Fig. 3: Syntactic alternations of the predicates of change

Fig. 5: Complex lexical entry

 

Starting from the idea that certain verbs present a similar behavior in determined linguistic levels (semantics, syntax and argument structure), certain feature structures have been defined with the aim of accounting for all the information that is shared and therefore susceptible of being generalized.

 

In the first of these levels, two types of information are observed, the meaning components and the event structure; in the syntax we have created patterns for the alternation of diatheses as well as for different subcategorization possibilities; lastly, we have also proposed different grouping possibilities according to the argument structure.

 

Next, we will present with greater detail the modules relevant for this work. Regarding SINTAX (fig. 6), this element holds the elements subcategorized by the verb and the diverse syntactic realizations in which this verb participates. The former information is expressed as the value for the descriptor SUBCAT, that has been defined as the recursive list where the basic element is COMPL.

 

Each COMPL is defined as being formed by two components: CAT and SEMREF. In CAT the syntactic category of the complement is indicated (NP, PP, ...) and only argument complements are included. On the other hand, the value SEMFEF belongs to an ontological type (animated, object, ...) that has an index assigned that relates it with an element of the argument structure.

 

DIAT consists of four elements that make reference to the four basic oppositions of a semantic nature around which the different syntactic realizations (diatheses alternations) are organized. Each one of these oppositions is defined in terms of four features. The first one of these features, DIAVAL, is a boolean that indicates the participation of the verb in that particular opposition.

 

 

Fig. 6: The SINTAX module

 

The other three, D-LEX, D-SINT and D-MORF, are used to activate or to block the application of the lexical rules that generate the alternations of diatheses. This information is fundamental for the generation of the output in the target language from the data contained in FORLOG.

 

The module SEM (fig.7) contains the information about the argument structure (EST-ARGUM). It serves as a bridge between the syntax and the semantics. The latter is expressed in terms of the meaning components (COMP-SIGNIFICADO), among which we have differentiated between those that appear syntactically and those that do not. In this last group we refer to both those that are understood and those that are incorporated.

 

As far as event structure (EE) is concerned, two types of predetermined structures are defined, the simple and the complex. Each one of them also presents different subtypes. In the case of complex event structures, the relation established among the diverse events that conform it is expressed through the feature RESTR, (three relations of this type have been established so far: precedence, parallelism and overlapping). Finally, with the feature HEAD we mark the event focussed on that particular structure.

 

 

Fig. 7: The SEM module

 

A. En cinco años BancoSol se ha convertido en un banco comercial especializado en microfinanza.

B. In five years BancoSol itself has converted into a bank commercial specialized in microfinance.

C. In five years BancoSol has transformed itself into a commercial bank which specializes in microfinance.

 

 

 

La finalidad del programa (bautizado PRODEM) era ofrecer a los trabajadores independientes más desfavorecidos posibilidades de crédito y de formación para ampliar sus perspectivas de empleo, alentar las inversiones en las microempresas y aumentar la rentabilidad del sector.

 

The interlingua representation that we propose for this sentence is obtained from the information contained in the modules of the lexical entry:

 

P[ser(e1,x,Q)

and Q[ofrecer(e2,y,z,w,R)]

and R[(ampliar(e3,z,v)) and (alentar(e4,z,t))and (aumentar,e5,z,u))]]

 

 

The instantiation of the variables with the information from the text would be carried out in the following terms:

 

sentence1[ser(estado,la_finalidad,oración2)

and sentence2[ofrecer(evento-simple, posiblidades_de crédito_y_formación, el_programa, a_los_trabajadores(...), oración3)]

and sentence3[(ampliar(evento-complex, posibilidades_de_crédito_y_formación, sus_perspectivas_de_empleo)

and (alentar, posibilidades_de_crédito_y_formación, las_inversiones)

and (aumentar, posibilidades_de_crédito_y_formación, la rentabilidad)]].

 

The aim of the program (named PRODEM) was to offer the most disadvantaged independent workers the possibility of credit and of training to broaden their perspectives of employment, to encourage investment in microenterprises and to increase the profitability of the sector.

 

La finalitat del programa (batejat PRODEM) era oferir als treballadors independents més desfavorits possibilitats de crèdit i de formació per tal d'ampliar llurs perspectives de treball, encoratjar les inversions a les microempreses i augmentar la rendibilitat del sector.

 

[Copestake 93]

Copestake, A. (1993) The compleat LKB, Acquilex II Deriverable

 

[Fernández y Martí 98]

Fernández, A. y M. A. Martí (1998) "Alternancias de diátesis: estudio comparativo entre el comportamiento de los verbos en castellano e inglés. Hacia una propuesta de tipología de desajustes verbales" (en preparación).

 

[Pustejovsky 91]

Pustejovsky, J. (1991) 'The syntax of event structure', Cognition págs. 47-81.

 

[Pustejovsky 95]

Pustejovsky, J. (1995) The generative lexicon, The MIT Press, Cambridge MA.

 

[Rosen 96]

Rosen, S.Th. (1996) 'Events and verb classification', Linguistics 34, p. 191-223.

 

[Vendler 67]

Vendler, Z. (1967) Linguistics in Philosophy, Cornell University Press, Ithaca.