Browsing by Subject "Frame semantics"
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Item A usage-based approach to verb classes in English and German(2016-05) Dux, Ryan Joseph; Boas, Hans Christian, 1971-; Pierce, Marc; Urlaub, Per; Streeck, Jürgen; Beavers, JohnDrawing on data from verbs of Change (alter, transform) and Theft (steal, shoplift), my dissertation investigates and compares verb classes along a variety of dimensions. A common assumption in research on verbal syntax and semantics states that verbs with similar meanings exhibit similar syntactic behavior (Fillmore 1967, Levin 1993). For example, many Change verbs can occur in transitive constructions with into PPs (The witch {changed/turned/transformed} the prince into a frog). This systematicity has led scholars to propose verb classes, such as Change verbs, which are predictive of a verb’s syntactic behavior. However, recent research (Boas 2008, Faulhaber 2011) has challenged this assumption on the basis of data in which semantically similar verbs differ in their grammatical behavior (The prince {turned/??changed/*transformed} red). The introductory chapters review research on verb classification and argument realization, revealing that cognitive and usage-based theories such as Frame Semantics, Construction Grammar, and Valency Grammar are most useful for addressing the three major goals of the dissertation. The first goal is to account for both regularity and differences in verb classes. After assessing the precise meanings and valency behavior of individual Change verbs, I develop a method for formulating verb classes and lexical entries at various levels of granularity to account for both shared and unpredictable behavior of individual verbs. The next major goal is to determine whether verb classes exhibit similar meanings and constructional behavior across languages, which I address by comparing the semantics and valency constructions found for English Change verbs with those of German Change verbs. Finally, I compare the Change verb analysis to a similar analysis of Theft verbs in order to determine whether the semantic domain and relative semantic richness of verb classes influences the degree of language-specific and cross-linguistic uniformity of verb classes.Item A frame-semantic analysis of five English verbs evoking the Theft frame(2011-05) Dux, Ryan Joseph; Boas, Hans Christian, 1971-; Pierce, MarcAn important problem in lexical semantics is the explanation of how verbal meaning interacts with the syntactic realization of arguments. Levin (1993) recognizes the relation between syntax and semantics in her classification of English verbs, in which similar syntactic behavior among verbs is assumed to reflect shared meaning components. However, her classes do not accurately predict the verbs’ semantic and syntactic properties. Other researchers (Taylor 1996, Boas 2008) argue for the inclusion of detailed encyclopedic meaning in explanations of syntactic behavior. Frame Semantics provides the necessary tools for fine-grained analyses of the syntax-semantics interface because it offers a rigorous method for the description of meaning and documents syntactic information about argument realization from corpus data. This report uses concepts from Frame Semantics and data from its practical application, FrameNet (http://framenet.icsi.berkeley.edu), to assess the importance of fine-grained verbal meaning for argument realization by comparing the verbs embezzle, pilfer, shoplift, snatch and steal. Each verb construes the general semantics of the Theft frame differently, emphasizing or specifying individual participants in the event (frame elements). They also exhibit subtle differences in whether and how these frame elements are syntactically realized. In linking their syntax to their semantics, I show that the verbs’ syntactic distribution may be influenced by aspects of meaning such as their degree of descriptivity, the detailed specification of certain frame elements, and their occurrence as LUs in different frames.Item A frame-semantic approach to selectional restrictions in German support verb constructions : the case of [in X geraten](2011-12) Halder, Guido Frank; Boas, Hans Christian, 1971-; Beavers, John; Wechsler, Stephen; Pierce, Marc; Abrams, Zsuzsanna; Straubhaar, SandraSupport verb constructions (henceforth: SVCs) are constructions consisting of a verb with a reduced meaning (when compared to the full verb) and a noun. Previous analyses (e.g. von Polenz 1963, Winhart 2002) provide a detailed account of the function of the verb in SVCs. However, neither of the two approaches fully explains why certain verb-noun combinations are unacceptable. Geraten ('to get into') can combine with Brand ('fire') in but not with Feuer ('fire') even though the two nouns are synonyms. This dissertation proposes a novel approach towards identifying selectional restrictions in German support verb constructions by applying insights from Frame Semantics (Fillmore 1985) and Construction Grammar. It differs from syntactic-centric and lexical-conceptual structure approaches in that frame-semantic information is shown to directly influence a verb's and a noun's ability to combine with each other. I argue that the nominalization Feuer cannot combine with the support verb because the frame- semantic information evoked by Feuer is incompatible with the frame semantics of geraten. Thus, either the verb and/or the noun blocks the formation of a support verb construction. My analysis demonstrates that in order for the support verb and the noun to be able to combine, their frame-semantic information needs to be compatible. However, in some circumstances SVCs need to be listed as idioms in the lexicon because there do not seem to be any compositional restrictions that allow geraten to combine with Brand ('fire'), but not Feuer ('fire'). Based on a corpus of more than 1000 SVCs with geraten, I show that there are different patterns of productivity and idomaticity. Some SVCs, such as ins Rollen geraten ('to start rolling'), allow widespread replacement of the noun with near-synonyms. Other SVCs, such as in Brand geraten ('starting to burn'), do not allow such replacement. In this view, both the abstract meaning of an SVC (e.g., in X geraten 'to get into X') and item-specific knowledge needs to be captured to be able to account for the full range of SVCs headed by geraten. Therefore, I posit a new construction that captures all the meanings expressed by SVCs with geraten.Item Semantic role alignment in metaphor : a frame semantic approach to metaphoric meaning(2015-05) Gemmell, Maggie Sue; Boas, Hans Christian, 1971-; Pierce, Marc; Urlaub, Per; Beavers, John; Streeck, JürgenMetaphor occurs when a word or phrase is used in a way that conflicts with its usual (literal) meaning, so that part of its meaning is applied to a different semantic domain. For example, time is construed as money in “This gadget will save you hours” (Lakoff and Johnson 1980). There is a link between the concepts time and money that underlies many expressions in English; this is therefore considered a conceptual metaphor. Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) has dominated metaphor research since Lakoff and Johnson (1980), but researchers (e.g. Croft 2009, Sullivan 2013) are turning to other cognitive linguistic theories such as Frame Semantics (Fillmore 1982) and Cognitive Grammar (Langacker 1987) to rectify the problems inherent in that approach. CMT does not provide tools for systematically defining metaphoric concepts and their components, which prevents the analysis of metaphor’s internal meaning. It views metaphor as a superimposition of meaning from one domain (e.g. money above) onto another (e.g. time). Corpus data has improved metaphor research methods, but sounder methodology is needed to choose which metaphors to study. This dissertation takes a novel approach to metaphor in that the data are taken from a semantically annotated corpus where their semantic domains are already assigned. The main dataset is comprised of a naturally occurring group of related metaphors that construe awareness as perception. Using the notion of frame from Frame Semantics (Fillmore 1982) as implemented in the lexicographic database FrameNet (Atkins et al. 2003) to define semantic domains and their internal components (frame elements; similar to semantic roles), this dissertation analyzes metaphors from the frame-semantically annotated database of German, SALSA (Burchardt et al. 2006, 2009), to investigate how meaning elements (semantic roles) from the metaphor’s two semantic domains align. I show that semantic roles align consistently, although not every semantic role has a counterpart in the other domain. I argue that the use of semantic and syntactic information that is associated with one domain but not the other allows emergent meaning to be created in metaphor. The analysis supports the view of metaphor as a blended space, independent of either semantic domain, as described by Fauconnier and Turner (2002).Item Twist in the list : frame semantics as vocabulary teaching and learning tool(2011-05) Atzler, Judith Kerstin; Abrams, Zsuzsanna; Blyth, Carl; Boas, Hans C.; Urlaub, Per; Hess, PeterThe purpose of this study, which is grounded in applied linguistics, was to investigate two ways of presenting vocabulary in a German language class in order to determine whether Frame Semantics is a feasible tool with regards to students’ vocabulary acquisition and culturally appropriate usage of vocabulary. In addition, this study examined learners’ attitudes toward the new method of vocabulary teaching and learning. A total of 34 university students enrolled in four second-semester German classes participated in this study. In the Control Group rote memorization techniques were used, while the in the Treatment Group frame semantics was utilized for the teaching and learning of vocabulary. The data was analyzed through quantitative methods. The quantitative data was derived from an online demographic survey, a vocabulary pre-test, two vocabulary post-tests (an immediate post-test and delayed post-test), a cultural appropriateness pre-test, two cultural appropriateness post-tests (an immediate post-test and delayed post-test), as well as an pre-test and post-test attitude scale provided as an online questionnaire. Analysis of the data indicates that there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups with regards to their cultural appropriate usage of the vocabulary items, and no statistically significant differences were observed with regards to vocabulary recall and retention. In addition, only the factor of enjoyment yielded significant differences with regards to learners’ attitude, while the factors of motivation, interest and confidence did not show statistically significant differences between the groups. Thus, the results indicate that both methods – Frame Semantics and the more traditional methods – are suitable for vocabulary learning and teaching as both methods resulted in an increase of learners’ vocabulary knowledge, including long-term retention.