The inter-level category of valency: theoretical and applied aspects

Nataliia Kostusiak, Doctor of Science in Philology, Professor, Head of the Department and Professor of the Department of Ukrainian Language and Linguodidactics
Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University
30-A Vynnychenko St., Lutsk 43005, Ukraine

E-mail: kostusyak.nataliia@vnu.edu.ua
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9795-6038

Heading: Articles
Language: Ukrainian

Abstract: The article proposes a two-vector description of the category of valency: 1) it characterizes an integral, systematically constructed, and multi-aspect model of its study within the framework of the verb-centered concept, as reflected in the scholarly works of I.R. Vykhovanets; 2) it generalizes the methodological procedures for the analysis of valency proposed by like-minded followers of the renowned linguist-innovator, with particular emphasis on studies of both theoretical and applied orientation.

It is emphasized that the indisputable significance of the algorithm for interpreting valency outlined by I.R. Vykhovanets is highlighted by a three-level (lexical, syntactic, and morphological) approach to its description, the distinction between semantic and formal-syntactic types, active and passive manifestations, and an orientation toward the number of governed dependent positions, which became a prerequisite for distinguishing mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, penta-, and hexavalent verbs.

It has been established that the identified qualification and classification parameters not only elucidate the complex nature of the indicated categorical entity but also serve as a valid principle in the systematization and advancement of Ukrainian linguistics and Slavic linguistics in general. It is noted that the principles of valency grammar developed by I.R. Vykhovanets, oriented toward the dichotomy of polar (deep and surface) structures of language, became the basis for expanding the valency frame of verbs and were further developed in theories of minimal semantic-syntactic units and semantic-syntactic dependencies, as well as in transpositional and inter-level grammars.

In the context of testing and underscoring the exceptional importance of I.R. Vykhovanets’s concept, works of an applied nature are examined. These include in-demand terminological dictionaries and lexicographic publications of a semantic-grammatical nature, which serve as a reference point for resolving complex issues of Ukrainian word usage.

Keywords: valency, verb, noun, predicate, syntacteme, grammar, theoretical and applied aspects, Ukrainian linguistics, applied linguistics, Lutsk grammatical school.

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Received 09.01.2026   Аpproved 19.03.2026   Рublished 00.00.2026