Within the field of Cognitive Linguistics, Goldberg's (1995) approach to Cons-truction Gramma... more Within the field of Cognitive Linguistics, Goldberg's (1995) approach to Cons-truction Grammar offers a detailed analysis on the semantic constraints that affect the caused-motion construction. The present paper aims to revise one specific constraint which Goldberg tentatively states as follows: «if the action denoted by the verb implies an effect other than motion, then a path of motion cannot be specified» (1995:170). In doing so, we will study the behavior of some «contact-by-impact» verbs (i.e., slap, smack, whack, knock and hit) making use of the analytical tools provided by the Lexi-cal-Constructional Model (LCM), developed by Ruiz de Mendoza and Mairal (2007). KEY WORDS: caused-motion construction, Lexical-Constructional Model (LCM), se-mantic constraints, lexical-constructional subsumption, contact-by-impact verbs. RESUMEN En el campo de la Lingüística Cognitiva, Goldberg (1995), en su acercamiento a la Gramática de Construcciones ofrece un análisis detallado de las rest...
Resumen Desde hace algunos años, FunGramKB (Periñán Pascual y Arcas Túnez, 2004, 2005, 2007a, 200... more Resumen Desde hace algunos años, FunGramKB (Periñán Pascual y Arcas Túnez, 2004, 2005, 2007a, 2007b, 2010a, 2010b, y este volumen; Mairal Usón y Periñán Pascual, 2009a, 2009b, 2010; Periñán Pascual y Mairal Usón, 2009, 2010; Jiménez Briones y Luzondo ...
This paper aims to revisit what is arguably one of the most creative argument structure construct... more This paper aims to revisit what is arguably one of the most creative argument structure constructions, namely the 'way' construction in an attempt to shed light on whether Goldberg's (1995) constraints on lexical-constructional fusion are valid to account for the behavior of such a configuration. By providing the reader with novel, less prototypical, examples extracted from various corpora, mainly Google Books, we will point out some of the aspects which we believe to be responsible for the shortcomings in Goldberg's analysis; for example, the idea that the path must be necessarily filled with obstacles, the nature of motion, the distinction between a means and a manner interpretation, and the metonymic operation licensing/motivating such interpretations, among others. RESUMEN. Este artículo tiene como objetivo retomar probablemente una de las más creativas construcciones argumentales, a saber la 'construcción de camino', en un intento de arrojar luz sobre el hecho de si la propuesta de restrictores de Goldberg (1995) a la fusión lexico-construccional es válida a la hora de dar cuenta del compor-tamiento de dicha construcción. Proporcionando al lector ejemplos nuevos y menos pro-totípicos extraídos de diversos corpus, especialmente de Google Books, señalaremos algunos aspectos que desde nuestro punto de vista son responsables de la insuficiencia explicativa del análisis de Goldberg: la idea de que el camino debe necesariamente pre-suponer la existencia de obstáculos, la naturaleza del movimiento, la distinción entre la interpretación de modo y manera, la operación metonímica que licencia y/o motiva dichas interpretaciones, etc. PALABRAS CLAVE. Gramática de Construcciones, construcción de camino, restrictores semánticos.
Drawing on the assumptions made in Construction Grammar(s), the present proposal addresses the de... more Drawing on the assumptions made in Construction Grammar(s), the present proposal addresses the debate between formulating broad-scale generalizations of the type postulated by Goldberg (1995) or finer-grained analyses, heavily based on lexical-class identification, as those put forward by Boas (2010, 2011), who claims that Goldberg's account leads to the over-generation of ungrammatical examples. The position taken here is that, although Goldberg's theory has largely overlooked the role of verb meaning(s), generalizations in the form of constraints are still necessary to build a fully principled account of lexical-constructional fusion. Taking the family of resultative constructions as a case study, I employ the analytical tools (i.e. the apparatus of so-called internal and external constraints on constructional integration) developed by the Lexical Constructional Model in order to show that a fine-nuanced description can go hand in hand with the postulation of macro-generalizations.
This paper provides formalized, machine-tractable representations of two broad kinds of construct... more This paper provides formalized, machine-tractable representations of two broad kinds of constructional configuration, argument-structure and implicational constructions, on the basis of previous linguistic analyses. It discusses computational implementation requirements on constructional description. In this respect, the paper argues that the Goldbergian approach (cf. Goldberg, 2006) provides the best fit for the implementation of implicational constructions, while a " mini-constructionist " account (cf. Boas, 2014) is suitable for argument-structure constructions. Because of their representativeness, we have chosen to illustrate our discussion by making reference to the family of English resultatives, which are argument-structure constructions, and to the family of Wh-attitudinal constructions, which are implicational. Computational implementation demands that the members of the family of the resultative be split into mini-constructions, while the complexity of implicational configurations requires that different formal variants be grouped together under one single computational representation. The paper further makes explicit proposals for the machine tractability of lexical-constructional integration and of meaning implications that have reached constructional status through entrenchment, two problems that remain unsolved within standard computational approaches to language processing.
Framed within the world of Artificial Intelligence, and more precisely within the project FunGram... more Framed within the world of Artificial Intelligence, and more precisely within the project FunGramKB, i.e. a user-friendly environment for the semiau-tomatic construction of a multipurpose lexico-conceptual knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems, the aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we shall provide a necessarily non-exhaustive theoretical discussion of FunGramKB in which we will introduce the main elements that make up its Ontology (i.e. Thematic Frames, Meaning Postulates, different types of concepts, etc.). Secondly, we will describe the meticulous process carried out by knowledge engineers when populating this conceptually-driven Ontology. In doing so, we shall examine various examples belonging to the domain of 'change' or #TRANSFORMATION (in the COREL notation), in an attempt to show how conceptual knowledge can be modeled in for Artificial Intelligence purposes.
This chapter presents a comparison between FunGramKB, a multipurpose lexico-conceptual base for N... more This chapter presents a comparison between FunGramKB, a multipurpose lexico-conceptual base for Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems, and FrameNet, a lexical resource for English whose objective is to document the range of semantic and syntactic combinatory possibilities of each sense of a word. After providing the reader with an overview of the two resources under scrutiny, we address their similarities and differences by focusing on the following issues: (1) methodology; (2) information at the lexical and conceptual levels; (3) relations between frames and concepts; (4) information management; and (5) multilingualism. To illustrate this comparison, we analyze how the verb dry is represented in each project.
This paper investigates the role played by motion in the conceptualization of result in the Engl... more This paper investigates the role played by motion in the conceptualization of result in the English resultative and caused-motion constructions. We argue that there is a strong preference for the fi gurative use of caused motion to express a state change when the aff ected entity experiences a complete transformation. However, if the aff ected entity acquires a new property but retains its essence, an adjectival phrase is preferred. Another category encompasses fi guratively exploited resultatives that formally employ the caused-motion construction, but semantically do not codify the same kind of change. The paper also discusses the motivating role of the metaphor A CHANGE OF STATE IS A CHANGE OF LOCATION to express result, and proposes the additional activity of other high-level metaphors and metonymies.
Within the scenario of Construction Grammar approaches to linguistic explanation, the present pap... more Within the scenario of Construction Grammar approaches to linguistic explanation, the present paper aims to study one specific construction, namely the resultative pattern, which Goldberg (1995) characterizes as 'x causes y to become z'. In doing so, we will make use of the analytical and explanatory tools developed by the Lexical Constructional Model (LCM), as propounded by Ruiz de Mendoza and Mairal (2008) and Mairal and Ruiz de Mendoza (2008, 2009). After a brief discussion of Goldberg's work on lexical-constructional fusion, here considered not to be fine-grained enough, we will examine a number of examples and propose two basic schemas underlying resultative/caused-motion constructions, namely A > B, in which the object is perceived as undergoing a transcendent change (e.g. The magician turned the frog into a prince), and A > A', in which the object either changes a property or acquires a new one but does not suffer a substantial change of state (e.g. The case just broke itself open).
This paper contributes to the field of computational Construction Grammar (cf. Steels, 2012; van ... more This paper contributes to the field of computational Construction Grammar (cf. Steels, 2012; van Trijp, 2011) by providing a linguistically-oriented formalized treatment of argument structure constructions within the architecture of a multipurpose lexico-conceptual knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems known as FunGramKB (Periñán, 2013). More concretely, we analyze three members of the family of the English resultative, namely, the resultative (e.g. He hammered the metal flat/into a flat sheet), the caused-motion construction (e.g. He shoved the canoe into the water) and the way construction (e.g. He fought his way free/to freedom), paying special attention to lexical-constructional integration variability. Thus, the present article offers a description of the format of constructional schemata in FunGramKB as machine-tractable representations of constructions and proposes a ‘splitting-like’ solution (à la Boas, 2003) to handle the mismatches resulting from lexical-constructional fusion. We finally argue that, in the case of FunGramKB, a feasible computational implementation must be based on constructional subtypes rather than on broad-scale constructions of the Goldbergian kind.
Within the field of Cognitive Linguistics, Goldberg's (1995) approach to Cons-truction Gramma... more Within the field of Cognitive Linguistics, Goldberg's (1995) approach to Cons-truction Grammar offers a detailed analysis on the semantic constraints that affect the caused-motion construction. The present paper aims to revise one specific constraint which Goldberg tentatively states as follows: «if the action denoted by the verb implies an effect other than motion, then a path of motion cannot be specified» (1995:170). In doing so, we will study the behavior of some «contact-by-impact» verbs (i.e., slap, smack, whack, knock and hit) making use of the analytical tools provided by the Lexi-cal-Constructional Model (LCM), developed by Ruiz de Mendoza and Mairal (2007). KEY WORDS: caused-motion construction, Lexical-Constructional Model (LCM), se-mantic constraints, lexical-constructional subsumption, contact-by-impact verbs. RESUMEN En el campo de la Lingüística Cognitiva, Goldberg (1995), en su acercamiento a la Gramática de Construcciones ofrece un análisis detallado de las rest...
Resumen Desde hace algunos años, FunGramKB (Periñán Pascual y Arcas Túnez, 2004, 2005, 2007a, 200... more Resumen Desde hace algunos años, FunGramKB (Periñán Pascual y Arcas Túnez, 2004, 2005, 2007a, 2007b, 2010a, 2010b, y este volumen; Mairal Usón y Periñán Pascual, 2009a, 2009b, 2010; Periñán Pascual y Mairal Usón, 2009, 2010; Jiménez Briones y Luzondo ...
This paper aims to revisit what is arguably one of the most creative argument structure construct... more This paper aims to revisit what is arguably one of the most creative argument structure constructions, namely the 'way' construction in an attempt to shed light on whether Goldberg's (1995) constraints on lexical-constructional fusion are valid to account for the behavior of such a configuration. By providing the reader with novel, less prototypical, examples extracted from various corpora, mainly Google Books, we will point out some of the aspects which we believe to be responsible for the shortcomings in Goldberg's analysis; for example, the idea that the path must be necessarily filled with obstacles, the nature of motion, the distinction between a means and a manner interpretation, and the metonymic operation licensing/motivating such interpretations, among others. RESUMEN. Este artículo tiene como objetivo retomar probablemente una de las más creativas construcciones argumentales, a saber la 'construcción de camino', en un intento de arrojar luz sobre el hecho de si la propuesta de restrictores de Goldberg (1995) a la fusión lexico-construccional es válida a la hora de dar cuenta del compor-tamiento de dicha construcción. Proporcionando al lector ejemplos nuevos y menos pro-totípicos extraídos de diversos corpus, especialmente de Google Books, señalaremos algunos aspectos que desde nuestro punto de vista son responsables de la insuficiencia explicativa del análisis de Goldberg: la idea de que el camino debe necesariamente pre-suponer la existencia de obstáculos, la naturaleza del movimiento, la distinción entre la interpretación de modo y manera, la operación metonímica que licencia y/o motiva dichas interpretaciones, etc. PALABRAS CLAVE. Gramática de Construcciones, construcción de camino, restrictores semánticos.
Drawing on the assumptions made in Construction Grammar(s), the present proposal addresses the de... more Drawing on the assumptions made in Construction Grammar(s), the present proposal addresses the debate between formulating broad-scale generalizations of the type postulated by Goldberg (1995) or finer-grained analyses, heavily based on lexical-class identification, as those put forward by Boas (2010, 2011), who claims that Goldberg's account leads to the over-generation of ungrammatical examples. The position taken here is that, although Goldberg's theory has largely overlooked the role of verb meaning(s), generalizations in the form of constraints are still necessary to build a fully principled account of lexical-constructional fusion. Taking the family of resultative constructions as a case study, I employ the analytical tools (i.e. the apparatus of so-called internal and external constraints on constructional integration) developed by the Lexical Constructional Model in order to show that a fine-nuanced description can go hand in hand with the postulation of macro-generalizations.
This paper provides formalized, machine-tractable representations of two broad kinds of construct... more This paper provides formalized, machine-tractable representations of two broad kinds of constructional configuration, argument-structure and implicational constructions, on the basis of previous linguistic analyses. It discusses computational implementation requirements on constructional description. In this respect, the paper argues that the Goldbergian approach (cf. Goldberg, 2006) provides the best fit for the implementation of implicational constructions, while a " mini-constructionist " account (cf. Boas, 2014) is suitable for argument-structure constructions. Because of their representativeness, we have chosen to illustrate our discussion by making reference to the family of English resultatives, which are argument-structure constructions, and to the family of Wh-attitudinal constructions, which are implicational. Computational implementation demands that the members of the family of the resultative be split into mini-constructions, while the complexity of implicational configurations requires that different formal variants be grouped together under one single computational representation. The paper further makes explicit proposals for the machine tractability of lexical-constructional integration and of meaning implications that have reached constructional status through entrenchment, two problems that remain unsolved within standard computational approaches to language processing.
Framed within the world of Artificial Intelligence, and more precisely within the project FunGram... more Framed within the world of Artificial Intelligence, and more precisely within the project FunGramKB, i.e. a user-friendly environment for the semiau-tomatic construction of a multipurpose lexico-conceptual knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems, the aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we shall provide a necessarily non-exhaustive theoretical discussion of FunGramKB in which we will introduce the main elements that make up its Ontology (i.e. Thematic Frames, Meaning Postulates, different types of concepts, etc.). Secondly, we will describe the meticulous process carried out by knowledge engineers when populating this conceptually-driven Ontology. In doing so, we shall examine various examples belonging to the domain of 'change' or #TRANSFORMATION (in the COREL notation), in an attempt to show how conceptual knowledge can be modeled in for Artificial Intelligence purposes.
This chapter presents a comparison between FunGramKB, a multipurpose lexico-conceptual base for N... more This chapter presents a comparison between FunGramKB, a multipurpose lexico-conceptual base for Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems, and FrameNet, a lexical resource for English whose objective is to document the range of semantic and syntactic combinatory possibilities of each sense of a word. After providing the reader with an overview of the two resources under scrutiny, we address their similarities and differences by focusing on the following issues: (1) methodology; (2) information at the lexical and conceptual levels; (3) relations between frames and concepts; (4) information management; and (5) multilingualism. To illustrate this comparison, we analyze how the verb dry is represented in each project.
This paper investigates the role played by motion in the conceptualization of result in the Engl... more This paper investigates the role played by motion in the conceptualization of result in the English resultative and caused-motion constructions. We argue that there is a strong preference for the fi gurative use of caused motion to express a state change when the aff ected entity experiences a complete transformation. However, if the aff ected entity acquires a new property but retains its essence, an adjectival phrase is preferred. Another category encompasses fi guratively exploited resultatives that formally employ the caused-motion construction, but semantically do not codify the same kind of change. The paper also discusses the motivating role of the metaphor A CHANGE OF STATE IS A CHANGE OF LOCATION to express result, and proposes the additional activity of other high-level metaphors and metonymies.
Within the scenario of Construction Grammar approaches to linguistic explanation, the present pap... more Within the scenario of Construction Grammar approaches to linguistic explanation, the present paper aims to study one specific construction, namely the resultative pattern, which Goldberg (1995) characterizes as 'x causes y to become z'. In doing so, we will make use of the analytical and explanatory tools developed by the Lexical Constructional Model (LCM), as propounded by Ruiz de Mendoza and Mairal (2008) and Mairal and Ruiz de Mendoza (2008, 2009). After a brief discussion of Goldberg's work on lexical-constructional fusion, here considered not to be fine-grained enough, we will examine a number of examples and propose two basic schemas underlying resultative/caused-motion constructions, namely A > B, in which the object is perceived as undergoing a transcendent change (e.g. The magician turned the frog into a prince), and A > A', in which the object either changes a property or acquires a new one but does not suffer a substantial change of state (e.g. The case just broke itself open).
This paper contributes to the field of computational Construction Grammar (cf. Steels, 2012; van ... more This paper contributes to the field of computational Construction Grammar (cf. Steels, 2012; van Trijp, 2011) by providing a linguistically-oriented formalized treatment of argument structure constructions within the architecture of a multipurpose lexico-conceptual knowledge base for Natural Language Processing systems known as FunGramKB (Periñán, 2013). More concretely, we analyze three members of the family of the English resultative, namely, the resultative (e.g. He hammered the metal flat/into a flat sheet), the caused-motion construction (e.g. He shoved the canoe into the water) and the way construction (e.g. He fought his way free/to freedom), paying special attention to lexical-constructional integration variability. Thus, the present article offers a description of the format of constructional schemata in FunGramKB as machine-tractable representations of constructions and proposes a ‘splitting-like’ solution (à la Boas, 2003) to handle the mismatches resulting from lexical-constructional fusion. We finally argue that, in the case of FunGramKB, a feasible computational implementation must be based on constructional subtypes rather than on broad-scale constructions of the Goldbergian kind.
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