06. Very basic Grammar of Italian author DeepThought
2.2 CAT Selection & Predicative Structures Dealing with the valence of the verbs, the selection between PP and NP or COMPL-
PHRASE is simply achieved by using the standard concept of "transitiveness", so that;
i) "transitive verbs" have a COMPS list containing at least one element (the "trans-
verb-cat" in the "categories.tdl" plays this role) and subcategorize for both a noun
phrase or a clausal complement, the right selection being operated (with a variable
degree of (under)specification, see appendix II) by various subtypes of "strict-trans-
synsem" (always in the "categories.tdl"), imposing given constraints on the "head" of
the first complement, e.g.
trans-np-synsem := trans-np-or-complement-synsem & trans-np-or-infin-synsem &
[LOCAL.CAT.VAL.COMPS < [LOCAL.CAT.HEAD noun] > ].
trans-np-or-complement-synsem := strict-trans-synsem & subj-to-subj-binding &
[LOCAL.CAT.VAL.COMPS < [LOCAL.CAT.HEAD compl-or-noun] > ].
ii) "intransitive verbs" could have an empty list of COMPS ("strict-intrans-verb-cat" in
the "categories.tdl") or a PP element in the list, e.g.
intrans-ppall-verb-cat := intrans-verb-cat &
[ VAL.COMPS < [LOCAL.CAT.HEAD a-infincompl-or-prep] > ].
intrans-ppnoun-verb-cat := intrans-ppall-verb-cat &
[ VAL.COMPS < [LOCAL.CAT.QVAL.DIROBJ.LOCAL.CAT.HEAD noun] > ].
iii) raising verbs, restructuring verbs and auxiliaires are kept underspecified as far as
it concerns the TRANS value. The comps selection, in this case, is managed by
specific le-types or synsem-types.
Copulative verbs ("essere" [to be], "sembrare" [to seem]) and “ditrans-predicative” verbs
(“considerare” [to consider]) subcategorize for a "predicative" argument (adjectival or
prepositional or else "locational adverbial" phrases and "undefined" noun or "defined and
modified" noun phrases [see however the "still missing" paragraph...]). E.g.
