root: Root
Definition
root refers to the core syntactic head of a sentence. It is usually a predicate, such as a verb or an adjective, that expresses the subject’s action, state, or quality.
Characteristics
- The root tag represents an essential component of a sentence. It is generally found at the end of a sentence in the form of a verb, adjective, or copula combined with EF (Ending_Closing, 종결 어미).
- The root tag is the central element to which all other words in the sentence connect, either directly or indirectly. When there is ambiguity regarding the syntactic dependency of a sentence component, the default principle is to make it dependent on the root.
- Examples:
- 나는 점심을 맛있게 먹었다.
- 나와 친구는 모두 집으로 돌아갈 겁니다.
- 산에 가서 사진을 많이 찍으세요.
- 바람이 부니까 기분이 어때요?
Boundary cases and clarifications
Special cases
- Coordinated clauses
- When two or more clauses within a sentence are connected in a sequential, contrasting, or alternative relationship, the first predicate is parsed as the root, while the others are tagged as conj (Conjunct) dependent on the root.
- If conj is dependent on the root, the root tag typically includes EC (Ending_Connecting, 연결 어미) such as ‘-고’, ‘-(으)며’, or ‘-(으)나’.
- 방학 때 수영을 했고(root) 말도 탔습니다요(conj).
- 사진을 찍거나(root) 꽃을 구경해요(conj).
- Copular constructions with ‘이다’
- ‘이다’ is the representative VCP (Copular_Positive, 긍정 지정사). Unlike general lexical verbs, VCP does not carry an independent meaning. Therefore, it must be attached to the preceding word to form a grammatically and semantically correct phrase.
- However, in non-standard sentences, ‘이다’ is sometimes separated from the preceding word. In such cases, the word before ‘이다’ is parsed as the root, while ‘이다’ is tagged as a case (Case marker) that marks the root.
- 8월은 무더운 여름(root) 입니다(case).
- 주장에 대한 근거는 세 가지(root) 이다(case).
Examples
