Polysemy and coercion – A frame-based approach using LTAG and hybrid logic

Abstract

In this article, we propose an analysis of polysemy and coercion phenomena using a syntax-semantics interface which combines Lexicalized Tree Adjoining Grammar with frame semantics and Hybrid Logic.We show that this framework allows a straightforward and explicit description of selectional mechanisms as well as coercion processes. We illustrate our approach by applying it to examples discussed in Generative Lexicon Theory [23,25]. This includes the modeling of dot objects and associated coercion phenomena in our framework, as well as cases of functional coercion triggered by transitive verbs and adjectives.