# M-command

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In [generative grammar](/source/Generative_grammar) and related frameworks, **m-command** is a syntactic relation between two nodes in a [syntactic tree](/source/Parse_tree). A node X {\displaystyle X} m-commands a node Y {\displaystyle Y} if the [maximal projection](/source/Maximal_projection) of X {\displaystyle X} [dominates](/source/Dominance_(linguistics)) Y {\displaystyle Y} , but neither X {\displaystyle X} nor Y {\displaystyle Y} dominates the other.

In [government and binding theory](/source/Government_and_binding_theory), m-command was used to define the central syntactic relation of *[government](/source/Government_(linguistics))*. However, it has been largely replaced by [c-command](/source/C-command) in current[*[vague](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vagueness)*] research. M-command is a broader relation than [c-command](/source/C-command), since a node m-commands every node that it c-commands, as well as the [specifier](/source/Specifier_(linguistics)) of the [phrase](/source/Phrase) that it heads. Like c-command, m-command is defined over constituency-based trees and plays no role in frameworks which adopt a different notion of syntactic structure.

## References

- Aoun, Joseph; Dominique Sportiche (1983). "On the Formal Theory of Government". *Linguistic Review*. **2** (3): 211–236. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1515/tlir-1983-020303](https://doi.org/10.1515%2Ftlir-1983-020303).

- [Chomsky, Noam](/source/Noam_Chomsky) (1986). *Barriers*. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

v t e Formal semantics (natural language) Central concepts Compositionality Denotation Entailment Extension Generalized quantifier Intension Logical form Presupposition Proposition Reference Scope Speech act Syntax–semantics interface Truth conditions Topics Areas Anaphora Ambiguity Binding Conditionals Definiteness Disjunction Evidentiality Focus Indexicality Lexical semantics Modality Negation Propositional attitudes Tense–aspect–mood Quantification Vagueness Phenomena Antecedent-contained deletion Cataphora Coercion Conservativity Counterfactuals Crossover effects Cumulativity De dicto and de re De se Deontic modality Discourse relations Donkey anaphora Epistemic modality Exhaustivity Faultless disagreement Free choice inferences Givenness Homogeneity (linguistics) Hurford disjunction Inalienable possession Intersective modification Logophoricity Mirativity Modal subordination Opaque contexts Performatives Polarity items Privative adjectives Quantificational variability effect Responsive predicate Rising declaratives Scalar implicature Sloppy identity Subsective modification Subtrigging Telicity Temperature paradox Veridicality Formalism Formal systems Alternative semantics Categorial grammar Combinatory categorial grammar Discourse representation theory (DRT) Dynamic semantics Generative grammar Glue semantics Inquisitive semantics Intensional logic Lambda calculus Mereology Montague grammar Segmented discourse representation theory (SDRT) Situation semantics Supervaluationism Type theory TTR Concepts Autonomy of syntax Context set Continuation Conversational scoreboard Downward entailing Existential closure Function application Meaning postulate Monads Plural quantification Possible world Quantifier raising Quantization Question under discussion Semantic parsing Squiggle operator Strawson entailment Strict conditional Type shifter Universal grinder See also Cognitive semantics Computational semantics Distributional semantics Formal grammar Inferentialism Logic translation Linguistics wars Philosophy of language Pragmatics Semantics of logic

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