Definition
An exocentric construction is a construction that does not contain any head element that is capable of being a syntactically adequate substitution for the whole construction.
Examples
(English)
Prepositional phrase
- Neither the component preposition nor the noun phrase may substitute for the whole prepositional phrase.
Clause
- No single element of the clause may substitute for the whole.
Sources 4
- Hartmann and Stork 1972, 80
- Pei and Gaynor 1954, 60
- Crystal 1985, 114
- Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985, 60