{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.syntactic-function","code":"thing-q8963066","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q8963066/","name":"syntactic function","alternateNames":["attributive","determinative"],"kind":"thing","status":"research-draft","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.REL"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The grammatical role a word or phrase plays within a larger structure, such as subject, object, predicate, complement, modifier, attributive or determinative, as distinct from its word class; syntactic functions are defined by grammatical theories and vary in labelling across frameworks and languages.","purpose":"Let an agent analyse the syntactic function of elements in sentences, explain the difference between function and category, and support grammar teaching and linguistic annotation.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Role in structure","Distinct from category","Framework-dependent labels","Language-specific realisation"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"analyse","name":"Analyse","description":"Finding functions.","layers":[{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"Function of a phrase.","findings":[{"id":"identify-finding","name":"Identify","description":"Identification.","questions":[{"text":"What syntactic function does this word or phrase have in the sentence?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which tests support the analysis?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"category","name":"Category","description":"Function versus category.","findings":[{"id":"category-finding","name":"Category","description":"Function versus category.","questions":[{"text":"Is the question about the word class or the function of the element?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"How can one category fill several functions?","kind":"definition"}]}]}]},{"id":"functions","name":"Functions","description":"Kinds of function.","layers":[{"id":"core","name":"Core","description":"Subject and object.","findings":[{"id":"core-finding","name":"Core","description":"Core functions.","questions":[{"text":"How are subject and object identified in this language?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How do case, agreement and order mark them?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"modifying","name":"Modifying","description":"Attributive and determinative.","findings":[{"id":"modifying-finding","name":"Modifying","description":"Modifying functions.","questions":[{"text":"What are the attributive and determinative functions, and how do they differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which elements fill them?","kind":"definition"}]}]}]},{"id":"frameworks","name":"Frameworks","description":"Theories.","layers":[{"id":"theories","name":"Theories","description":"Grammatical frameworks.","findings":[{"id":"theories-finding","name":"Theories","description":"Frameworks.","questions":[{"text":"How do different grammatical frameworks label this function?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which framework does the source use?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"annotation","name":"Annotation","description":"Treebanks.","findings":[{"id":"annotation-finding","name":"Annotation","description":"Annotation.","questions":[{"text":"How is this function annotated in Universal Dependencies or another scheme?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which relation label applies?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"teach","name":"Teach","description":"Learning grammar.","layers":[{"id":"learn","name":"Learn","description":"Teaching functions.","findings":[{"id":"learn-finding","name":"Learn","description":"Teaching.","questions":[{"text":"How can syntactic functions be taught with sentence diagrams and tests?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which misconceptions arise?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"writing","name":"Writing","description":"Applying to writing.","findings":[{"id":"writing-finding","name":"Writing","description":"Writing.","questions":[{"text":"How does understanding functions help fix this sentence?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which errors involve misplaced functions?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Identify subjects, objects, predicates and modifiers in sentences, naming the grammar framework used.","Explain the difference between syntactic function and word class."],"mustNot":["Present one grammatical tradition's analysis as the only correct one.","Mark a learner's dialect or language variety as wrong when it follows its own grammar.","Use parsing to alter the meaning of a quoted sentence."],"requiresHuman":["Grading or assessing a student's language based on an automated analysis."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Grammar judgements have been used to stigmatise speakers of minority varieties.","Learners trust explanations to be accurate."],"affectedParties":["Language learners","Speakers of non-standard varieties","Teachers"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the concept; it is held in common by linguistics.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q2302023","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"grammatical relation","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"modification","type":"related","note":"a function"},{"target":"coreference","type":"related","note":"other grammatical relation"},{"target":"syntax","type":"related","note":"field"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.syntactic-function","Wikidata: Q8963066 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8963066)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Subject, object, modifier and similar labels","Determined by position and relations","Noun, verb and adjective are categories, not functions","Not physical; labels in grammatical analysis."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["identify the syntactic function of a phrase","distinguish function from word class","explain attributive and determinative functions","support annotation and teaching"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing function with category","Mixing frameworks","Language-specific errors"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Annotation standards such as Universal Dependencies"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Sentence analysis and grammar.","subject and object functions","predicate and complement functions","modifier and attributive functions","determinative function","adverbial functions"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q8963066: syntactic function","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8963066","note":"identity and sense of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each function be a separate entry?","How should grammars be linked?","How should annotation schemes be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q8963066/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q8963066/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T19:45:32Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}