The Theta Criterion is a principle in linguistic theory that stipulates each argument in a sentence must have one and only one theta role, and each theta role must be assigned to one and only one argument. This ensures that the syntactic structure of a sentence aligns with its semantic interpretation, maintaining a clear mapping between arguments and their corresponding semantic roles.

Theta Criterion

Linguistic theory is the systematic study of language structure and function, aiming to describe and explain the nature of human language. It encompasses various frameworks and models that address phonetics, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics, seeking to understand how languages are constructed and how they evolve over time.

linguistic theory

argument in a sentence

theta role

Syntactic structure refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language, governed by specific grammatical rules. It is crucial for understanding and generating meaningful expressions, and it plays a significant role in fields such as linguistics, language processing, and artificial intelligence.

syntactic structure

Semantic interpretation is the process of understanding and assigning meaning to a piece of language, considering the context and intended meaning behind the words. It involves analyzing linguistic structures and using world knowledge to derive the speaker's or writer's intended message.

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