Linking Syntactic and Semantic Arguments in a Dependency-based Formalism

We propose a formal characterization of variation in the syntactic realization of semantic arguments, using hierarchies of syntactic relations and thematic roles, and a mechanism of lexical inheritance to obtain valency frames from individual linking types. We embed the formalization in the new lexicalized, dependency-based grammar formalism of Topological Dependency Grammar (TDG) (Duchier and Debusmann, 2001). We account for arguments that can be alternatively realized as a NP or a PP, and model thematic role alternations. We also treat auxiliary constructions, where the correspondance between syntactic and semantic argumenthood is indirect.1

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2002
• Where: COLING
• Authors: Christian Korthals, Ralph Debusmann
• Keywords: COLING 2002, COLING 2008, Dependency-based Grammar Formalism, Syntactic Realization, Thematic Role