Selection (linguistics)

In linguistics, selection denotes the ability of predicates to determine the semantic content of their arguments. Predicates select their arguments, which means they limit the semantic content of their arguments. A distinction may sometimes be drawn between types of selection; viz., s(emantic)-selection versus c(ategory)-selection. Selection in general stands in contrast to subcategorization: selection is a semantic concept, whereas subcategorization is a syntactic one; predicates both select and subcategorize for their complement arguments, but only select their subject arguments.

Selection is closely related to valency, a term used in grammars other than the Chomskian generative grammar for a similar phenomenon.

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