Week 8 Flashcards
What do meaning postulates do?
relate the sense of a predicate to (an)other(s) - only for predicates not words e.g. x GIRL → x FEMALE
Give examples of how sense relations link to meaning postulates
hyponymy: x PENGUIN → x BIRD
converseness: x PARENT y → y CHILD x
binary antonyms: x MALE → x ~FEMALE
What are selectional restrictions?
the restriction of a predicate to things satisfied by a different predicate e.g. abstract (idea) vs. concrete (red)
What is anomaly?
semantic oddness - involving the violation of a selectional restriction
What is fusion?
the total description of the referent - sense of predicates in the argument NP + selectional restrictions of the predicator
What are participant roles?
the referents of the arguments of a predicate play a certain role in the described event
Describe AGENT
the participant performing an action - normally the subject but not always e.g. she is swimming
Describe AFFECTED (PATIENT)
undergoing an action/change of state e.g. the dog is chasing the cat
Describe INSTRUMENT
the object used in the action e.g. Harry wrote a letter with a pen
Describe LOCATION
the place where the action takes place e.g. the milk is in the fridge
Describe BENEFICIARY
the person who benefits from the action e.g. I cooked dinner for my parents
Describe THEME
participant whose location is described or that is being perceived e.g the milk is in the fridge
Describe EXPERIENCER
the perception, feeling or state of a person e.g. Sally is happy
What do role frames (argument structure) do?
specifies the obligatory and optional roles of a predicate e.g. (AGENT) AFFECTED (LOCATION)
