Graph of syntactic relations

When arsgrammatica analyses a passage of Latin, every non-punctuation token is related to one or two other tokens in a graph structure. This page summarizes all relationship categories that arsgrammatica recognizes.

Constructions of verbal expressions

Independent clause

Verbs of independent (main) clauses are related to a hypthetical root value as unit verb.

Example: arma virumque cano.

Token relationship related token
cano unit verb (root)

Directly quoted speech

Independent verbs in directly quoted speech are related to the verb introducing the quotation as direct quote.

Example: ‘hanc ego aram’ inquit ‘Pudicitiae plebeiae dedico’.

Token relationship related token
dedico direct quote inquit
inquit unit verb (root)

Aside

When the syntax of the sentence is interrupted by an independent verbal expression, the verb of the interrupting expression is related to the verb of the interrupted context as aside.

Example: Sp. Nautius – Octavium Maecium quidam eum tradunt – cum auxiliaribus cohortibus erat.

Token relationship related token
tradunt aside erat
erat unit verb (root)

Dependent clause

Verbs of dependent clauses are related to a subordinating word (such as a conjunction or relative pronoun) as unit verb.

Example: Hercules cum gregem perlustrasset, pergit ad proximam speluncam.

Token relationship related token
perlustrasset unit verb cum
pergit unit verb (root)

Indirect statement

Infinitive forms in indirect statement relate to the verb of speaking as indirect statement.

Example: id philtrum esse dixit.

Token relationship related token
esse indirect statement dixit
dixit unit verb (root)

Circumstantial participle

Circumstantial participles express a verbal idea that is related to an antecedent substantive in the relation circumstantial participle.

Example: adveniens vir Tarquiniique excepti benigne.

Token relationship related token
adveniens circumstantial participle vir
excepti unit verb (root)
(elided sum) excepti auxiliary

See below on the auxiliary relation; on elided tokens, see tokes.

Other constructions with verbs

Complementary infinitive

When an infinitive is used to complete the semantics of a verbal expression with certain verbs such as volo, the infinitive relates to the verbal expression as complementary infinitive.

Example: ascribi se in eam civitatem voluit.

Token relationship related token
ascribi complementary infinitive voluit
voluit unit verb (root)

Compound verb forms

Compound forms using sum with a participle treat the participle as the verb of the verbal unit and the form of sum as an auxiliary. The participle therefore is related to its context just as any other verbal expression would be. The form of sum relates to the participle as auxiliary.

Example: urbs condita est.

Token relationship related token
condita unit verb (root)
est auxiliary condita

AAT relations

The Agent-Action-Target model focuses on two special relations to verbal expressions: the agent and the target. In Latin (as in English), these relations are constructed differently depending on the voice of the verbal expression. Agency is expressed by the subject of transitive active, intransitive, and linking verbs, and by the ablative of agent construction with passive verbs. Target status is expressed by the direct object of transitive active verbs, the predicate of linking verbs, and by the subject of transitive passive verbs.

Subject

A substantive functioning as the grammatical subject of a verbal expression is related to it as subject.

Example: Lucumo Demarati Corinthii filius erat.

Token relationship related token
Lucumo subject erat
erat unit verb (root)

Agent

The headword of a prepositional phrase expressing agency with passive verbs (that is, a/ab) relates to the verbal expression as agent.

Example: urbs a Romulo condita est.

Token relationship related token
urbs subject condita
a agent condita
Romulo object of preposition a
condita unit verb (root)
est auxiliary condita

See below on objects of prepositions.

Direct object

The direct object of a transitive active verb is related to the verbal expression as direct object.

Example: Tarquinium mala libido Lucretiae per vim stuprandae capit.

Token relationship related token
Tarquinium direct object capit
libido subject capit
capit unit verb (root)

Predicate

Substantives or adjectives serving as predicates of linking verbs are related to the verb as predicate

Example: Lucumo Demarati Corinthii filius erat.

Token relationship related token
Lucumo subject erat
filius predicate erat
erat unit verb (root)

Case constructions with substantives

Apart from the special AAT relations, arsgrammatica does not subdivide syntactic constructions of substantives by their semantics. Instead, it identifies the case that constitutes the syntactic relationship. arsgrammatica leaves it to subsequent semantic analysis to decide if, for example, a genitive relation between two nouns expresses possession, a partitive idea, material or units of measure, or whether the relationship is a subjective or objective action.

Genitive

When a substantive in the genitive case modifies another substantive, the relationship is genitive.

Example: hic filius erat regis.

Token relationship related token
hic subject erat
filius predicate erat
erat unit verb (root)
regis genitive filius

Dative

When a substantive in the dative case is related to a verb or another substantive, the relationship is dative.

Example: documentum mortalibus dedero.

  1. dative – mortalibus in …documentum mortalibus dedero.

Accusative

When an accusative noun is related to a noun, or when it relates to a verb but does not express a direct object relationship, the relationship value is accusative.

Example: Romam venit.

The verb venit is intransitive, but Romam relates to it.

Token relationship related token
Romam accusative venit
venit unit verb (root)

Example: **duo milia passuum iter fecerunt*.

The phrase duo milia passuum qualifies the noun iter with a length of distance specified in the accusative.

Token relationship related token
milia accusative iter
passuum genitive milia
iter direct object fecerunt
fecerunt unit verb (root)

Ablative

When nouns in the ablative case are related to another noun or to a verb, the relationship is ablative.

Example: omnia ferro flammaque miscet

Token relationship related token
ferro ablative miscet
flamma ablative miscet
miscet unit verb (root)

Example: Collatinus negat verbis opus esse.

Token relationship related token
Collatinus subject negat
negat unit verb (root)
verbis ablative opus
opus subject esse
esse indirect statement negat

Vocative

Nouns in the vocative case are related to a verbal expression as vocative.

Example: Non est ita, domine.

Token relationship related token
est unit verb (root)
domine vocative est

Special substantive relations

Ablative absolute

  1. ablative absolute – Anco in Anco regnante Lucumo Romam commigravit.

Coordinating and subordinating words

Coordinating word

Use example like autem… Expand on double inks iwth et (aut) 23. coordinating conjunction – que in arma virumque cano.

Subordinating word

  1. subordinating conjunction – cum in Hercules cum gregem perlustrasset.

Relative pronoun

  1. relative pronoun – quibus in Latini, cum quibus ictum foedus erat.

Object of preposition

  1. object of preposition – Romulo in urbs a Romulo condita est.

Apposition

  1. apposition – filius in Aegeus Pandionis filius.

Praenomen

A token arsgrammatica classifies as praenomen is an abbreviation used in conjunction wth a fully spelled out nomen or cognomen. The abbreviated praenomen relates to the full form clearly showing its case usage as praenomen.

Example: Sp. Nautius – Octavium Maecium quidam eum tradunt – cum auxiliaribus cohortibus erat.

Token relationship related token
Sp. praenomen Nautius
Nautius subject erat
erat unit verb (root)

Adverbial and attributive expressions

  1. adverbial – forte in ad Ianiculum forte ventum erat.
  2. attributive – ad in pugna ad Cannas.
  3. adjectival – omnium in patri bonorum omnium heres.

A note on two-way linking

Conjunction and relation

See complete examples.