Open AccessFormal foundations for semantic theories of nominalisation
Author(s) -
Fritz Hamm,
Michiel van Lambalgen,
Ewald Lang,
Ilse Zimmermann
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
zas papers in linguistics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1435-9588
DOI - 10.21248/zaspil.27.2002.147
Subject(s) - negation , imperfect , computer science , linguistics , range (aeronautics) , semantic property , natural language processing , artificial intelligence , philosophy , materials science , composite material
This paper develops the formal foundations of semantic theories dealing with various kinds of nominalisations. It introduces a combination of an event-calculus with a type-free theory which allows a compositional description to be given of such phenomena like Vendler's distinction between perfect and imperfect nominals, iteration of gerunds and Cresswell's notorious non-urrival of'the train examples. Moreover, the approach argued for in this paper allows a semantic explanation to be given for a wide range of grammatical observations such as the behaviour of certain tpes of nominals with respect to their verbal contexts or the distribution of negation in nominals.