Download Modifiers, Adverbs - Introduction to Formal Semantics - Lecture Slides and more Slides Formal Semantics in PDF only on Docsity! Last Time – Last time... actually two lectures ago... • Modifiers • Adjectives – Intersective model (see also Homework 3) • view predicates as representing sets • (1) Ossie is a bird ossie ∈ {..set of all birds..} • (2) Ossie is tall ossie ∈ {..set of all tall things..} • (3) Ossie is a tall bird – ossie ∈ {..set of all birds..} ∩ {..set of all tall things..} set membership set intersection docsity.com Last Time • Adjectives – Problems with the intersective model • not every adjective falls neatly into this framework • Ossie ∈ {..set of all birds..} ∩ {..set of all tall things..} • “tall bird” perhaps more precisely means “tall for a bird” • Ossie is a bird & Ossie is taller_than bird average • cf. Ossie is a dead bird • Ossie ∈ {..set of all birds..} ∩ {..set of all dead things..} • cf. former teacher • does “former” have an intersective interpretation? docsity.com Modifiers • 4.4 Adverbs – example: (subject oriented) • (8a) John intentionally met Mary • event(e,meeting), participant(e,john), participant(e,mary), intentional(e). • more correctly? • event(e,meeting), participant(e,john), participant(e,mary), intended/caused(e,john). docsity.com Modifiers • 4.4 Adverbs – example: (object oriented) • (8b) John chopped the onion finely • event(e,chopping), agent(e,john), patient(e,onion), fine(e). • resultative interpretation • event(e,chopping), agent(e,john), patient(e,onion), transformed(e,onion,pieces), fine(pieces). docsity.com Modifiers • Another example (not in handout): – John hammered the nail – John hammered the nail nude – John hammered the nail flat – ?John hammered the nail flat nude – *John hammered the nail nude flat how would you express the conjunction of these two statements? docsity.com Modifiers • 4.4 Adverbs – example: (speaker oriented) • (8c) Surprisingly, John cried • event(e,crying), agent(e,john), surprising(e,speaker). docsity.com Modifiers • 4.4.2 Adverbs without events – view them as properties of individuals – earlier example: • (6) Shelby barked loudly • Phrase Set-theoretic view • bark {..individuals who bark..} • bark loudly subset of {..individuals who bark..} “barkers” loud implementation idea: loudly could be a function that maps a property onto another property docsity.com Modifiers • 4.4.2 Adverbs without events – view them as relation mappers – earlier example: • (8b) John chopped the onions finely • Phrase Relational view • chop chop(X,Y). • finely takes a relation, picks out its 2nd argument, • adds result: (2nd argument) is in fine pieces • chop(X,Y). • ➨ • chop(X,Y), become(Y,fine_pieces). docsity.com
