scholarly journals The substance of the lexicon in a Generative Lexicon

2018 ◽  
pp. 201-224
Author(s):  
Christian Bassac
Keyword(s):  
Generative Lexicon

The Emptiness of the Lexicon: Reflections on James Pustejovsky's The Generative Lexicon

1998 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 269-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry A. Fodor ◽  
Ernie Lepore
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Meaning ◽  
Generative Lexicon

We consider Pustejovsky's account of the semantic lexicon. We discuss and reject his argument that the complexity of lexical entries is required to account for lexical generativity. Finally, we defend a sort of lexical atomism: though, strictly speaking, we concede that lexical entries are typically complex, still we claim that their complexity does not jeopardize either the thesis that lexical meaning is atomistic or the identification of lexical meaning with denotation.

The Generative Lexicon

Language ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 597
Author(s):  
Christiane Fellbaum ◽  
James Pustejovsky
Keyword(s):  
Generative Lexicon

scholarly journals When 'stay' and 'become' are the same verb: the case of 'ficar'

1999 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 227-255
Author(s):  
Cristina Schmitt
Keyword(s):  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Generative Lexicon

In this paper I investigate the properties of the copula-like verb 'ficar' in Brazilian Portuguese using Pustejovsky's generative lexicon (GL). The verb 'ficar' can be translated as 'stay' or 'become', depending on its complement. With locatives, only the STAY reading is possible. With adjectival complements, both BECOME and STAY readings are possible. I propose that 'ficar' takes an eventuality as its complement and I argue that there is no need to create multiple lexical entries for it, since the readings are the result of the possible combinations between the transition denoted by 'ficar' and the properties of the stative complements. I argue that the BECOME reading with adjectival predicates is the result of combining part of the qualia of the adjectival predicate with the TRANSITION of 'ficar'. The STAY readings of 'ficar'+adjective are the result of shadowing the transition. In the case of 'ficar'+locative, the BECOME reading is unavailable. Departing from the hypothesis that subevents have to be linked to arguments in order to be able to be modified by certain types of modifiers or be selected by certain types of heads, I argue that the transition, in the case of locative complements, is not associated to any argument because nothing in the qualia of the locative complement is compatible with a transition, given that there is not motion component in either 'ficar' or the locative. Unlinked to any argument, the TRANSITION can only be part of the 'constant' meaning of the verb, which explains why it is not available for modification.  

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