The Generative Lexicon (Language, Speech, and Communication) by James Pustejovsky

by James Pustejovsky

The Generative Lexicon presents a novel and exciting theory of lexical semantics that addresses the problem of the "multiplicity of word meaning"; that is, how we are able to give an infinite number of senses to words with finite means. The first formally elaborated theory of a generative approach to word meaning, it lays the foundation for an implemented computational treatment of word meaning that connects explicitly to a compositional semantics.

Genres: Linguistics, Nonfiction, Language

Paperback Bunko

First published October 23, 1995

Reviews

[Tarik Lahyany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The interesting thing about this book, for me, is how 'systematic polysemy' can be handled and quite clear establishing its boundaries from 'syncretic polysemy' born out in the domain of voice syntax.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a refreshing taste of lexical semantics after a hot dry spell of orthodox truth-conditional semantics. And that's even when some of the claims about meaning in here seem a little off the mark. For example, each lexical entry (for a word like "letter"--the kind you send in the mail) is a complex, four-level structure that goes far beyond just the normal semantic type and selectional restrictions. In addition to semantic type, it includes event structure, qualia structure (which is where things like the semantic markers in Katz's theories appear), and some transformation rules. So, "letter" includes, in its qualia structure, among other things, a TELIC role that letters play. That is, the meaning of "letter" includes what letters are for. Pustejovsky says letters are for reading.

But maybe I send you letters with the understanding that you will burn them. Or maybe someone sends a letter covered in poison, where it's telos is to make someone ill. That kind of concern recurs whenever specific claims about the meaning of terms are made. Is the telos of a door "walk_through" (as it is put in the formalism of the theory)? When these meanings are composed, they produce different meanings for expressions like "open the door" and "open the letter", but the tendentiousness of the telos of "door" is reproduced in the composed phrase. So part of the meaning of "open the door" is that the door is opened so that it can be walked through. But in Oxford colleges, there are little doors, meant to be walked through, embedded in gigantic doors that when opened, allow cars to pass through. Does that mean that the meaning of "open the door" is different for the car-sized door? I'm not sure.

But the overall approach is fruitful and pretty exciting. It gives some substance to the idea that a lot of people have that when you start sticking words together, their meaning changes, but it does so while preserving compositionality. It also contains a very useful discussion of kinds of ambiguity and polysemy.

[Aisyah Safitri · Rating 5 out of 5]

i want to read this book for mas Thesis