science

Role and reference grammar

Role and reference grammar is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Role and reference grammar rather than just read about it. In short: Role and reference grammar (RRG) is a model of grammar developed by William A. Foley and Robert Van Valin, Jr. in the 1980s, which incorporates many of the points of view of current functional grammar theories.

Key takeaways

Role and reference grammar belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Role and reference grammar to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Role and reference grammar from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Role and reference grammar (RRG) is a model of grammar developed by William A. Foley and Robert Van Valin, Jr. in the 1980s, which incorporates many of the points of view of current functional grammar theories. In RRG, the description of a sentence in a particular language is formulated in terms of (a) its logical (semantic) structure and communicative functions, and (b) the grammatical procedures that are available in the language for the expression of these meanings. Among the main features of RRG are the use of lexical decomposition, based upon the predicate semantics of David Dowty (1979), an analysis of clause structure, and the use of a set of thematic roles organized into a hierarchy in which the highest-ranking roles are 'Actor' (for the most active participant) and 'Undergoer'. RRG's practical approach to language is demonstrated in the multilingual Natural Language Understanding (NLU) system of cognitive scientist John Ball. In 2012, Ball integrated his Patom Theory with Role and Reference Grammar, producing a language independent NLU breaking down language by meaning.

See also Relational grammar Syntax‐semantics interface

Bibliography Foley, William A.; & Robert D. Van Valin, Jr (1984). Functional syntax and universal grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. (Ed.). (1993). Advances in Role and Reference Grammar. Amsterdam: Benjamins. Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. (1993). A synopsis of Role and Reference Grammar. In R. D. Van Valin Jr. (Ed.), Advances in Role and Reference Grammar (pp. 1–164). Amsterdam: Benjamins. Van Valin, Robert D., Jr.; & William A. Foley (1980). Role and Reference Grammar. In: E. A. Moravcsik & J. R. Wirth (Eds.), Current approaches to syntax (pp. 329–352). Syntax and semantics (Vol. 13). New York: Academic Press. Van Valin, Robert D., Jr.; & Randy LaPolla (1997). Syntax: Structure, meaning and function. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Van Valin, Robert D., Jr. (2003). Exploring the Syntax-Semantics Interface. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

External links John Ball use of RRG for Machine Intelligence Introduction to RRG ("A Summary of Role and Reference Grammar" PDF Professor Daniel Everett's reference to RRG's applicability to Amazonian language (Book, Page 207) RRG analysis of modification and secondary predication in Lakota PDF

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Role and reference grammar

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Role and reference grammar claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Role and reference grammar before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Role and reference grammar ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Role and reference grammar

In research: Role and reference grammar appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Role and reference grammar in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Role and reference grammar is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Grammar frameworks, Syntax stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Role and reference grammar outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Role and reference grammar in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Role and reference grammar means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Role and reference grammar out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Role and reference grammar in simple terms?

Why does Role and reference grammar matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Role and reference grammar?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Role and reference grammar.