Phrasal Categories

Abstract As we saw in our discussion of the structure of the simple S, phrases such as VP are built around heads. In such case, we say that the phrase is a projection of the head. In the case of the VP, the head is V. Examination of other phrasal categories suggests that they too are projections of heads. For example, an NP typically contains an N as its head, an AP contains an A as its head, an AdvP contains an Adv as its head, and a PP contains a P as its head. A phrase that contains a head of the same type is called endocentric. A phrase that does not contain a head of the same type is called exocentric. An open question in syntactic theory is whether all phrases are endocentric.