parts

We should not classify entire MWEs with respect to their fixedness, but we should rather classify each part of an MWE for fixedness. For this reason, we list the relevant tests for the particular syntactic categories.

NP

At least semi-fixed

Does the head noun inflect? Singular/plural

• trip [NP?: the light fantastic]: *trip [NP: the lights fantastic]/ *trip [NP: the light fantastics]
• kick [NP: the bucket]: *kick [the buckets]
• spill [NP: the beans]: *spill [the bean]
• [NP: a little bird] told X: A few little birds told me that Universal is running Transformers ride tests right now with dummies. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g34515-i19-k6433091-Transformers_opening_date-Orlando_Florida.html, 4.3.2014)
• play [[NP: the devil's] advocate]: *play [[NP: the devils'] advocate]
• play [NP: [the devil's] advocate]: ?They [played [NP: the devil's] advocates] (attested on L2 websites, but not found on L1 websites)
• [in [NP: the meantime]]: *in the meantimes

Can an adjective/modifier be inserted? (independently of whether the interpretation is that of internal or external modification)

• kick [NP: the bucket]: kick [the proverbial/social bucket]
• spill [NP: the beans]: spill [the royal beans]
• [NP: a little bird told X]: A little dickie bird from our customer services team told me that the Frances Lodge Boutique B&B in Windsor was a happy customer indeed. (http://blog.blinds-2go.co.uk/frances-lodge-windsor-loves-dark-laurel-wooden-blinds/, 4.3.2014)
• play [[NP: the devil's] advocate]: John Nucatola, the director of the sanitation department’s bureau of cleaning and collection, which schedules 46,000 street cleaning routes, played the lone devil’s advocate. (http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/an-alternative-to-alternate-side-parking-rules/?_php=true&_type=blogs&ref=nyregion&_r=0, 4.3.2014)
• play [NP: [the devil's] advocate]: *play [NP: [the devil's] reliable/best/loyal advocate]]
• [in [NP: the meantime]]: *in [NP: the proverbial meantime]
• [get [NP: a word] in edgewise]: Most people don't get a dirty word in edgewise with my sisters around the table. (http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=dexter&episode=s01e06, 5.3.2014)

Is there variation in the determiner?

• kick [NP: the bucket]: *kick [a/that bucket]
• spill [NP: the beans]:
  Even though Singh spilled some beans to the NYT, the cat had HP's tongue by the time El Reg came a-calling. (http://www.theregister.co.uk/Print/2012/03/12/hp_cloud_services_launch/, 5.3.2014)
  Keeth spilled many beans after chunky got contacted by the FBI and Fox news. (https://plus.google.com/100594535633732388897/posts/7X1uxudypds, 5.3.2014)

Flexible

Can the NP undergo "A-movement" (passive, raising):

Passive: (Can only be applied if the NP is a direct object or inside a PP in a constellation with prepositional passive)

• [spill [NP: the beans]]: The beans were spilled.
• [kick [NP: the bucket]]: *The bucket was kicked.
• [take [NP: advantage] of s.o.]: It seems to me likely that advantage was taken of him. (http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/snooker/24223268, 10.3.2014)

Raising: (Can only be applied if the NP is the subject)

• [[NP: a little bird] told X]: a little bird seems to have told local law enforcement that musicians and DJs like their drugs and, in their eyes, this makes any artist suspicious. (http://news.beatport.com/blog/2009/12/18/dj-t-tour-blog-week-23-24/, 10.3.2014)

Can the head noun be replaced with one?

• [pull [NP: strings]]: I would not want you to think that we are proud of our ability to pull strings, such as the ones we pulled to get you down here. (Nunberg et al 1994, p. 502)

Can the NP be replaced with an indefinite pronoun?

• [keep [NP: tabs] on s.o.]: Close tabs were kept on Jane Fonda, but none were kept on Vanessa Redgrave. (Nunberg et al 1994, p. 502)
• [take [NP: advantage] of s.o./s.th.]: They claimed full advantage had been taken of the situation, but none was. (Nunberg et al 1994, p. 506)

Can the NP be replaced with a personal pronoun?

• [spill [NP: the beans]]: I was worried that Pat might spill the beans, but it was Chris who finally spilled them. (Nunberg et al 1994, p. 502)

Can the NP undergo "A-bar-movement" (topicalization, clefting, ...)?

Can the NP be topicalized or appear as a clefted constitutent?

• [pull [NP: strings]]:
  These strings, Pat pulled.
  It was these strings that Pat pulled.
• [put one's cards [on [the table]]: *Here is the table you should put your cards on.

Can the head noun occur as the head to a relative clause which does not contain the rest of the MWE?

• [pull [NP: strings]]: Pat pulled the strings that got Kim the job.

Can the head noun occur as the head to a relative clause which contains the rest of the MWE?

• [pull [NP: strings]]: The strings that Pat pulled got Kim the job.

PP

In most cases of a PP-MWE, it is the complement of the preposition that can be tested for flexibility, not the combination of the P with its complement.

In the case of determinerless nouns in PPs, the tests for flexibility apply to the N-part, not to the P-N combination.

At least semi-fixed

As there is no inflection for prepositions in English, there is no test to establish semi-fixed P NP combinations.

Flexible

Can the PP be used predicatively, attributively, and adverbially?

• [PP: on tenterhooks]:
  • predicative: Hollyoaks star Ashley Taylor Dawson was on tenterhooks during his first Strictly Come Dancing performance as fiancèe Karen was due at any moment. (http://www.reveal.co.uk/showbiz-celeb-gossip/i612951-9/rochelle-humes-georgina-dorsett-fearne-cotton-stars-who-gave-birth-in-2013-ashley-taylor-dawson-and-karen-have-a-boy.html, 5.2.2014)
  • attributive: Thus a person 'on tenterhooks' is in a state of great tension or suspense, with anxiety or curiosity 'stretched' to the utmost. (http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/25/messages/112.html, 5.3.2014)

Does the MWE-internal preposition appear in the same meaning as free combinations? (Remark: This test is based on a paraphrase, which makes it dubious. Because of the highly restricted syntactic flexibility of English prepositions, this might be defensible.)

• [PP: at first]: = at the beginning
• [PP: at first blush]: = at the first glimpse/impression

AP

At least semi-fixed AP

English adjectival morphology is highly restricted, so the inflectional tests for nouns and verbs cannot be applied.

Flexible AP

Can a degree word be added?

• [AP: fit as a fiddle]: I feel very fit as a fiddle. (http://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/movie_script.php?movie=hasta-la-vista, 8.3.2014)
  MWE similes usually do not take degree words, nor do they appear in comparative or superlative.
• [AP: hot and bothered]:
  all hot and bothered
  Ray was getting very hot and bothered about the idea. (http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english-cobuild-learners/hot, 9.3.2014)

Can the adjective be used in the positive, comparative, and superlative?

• [AP: fit as a fiddle]: Ivan had tremendous groundstrokes, a great first serve and was fitter than a fiddle. (http://books.google.gr/books?isbn=0786741716, 9.3.2014)
• [AP: hot and bothered]: Driving to a game, negotiating the ring-roads and roundabouts of Awaysville, then growing hotter and more bothered as you realise the back streets in which you’re mired are nowhere near the ground. (http://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/906-Grounds/2491-lights-out, 9.3.2014)

Can the AP be used predicatively and attributively?

VP

At least semi-fixed VP

Does the head verb show person and tense inflection?

• [VP: trip the light fantastic]: Keen ballroom dancers, they have tripped the light fantastic since they were in the same class at Haveley Hey Junior School, Wythenshawe. (http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/news/10266101.Diamond_couple_from_Timperley_trip_the_light_fantastic/, 5.3.2014)
• [V: wait and see]:
  Policy held as Committee 'waits and sees' (http://www.investec.co.uk/research-and-insights/economy/spotlight-on-economics/mpc-reaction-policy-held-as-committee--waits-and-sees-.html, 8.3.2014)
  I think Merida is waiting and seeing as to the amount of football he can expect to play. (http://www.arsenal.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=516631,8.3.2014)
  *We [V: waited and saw].

Does the head verb allow for a verbal -ing-nominalization?

• [VP: kick the bucket]: kicking the bucket

Flexible VP

Does the verb allow for a nominal -ing-nominalization?

• [VP: kick the bucket]: *kicking of the bucket

If the head verb is transitive, is there a passive? (As passization does not change the truth conditions of a clause, it not obvious that this test should be restricted to flexible VPs. English passives probably come with a special information-structural status of the subject.)

• [VP: kick the bucket]: *The bucket was kicked.
• [VP: spill the beans]: The beans were spilled.

MWEs by syntactic type

Nominal MWEs

N N Compound

Baldwin and Kim 2010

• couch potato

A N

• Gordian knot

N's N

• Archille's heel

N PP

• piece of cake

N and N

• body and soul

Verbal MWEs

Phrasal Verbs

Baldwin & Kim 2010

Particle Verbs

Baldwin & Kim 2010

Verb Noun idiomatic combinations

Baldwin & Kim 2010

Light Verb constructions

Baldwin & Kim 2010

V NP PP

• let the cat out of the bag

Subject Verb

• a little bird told NP

V and V

• wait and see

V like NP

• sell like hotcakes

V adverb clause

• strike while the iron is hot

V complement clause

• know on which side the bread is buttered

Prepositional MWEs

Determinerless Prepositional Phrase

Baldwin and Kim 2010

• on top
• by foot

Complex prepositions

Baldwin and Kim 2010

• in addition to
• on top of
• with regard to

P ... P ...

• from A to Z

Adjectival MWEs

A and A

• high and dry
• alive and well
• safe and sound
• (all) hot and bothered

A as NP

• fit as a fiddle

MWEs by fixedness

Semi-fixed MWEs

General characterization

Semi-fixed MWEs may show inflection and for reflexive pronoun agreement.

They do not allow for internal modification, lexical variation, or topicalization. Usually they do not allow for passive.

Nominal MWEs

Compounds. They are treated as semi-fixed rather than fixed because they typically show number inflection.

Semi-fixed Verb-Noun Idiomatic Combinations

Typically show agreement on the verb, but do not allow for passivization or any movement of the direct object NP. These are treated as non-decomposable idioms.

kick the bucket

saw logs

trip the light fantastic

Flexible MWEs

Flexible Verb-Noun Idiomatic Combinations

They all allow for passive, raising, and internal modification.

Class 1: Some may allow for pronominalization, determiner change.

spill the beans

Class 2: Even fewer may allow for relative clause formation, use of idiom parts without the rest of the idiom in the same sentence, though it must be salient in the discourse.

pull strings

Institutionalized phrases

General characterization

Combination only shows statistical idiomaticity.

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