Verbal Alternations in Sesotho: A Case of Lexical Semantics

Lexical Semantics and Selection of TAM in Bantu Languages: A Case of Semantic Classification of Kiswahili Verbs

The existing literature on Bantu verbal semantics demonstrated that inherent semantic content of verbs pairs directly with the selection of tense, aspect and modality formatives in Bantu languages like Chasu, Lucazi, Lusamia, and Shiyeyi. Thus, the gist of this paper is the articulation of semantic classification of verbs in Kiswahili based on the selection of TAM types. This is because the sem...

Embodied Verbal Semantics: Evidence from a lexical matching task

Detecting Verbal Participation in Diathesis Alternations

We present a method for automatically identifying verbal participation in diathesis alternations. Automatically acquired subcategorization frames are compared to a hand-crafted classification for selecting candidate verbs. The minimum description length principle is then used to produce a model and cost for storing the head noun instances from a training corpus at the relevant argument slots. A...

Dictionary-driven analysis of Japanese verbal alternations

We present a method for extracting verbal (diathesis) alternations from a valency dictionary, based on comparison of selectional restrictions. The quality of match between selectional restrictions is evaluated according to an entropy-based measure with backing-off facility. We use the proposed method to derive a provisional listing of the range and distribution of verbal alternations in Japanese.

Representing Verbal Semantics with Diagrams - An Adaptation of the UML for Lexical Semantics

The paper presents a new way of accounting for the meaning of verbs in natural languages, using a diagrammatic notation based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML). We will introduce the new framework by outlining some modeling elements and indicating major differences to the UML. An extended example will be discussed in more detail. We will then focus on the cognitive background of the framew...