On the syntax of coordinate constructions

This paper discusses the way general syntactic principles concerning coordinate constructions prevail in a set of Hungarian data. It contains empirical analyses and an interpretation of the results in the framework of generative syntax. Thus, we will examine whether the Hungarian data support some general pattern of coordinate structures and whether that pattern involves symmetrical or asymmetrical relations. We will survey the various types of conjunctions and argue that they have structure building functions. We demonstrate that these functions depend on the categorial features of the coordinated items and on the syntactic context as well. There are conjunctions that require an agreement of relevant features of the coordinated noun phrases and the result shows up in the selection of the verbal agreement morphemes. Other conjunctions attribute features to the predicative categories coordinated and the result of this does not affect the agreement morphemes of verbs. Following an analysis of the data, we will make suggestions on how to express symmetrical and asymmetrical relations in coordinate constructions and how to represent the structural functions of these types of conjunctions