Introling_11_Semantic_Feat.pdf

8/13/2019 Introling_11_Semantic_Feat.pdf

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Introduction to English

Linguistics (Part 1)Cornelius Puschmann, M.A.

introling.ynada.com

Semantic features and roles

Session 11, Semantics


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Contents of this session

What we're dealing with today:

1. Semantic roles2. Semantic features

3. Metaphor

Semantic roles

Semantic roles parallel syntactic roles in that they explain the relation

of constituentsin an utterance.


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Semantic roles

Semantic roles parallel syntactic roles in that they explain the relation

of constituentsin an utterance.

However, semantic roles describe the relation of the constituents to

their meaning, whereas syntactic roles describe their relation to each

other.

Semantic roles

The man opened the door

Subject Object

The key opened the door

Subject Object


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Semantic roles


Subject Object


Subject Object

Syntactically, the key and the man are equivalent - both are subjects.

Semantic roles


Subject Object


Subject Object


But they obviously do different things. This is expressed via different

semantic roles.


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Semantic roles


Subject ObjectAgent Patient


Subject Object

Instrument Patient


But they obviously do different things. This is expressed via differentsemantic roles.

Agent and patient

The shark attacked the diver

Subject Object

Agent Patient


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Agent and patient


Subject ObjectAgent PatientThe diver was attached by the shark

Subject Adverbial

Patient Agent

Agent and patient


Subject Object

Agent PatientThe diver was attached by the shark

Subject AdverbialPatient Agent

Agent:a participant which the meaning of the verb specifies as doing

or causing something, possibly intentionally.

Patient:a participant which the verb characterizes as having

something happen to it, and as being affected by what happens to it.


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Agent and patient

Agent

John kicked the ballEveryone is watching the game

The disaster in the kitchen was caused by Mary

Brooklyn is where Bob is moving next month

Agent and patient

Agent

John kicked the ball

Everyone is watching the game

The disaster in the kitchen was caused by Mary

Brooklyn is where Bob is moving next month

Patient

I'm eating a muffin

The cat killed the mouse

The girl was slapped by the boy

The paintings have been damaged in the fire


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Theme

She walked down the street

They handed us the moneyThe people aboard the Titanic drowned

The package was returned to the sender

Theme

She walked down the street

They handed us the money

The people aboard the Titanic drowned

The package was returned to the sender

A themeis a participant characterized as changing its position orcondition, or as being in a state or position.


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Instrument


Freddy attacked the people with a chainsawWe got a corkscrew and opened the Chianti

An excuse is all we need to leave early

Instrument


Freddy attacked the people with a chainsaw

We got a corkscrew and opened the Chianti

An excuse is all we need to leave early

An instrument is the (physical) cause of an event that is used as atool for implementation, usually by the agent.


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Locative

He was hiding under the bed

The paper is on the tableMike is at his parents' house

Locative

He was hiding under the bed

The paper is on the table

Mike is at his parents' house

A locativeidentifies the location or spatial orientation of a state oraction.


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Time

On Monday I have a doctor's appointment

He is always lateDon't wake me up before 10am

The sun will cease to produce energy several millennia from now

Time

On Monday I have a doctor's appointment

He is always late

Don't wake me up before 10am

The sun will cease to produce energy several millennia from now

Just as locatives specifies physical location, timeroles specifytemporal location.


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Semantic features

Semantic feature analysis allow us to decomposewords into bundles

of attributes.

Semantic features


of attributes.

"GRAPE"

-ANIMATE

+FRUIT

+EDIBLE


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Semantic features


of attributes.

"GRAPE" "DOG"

-ANIMATE +ANIMATE

+FRUIT +ANIMAL

+EDIBLE -HUMAN

Semantic features


of attributes.

"GRAPE" "DOG" "PRAIRIE DOG"

-ANIMATE +ANIMATE

+FRUIT +ANIMAL +ANIMAL

+EDIBLE -HUMAN +RODENT

-DOG


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Semantic features

"HAPPY" "SAD"

+EMOTION +EMOTION+POSITIVE -POSITIVE

"HAPPY" "THRILLED"

+EMOTION +EMOTION

+POSITIVE +POSITIVE

+EXCITEMENT

Semantic features can be used to describe differences between

antonyms, superordinates and their hyponyms, and near synonyms.

Semantic features and syntax

What's wrong here?

?The door kicked the man

?The ship died


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What's wrong here?


?The ship died

Kickand die seem to demand +ANIMATE.


What's wrong here?


?The ship died

Kickand die seem to demand +ANIMATE.

Note that this is not an issue of what happens in the world, but an

issue of how we express what has happened linguistically - the man

can bump into the door and the ship and can be destroyed or sunk.


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Metaphor

Metaphorin linguistic terminology is a general cognitive processby

which meaning is expanded and transfered.

Metaphor



Today was a really long day

Selma has been pretty down lately

Monday was a slow day for businessYou owe me an apology


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Metaphor



Today was a really long day

Selma has been pretty down lately

Monday was a slow day for business

You owe me an apology

long= physical measurement -> temporal measurement

down = physical location -> emotional state

slow = physical speed -> lack of productivityowe = being financially indebted -> being socially/morally indebted

Assignment

Use what we have discussed in this session and the last one to analyze

these sentences:

She is falling apart

Five beers later, the world looks very different

The U.S. does not negotiate with terroristsAnything below a B is unacceptable

Let's call it a night

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