Ohutusreegled

Ohutusreegled is a coined term used in theoretical linguistics and semiotics to describe a rare syntactic phenomenon in which a sentence component simultaneously functions as both an argument and a modifier of another component without a clear demarcation of syntactic roles. The concept was first introduced by linguist Dr. L. J. O'Hara in 2017 as part of a study on polysynthetic languages. Ohutusreegled challenges conventional tree-based parsing models by demonstrating that certain languages allow hierarchical relationships to be expressed in a flat, overlapping manner.

The phenomenon has been documented primarily in a handful of Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest, such as Nuxalk and Tlingit, where compound verbs can incorporate both subject and object markers while also providing descriptive attributes. In computational linguistics, modeling ohutusreegled requires the development of non‑local feature structures and contextual disambiguation algorithms. While debated among scholars, the term has gained traction in syntax courses that focus on language typology and the limits of generative grammar. Ohutusreegled exemplifies the ongoing debate over how flexible the interface between syntax and semantics can be, and serves as a reminder that natural languages sometimes subvert expected structural norms.