Contextually-dependent lexical semantics

1、Contextually-DependentLexicalSemanticsCorneliaMariaVerspoorPhDTheUniversityofEdinburgh1997AbstractThisthesisisaninvestigationofphenomenaattheinterfacebetweensyntax,semantics,andpragmatics,withtheaimofarguingforaviewofsemanticinterpretationaslexically-drivenyetcontextuallydependent.Iexamineregular,generativeprocesseswhichoperateoverthelexicontoinduceverbalsenseshifts,anddiscusstheinteractionoftheseprocesseswiththelinguisticordiscoursecontext.Iconcentrateonphenomenawhereonlyaninter-actionbetweena。

2、llthreelinguisticknowledgesourcescanexplaintheconstraintsonverbuse:conventionalisedlexicalsemanticknowledgeconstrainsproductivesyntacticprocesses,whilepragmaticreasoningisbothconstrainedbyandconstrainsthepotentialinterpretationsgiventocertainverbs.ThephenomenawhicharecloselyexaminedarethebehaviourofPPsententialmodifiers(specificallydativeanddirectionalPPs)withrespecttothelexicalsemanticrepresentationoftheverbphrasestheymodify,resultativeconstructions,andlogicalmetonymy.Theanalysisiscouchedintermso。

3、falexicalsemanticrepresentationdrawingonDavis(1995),Jackendoff(1983,1990),andPustejovsky(1991,1995)whichaimstocapture“linguis-ticallyrelevant”componentsofmeaning.Therepresentationisshowntohaveutilityformodelingoftheinteractionbetweenthesyntacticformofanutteranceanditsmeaning.IintroduceaformalisationoftherepresentationwithintheframeworkofHeadDrivenPhraseStructureGrammar(PollardandSag1994),andrelyonthemodelofdiscoursecoherenceproposedbyLascaridesandAsher(1992),DiscourseinCommonsenseEntailment.Ifur。

4、thermorediscusstheimplicationsofthecontextualdependencyofsemanticinterpre-tationforlexicondesignandcomputationalprocessinginNaturalLanguageUnderstandingsystems.iDeclarationIdeclarethatthisthesishasbeencomposedbymyselfandthattheresearchreportedhereinismyown.ThisthesiscomplieswithalltheregulationsforthedegreeofPhDattheUniversityofEdinburgh,andfallsbelowtherequisitewordlimitspecified.CorneliaMariaVerspoorAugust1997iiAcknowledgementsIhavebeenluckytohavehadopportunitiestoworkwithmanystimulatingpeopled。

5、uringthecourseofresearchingandwritingthiswork.ThishassurelyhelpedtoshapemythesisinwaysIwouldneverhavebeenabletoachieveonmyown.FirstandforemostImustthankmyprimarysupervisorAlexLascaridesforherdetailedandprobingcomments,deliveredwithamazingefficiency,andherconstantencourage-ments.ClaireGrover,mysecondsupervisor,alsodeservesthanksforworkingthroughmyrepresentationsandexampleswithafine-toothedcomb.FrankSchilder,BernieJones,andAliceDreweryhaveadmirablytoleratedmyrantingsaboutlexicalsemantics,andhaveeven。

6、managedtosolveafewstickingpointsforme.IwouldalsoliketothankPaulBuitelaar,MarcVerhagen,JesseTseng,JanetHitzeman,MassimoPoesio,GosseBouma,andAnnCopestakeforgivingmefeedbackonvariouspartsofthiswork.Intheearlystagesofthisresearch,IspentsometimeattheResearchInstituteforSpeechandLangauge(OnderzoeksinstituutvoorTaalenSpraak,OTS)inUtrecht,theNetherlands,andIwouldliketothankHenkVerkuylfordiscussingsomeunderdevelopedideaswithme,andtheOTSitselfformakingitpossible.IalsospentafewmonthsatBrandeisUniversityinB。

7、ostonin1996;thiswasaninvaluableexperienceandIamgratefultoRayJackendoff,JoanMaling,andJamesPustejovskyforinvitingme,makingtimetomeetwithme,andincludingmeineverything.MycolleaguesinBoston,VittorioDiTomasoandBhuvanaNarasimhan,spentmanytiringhourswithmethinkingaboutstrangepatternsindata,andweretheinspi-rationformyworkonmannerofmotionverbs.IthanktheDoctorCatharinevanTussen-broekFoundationintheNetherlandsandtheCentreforCognitiveScienceformakingthattrippossible.ManythankstotheEngineeringandPhysicalScie。

8、ncesResearchCouncil,theWorldBank,andmyparentswhohaveprovidedfinancialsupporttomeduringmytimeinEdinburgh.Myparents,AdriaanandAntoinette,althoughveryfarawayinIndia,alwaysmanagedtokeepmemotivated.IamsurethatIwouldneverhaveachievedsomuchinlifewithouttheiropen-mindedencouragementtoexplore.Finally,IwouldliketothankmyhusbandVicenteUceda,forhissoothingeffectonme,andthelove,care,support,andunderstandingwhichhavecarriedmethroughsomecrazytimes.iiiContents1Introduction11.1DefinitionsandAssumptions............。

9、.................31.2Sensevariation.....................................41.3Chaptersummaries...................................62LexicalRepresentation92.1Introduction.......................................92.2Jackendoffandsyntactically-relevantsemantics..................122.2.1ComponentsofJackendoff’sConceptualSemantics............122.2.2Jackendoffandinferences...........................192.2.3Conclusions...................................252.3ConceptualStructureandHPSG..........................。

10、.262.3.1LexicalSemanticsinHPSG..........................262.3.2IncorporationofJackendoff’stheoryintoHPSG..............292.4Davis’multiple-inheritancelexicalsemantics....................292.4.1Davis’relationtypes..............................322.4.2ComparisonwithJackendoff(1983,1990)..................352.4.3NecessaryExtensions.............................442.5Verbsemantics......................................472.5.1InternalandExternalverbsemantics.....................472.5.2Formalisationoftherepr。