Function Words ``wie'', ``als''

Problem:

The word forms ``wie'' and ``als'' fulfil a variety of functions.

Examples for ``wie'':

• Comparision
• Coordinating conjunction
• Subordinating conjunction
• Apposition/enumerations
• direct or indirect questions

Most of the distinctions between these functions are long distance or semantically determined.

Tagging practice IMS-TUE:

Distinction between all these functions is drawn. The tag KOKOM is given by semantical criteria.

• Wie/PWAV groß Du geworden bist! (1)
• Wie/PWAV groß bist Du geworden? (2)
• er fragte nach, wie/PWAV es mir so gehe. (3)
• Wie/KOUS das Presseamt mitteilte ...(4)
• so schnell wie/KOKOM du. (5)
• Männer wie/KON Frauen strömten herbei. (6)
• so schnell wie/KOKOM du niemals rennen wirst. (7)
• viele Länder, wie/KON Spanien, zogen nach (8)
• Sie arbeitet wie/KOKOM eine Besessene (9)

Tagging practice IMS-TUE:

Distinction purely syntactic:

• Direct questions: ``wie'' is PWAV (2)
• wie is followed by V-Final sentence: KOUS (3,4,7)
• wie is followed by any other phrase (NP, AP...): KOKOM (1,5,6,8,9)

Test:

1. Granularity test: put PWAV and KOUS together
2. Definition test: borderline KOKOM/KOUS.
   Comparisons of sentences tagged as KOKOM or KOUS.