Coordinating Adverbs


As to coordination is concerned, there is more than one way of expressing it:

1) coordinating conjunctions (KC @CO)

          Nem tanto ao mar, nem tanto à terra
           Segundo a empresa, o aparelho permite que o aparelho grave e transcreva a voz humana.
           Eu não sou francês para falar da cultura francesa, mas sei que ela deu uma contribuição importante à cultura egípcia.

2) punctuation,  namely the comma (to which is not attributed any specific form or function, though)

            Depois, o Tirsense tomou conta da partida, criou várias situações de golo e conseguiu a igualdade (...).
 

3) coordinating adverbs, exhibiting primarily the tag ADVL and secondarily the tag <kc>:
 

  •     não só ....mas também;
  •     não só.... como (também).
If one is to see the semantic proximity between the expressions above, that is they all coordinate elements, the CO:adv tagging could be extended to other cases like:
 
  •     tanto ... como
  •     mais (holding a very similar function as the copulative coordinating conjunction / adverbs)
  •     menos (holding a very similar function as the adversative coordinating conjunction / adverbs)
Mais as well as menos as a coordinating adverb would mainly occur in cases like:
 

...uma segunda compilação da Kaos que vai incluir todos os lançamentos não contidos em " Totally Kaos ", mais três edições exteriores à editora.
...foi um elogio tudo menos inocente.

The original analysis of the parser is a pure dependency analysis (@N< for mais / menos+ np), which does not describe semantically the meaning of the proposition, especially if we establish a parallel between typically (post) nominal dependents such as adjectives, for instance.

Two alternative readings for maiscould also be considered:

1. elliptic coordinator

The real coordinating conjunction e is elliptic and mais is a modifier of the whole np (in the example above, três edições, at the same level as exteriores à editora).  the comma could be the coordinating element (asyndetic coordination).
 

2. comma as coordinator

The comma could be the coordinating element (asyndetic coordination).
However in the case where the comma was not present, one would have to consider the elliptic conjunction. According to the VISL notation there are no such concept as empty nodes, meaning a compound unit with no coordinating conjunction, only two conjoints, which is not satisfying.