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nErgänzung

nErgänzung is a term encountered mainly in German-language discussions of grammar and formal theories. The compound blends the noun Ergänzung (complement or addition) with a prefixed n, commonly interpreted as indicating a variable, a count, or a sequence position. Because it is not standardized, its precise meaning depends on the field and author.

In linguistics, n-Ergänzung refers to a generalized notion of a syntactic element that completes the meaning

In formal logic or mathematics, n-Ergänzung can denote the operation of extending a structure by n additional

Usage and orthography vary: some writers hyphenate or capitalize as n-Ergänzung or N-Ergänzung. It is mostly

See also: Ergänzung; N-ary relation; Valency; Complement (grammar).

of
a
predicate.
In
valency
theory
and
dependency
grammar,
it
is
used
to
describe
a
family
of
constructions
in
which
the
number
of
complements
is
fixed
at
n.
For
example,
a
verb
that
requires
exactly
two
arguments
would
be
analyzed
as
having
a
2-Ergänzung.
The
term
is
primarily
classificatory
and
helps
generalize
patterns
across
similar
verbs
or
predicates.
components,
or
the
set
of
all
n-ary
relations
that
extend
a
base
signature.
The
concept
is
used
to
discuss
how
systems
grow
when
adding
a
fixed
number
of
new
elements
or
relations.
seen
in
theoretical
writings
rather
than
as
a
widely
used
everyday
term.