argumenteither

Argumenteither is a theoretical construct used in formal semantics and syntactic theory to model alternation in argument realization within a clause. The term describes an operator or function that expresses how a predicate may take one of two possible arguments depending on contextual or grammatical conditions. In a simple non-deterministic reading, argumenteither can be seen as selecting between two candidate arguments, or as returning a set of alternatives for further composition in the semantic representation.

Formally, argumenteither can be described as a function that, given a predicate and two potential arguments, yields either the first argument under a condition c or the second argument otherwise. Some treatments treat it as a non-deterministic operator that returns both realizations in different possible worlds or readings, while others use a conditional choice function to pick a single realization in a given context. This flexibility allows argumenteither to encode variation across languages, registers, or discourse segments where the same proposition can realize different participant roles.

Applications of the concept include modeling ditransitive constructions with flexible word order, focus-driven argument realization, and cases of ellipsis or cross-linguistic case-marking variation. It provides a compact way to discuss how a single underlying proposition may map onto alternative surface arguments without committing to a single syntactic form.

Example readers may encounter: an underlying proposition P with two candidate objects x and y can be realized as P(x) or P(y) depending on discourse focus or case licensing. In cross-linguistic semantics, argumenteither helps formalize how languages vary in which argument slots are realized overtly.

Notes: argumenteither is not a universally standardized term but a useful theoretical device in discussions of argument structure and alternative realizations. Related concepts include disjunction, choice functions, and non-deterministic semantics.