Thesis

Piek Th.J.M. Vossen: “GRAMMATICAL AND CONCEPTUAL INDIVIDUATION IN THE LEXICON”

Cover Thesis Vossen

 

 

Promotor: Prof. Dr. Simon Dik (+) followed by Prof. Dr. Lachlan MacKenzie

ISBN: 9789074698153, 1995.

TABLE OF CONTENTS (pp. vii-xix)

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

List of Dictionaries

List of Abbreviations

Feature Structure Syntax

List of Figures and Tables

1. INTRODUCTION (pp. 1-31)

  • 1.1 Individuation in context: 1
  • 1.2 The lexical perspective: 5
  • 1.3 The computational perspective: 8
  • 1.4 The theoretical perspective: 11
    • 1.4.1 Functional Grammar as a pragmatic theory: 11
    • 1.4.2 The lexicon in Functional Grammar: 17
      • 1.4.2.1 Predicate frames: 18
      • 1.4.2.2 Meaning Postulates: 19
    • 1.4.3 Extending the ontological view in FG: 20
  • 1.5 The empirical perspective: 22
  • 1.6 The structure of this thesis: 28

PART I: THEORIES AND MODELS

2. GRAMMATICAL INDIVIDUATION (pp 35-91)

  • 2 Grammatical Individuation: 35
  • 2.1 The representation of terms in FG: 36
    • 2.1.1 The role of the predicates in terms: 36
    • 2.1.2 The role ofoperators in terms: 40
  • 2.2 Grammatical and conceptual ontology: 43
    • 2.2.1 A dual representation for individuation in terms: 47
    • 2.2.2 Diverging grammatical and conceptual individuation: 50
    • 2.2.3 Conceptual multiplicity and inclusion: 54
    • 2.2.4 Notational vagueness: 55
  • 2.3 Grammatical noun classes and lexical representation: 57
    • 2.3.1 FG requirements on lexical representations: 58
    • 2.3.2 Arbitrariness and functionality: 62
    • 2.3.3 Typed Feature Structure Representations for nouns: 65
    • 2.3.4 Comprehensiveness of noun classes: 67
    • 2.3.5 Lexical representations for Set nouns: 69
      • 2.3.5.1 Lexicalized plurals: 73
      • 2.3.5.2 Cluster nouns: 76
    • 2.3.6 Lexical representations for Mass nouns: 79
      • 2,3.6.1 Non-diverse object-denoting mass nouns: 82
      • 2.3.6.2 Plural mass nouns: 82
    • 2.3.7 First overview of noun classes 84
  • 2.4 Grammatical Variants 86
  • 2.5 Conclusions 91

3. A COGNITIVE MODEL OF CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE (pp. 93-120)

  • 3.1 Memory as a component in information processing: 95
  • 3.2 Types of permanently stored knowledge: 98
  • 3.3 The form of conceptual knowledge: 99
  • 3.4 The structure of conceptual knowledge: 102
    • 3.4.1 Levels of abstraction in conceptual knowledge: 103
    • 3.4.2 The internal structure of categories: 106
    • 3.4.3 A combined view of conceptual knowledge: 109
    • 3.4.4 Multiple categories in conceptual knowledge: 113
  • 3.5 The utilization of conceptual knowledge: 115
  • 3.6 An overview ofthe structure ofconceptual knowledge: 117

4. AN ANCHORED RELATIONAL MODEL OF MEANING (pp. 121-156)

  • 4.1 Meaning as a language-internal affair: 121
    • 4.1.1 Establishing semantic relations between words: 123
    • 4.1.2 Lexical correlations: 125
  • 4.2 The lack of a conceptual notion of individuality in relational models: 129
    • 4.2.1 Appropriateness of words in a relational account of meaning: 130
    • 4.2.2 Conceptual individuality in entity clusterings: 133
    • 4.2.3 The infinite differences between natural kind terms: 134
    • 4.2.4 Presuppositions and assertions in a relational model: 136
      • 4.2.4.1 Substitution problems of presuppositions at abstract levels: 138
      • 4.2.4.2 Argument nominalizations and void presup-positions: 139
    • Anchoring semantic relations to conceptual individuality: 143
      • 4.3.1 The explanatory status of semantic relations: 145
      • 4.3.2 Limitations in conceptual dependencies: 147
      • 4.3.3 Cognitive individuality in a relational model of meaning: 151
    • Conclusions

5. LEXICAL MODELS OF INDIVIDUATION (pp. 157-218)

  • 5.1 Conceptual dependencies between entries in the LKB: 157
  • 5.2 Three levels of individuation: 163
  • 5.3 Noun classes of conceptual individuation: 167
    • 5.3.1 Names: 168
    • 5.3.2 Subordinates: 169
    • 5.3.3 Superordinates: 172
    • 5.3.4 Wholes, Components and Groups: 177
    • 5.3.5 Pejoratives and pet names: 184
  • 5.4 Overview of the classes of conceptual individuation: 185
  • 5.5 Prototypicality in noun classes: 191
  • 5.6 Combining grammatical, conceptual and denotational levels: 195
    • 5.6.1 Conceptual and denotational types: 195
    • 5.6.2 Grammatical, conceptual and denotational types: l95
      • 5.6.2.1 Grammatical properties of superordinates: 198
      • 5.6.2.2 Grammatical properties of multiforms: 202
    • 5.7 An overview of individuation classes: 206
    • 5.8 Conclusions: 214

PART II: DICTIONARIES AND DATA

6. SYSTEMATIC ACCESS TO MACHINE READABLE DICTIONARIES (pp 219-258)

  • 6.1 General characterization of the MRDs: 221
  • 6.2 The grammatical information for nouns: 225
  • 6.3 Analysing the defrnitions of MRDs: 232
    • 6.3.1 Parsing dictionary defrnitions: 233
      • 6.3.1.1 The phrase structures in the definitions of LDOCE: 235
      • 6.3.1.2 The performance of the parsers: 239
      • 6.3.1.3 A relational representation of the definition structure: 243
    • 6.3.2 The meanings of the defining words: 249
  • 6.4 Accessing the data: 253
  • 6.5 Conclusions: 257

7. A QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF HIERARCHICAL LEVELS (pp. 269-318)

  • 7.1 Characteristics ofdifferent cognitive levels: 260
  • 7.2 Number of properties: 264
  • 7.3 Wordlength and morphological complexity: 273
  • 7.4 The distribution of words at hierarchical levels: 278
    • 7.4.1 Multiple relations per sense: 279
      • 7.4.1.1 Coordination of genus terms: 281
      • 7.4.1.2 Multiple senses of genus terms: 286
    • 7.4.2 Arbitrariness of tops: 287
    • 7.4.3 Arbitrariness of classifications: 290
  • 7.5 Comparing hierarchies across dictionaries: 293
    • 7.5.1 Differences in the vocabularies of LDOCE and Van Dale: 295
    • 7.5.2 The effects of the controlled vocabulary on levels: 300
    • 7.5.3 Comparing the semantic frelds of substance-denoting nouns: 305
      • 7.5.3.1 Matching “stof in Van Dale with Matching “substance” in LDOCE with “stof” in Van Dale: 305
    • 7.5.4 Explanations for variation: 312
  • 7.6 Conclusions: 315

8. A QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF FREQUENT HEADS (pp. 319-366)

  • 8.1 General properties offrequent head words: 319
  • 8.2 Top levels of higher-order nouns: 322
    • 8.2.1 Diversity of the higher-order fields: 324
    • 8.2.2 Shallowness of the higher-order frelds: 325
    • 8.2.3 Structure of defrnitions and entry words in higher-order fields: 326
  • 8.3 Top levels of concrete nouns and void superordinates: 329
    • 8.3.1 Diversity of void fields: 331
    • 8.3.2 Shallowness of void fields: 332
    • 8.3.3 Definition structure of void fields
    • 8.3.4 The structure of the entry words defined by void heads:336
  • 8.4 Relational nouns at the top level: 341
    • 8.4.1 Diversity of relational fields: 343
    • 8.4.2 The definition structure of relational fields: 345
    • 8.4.3 Tyoe versus class: 352
    • 8.4.4 Quantity versus mass: 354
    • 8.4.5 Element versus multiform: 356
    • 8.4.6 Constituent versus whole: 359
    • 8.4.7 The distribution of non-hyponymy heads: 362
  • 8.5 Conclusions: 364

9. CONCLUSIONS (pp. 367-386)

APPENDIXES AND REFERENCES (pp 387-430)

Appendix I Nouns with plural form and PL code in LDOCE 1978: 387

Appendix II Individuation classes: 391

Appendix III Semantic Codes in LDOCE 1978: 394

Appendix IV Categories ofthe definition parsers: 395

Appendix V Words defined by 15 or more content words in LDOCE: 397

Appendix VI Retrograde list of derivations in LDOCE defined with void heads: 398

Appendix VII Retrograde list of derivations and compounds in Van Dale defined with void heads: 401

References: 405

Index of names: 423

Index of subjects: 425

NEDERLANDSE SAMENVATTING/DUTCH TRANSLATION: 431

STELLINGEN bij de verdediging van het proefschrift op vrijdag 10 maart 1995 om 15.00 uur in de Oude Lutherse Kerk van de Universiteit van Amsterdam