Binding principles in Vietnamese sentence structures: an interface study of syntax, semantics and pragmatics

Abstract

This study analyzes three types of linguistic bindings in Vietnamese sentence structures: syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic. Based on the frameworks of construction grammar and cognitive grammar, combined with Chomsky’s binding theory and its subsequent developments, the author identifies common constraint patterns within sentence construction. Syntactic bindings involve serial verb constructions, dependent clauses, and indefinite complements. Semantic bindings focus on the logical compatibility between subjects and predicates, verbs and complements, as well as verbs and adverbs. Pragmatic bindings concern communicative context, ellipsis, and discourse information organization. The findings indicate that although Vietnamese sentence structures are flexible, they are still governed by implicit rules linking form and meaning. The study contributes to the refinement of Vietnamese syntactic models and supports both Vietnamese language teaching and natural language processing applications.