flat: Flat multiword expression

Definition

A flat is a multiword expression that acts as a single unit in a sentence.

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Characteristics

• The flat tag is used for expressions like proper names, titles, dates, and foreign phrases.
• Words in a flat structure do not follow the usual modifier-head relationships. In a flat structure, later elements depend on the first one.
• Examples:
  • 넬슨 만델라는 포기하지 말라고 외쳤습니다.
  • 마 선생님은 카메라를 빌려서 나눠주셨다.
  • 5월 5일은 무슨 요일입니까?

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Boundary cases and clarifications

Differences with related tags

• flat vs. appos (Appositional modifier):
  • Both flat and appos indicate relationships between noun phrases. However, the key difference lies in their semantic and structural dependence.
  • If you remove a word from a fixed expression marked with flat, it changes the meaning or makes the expression ungrammatical. But if you remove a word from an appos expression, it reduces the information but doesn’t change the main meaning.
  • In a flat structure, the second noun typically depends on the preceding noun. In an appos structure, the dependent noun can appear either before or after the head noun, depending on the sentence structure.
    • 저는 영화(appos) 해리 포터를(flat) 좋아합니다.
    • 2월 24일(flat) (월(appos))에 여행 갈 계획이 있다.

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Examples