lexical-functional grammar (LFG)

A LINGUISTIC theory in which the role of the LEXICON is central, and grammatical FUNCTIONS are taken as PRIMITIVE. The SYNTACTIC STRUCTURE of a SENTENCE consists of a CONSTITUENT structure (c-structure) and a FUNCTIONAL structure (f-structure), which represent superficial GRAMMATICAL RELATIONS. In this approach, the LEXICAL COMPONENT is assigned much of the role formerly associated with the syntactic component of a TRANSFORMATIONAL grammar.