Valenz

valency (of a verb in linguistics)

noun fa-LENTS Rare

Origin: from Latin valentia (strength, capacity)

Usage Note

Valenz in linguistics describes how many and what types of complements a verb requires. schlafen is monovalent (one argument), geben is trivalent (subject, direct object, indirect object).

Examples

"Die Valenz eines Verbs bestimmt, welche Ergänzungen im Satz notwendig sind."

Natural Translation

The valency of a verb determines which complements are necessary in a sentence.

Literal Translation

The valency of a verb determines which complements in the sentence necessary are.

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