FrameNet, Frame Structure, and the Syntax-Semantics Interface

The Berkeley FrameNet project aims at implementing Fillmore’s Frame Semantics program on a broad empirical basis. The syntactic environments of words in corpora are systematically aligned with the semantic frames evoked by the words. It is Fillmore’s vision that such a collection of valency data can pave the way for an empirically grounded theory of the syntax-semantics interface. In this article, we examine to what extent this goal can be achieved by the FrameNet approach in its present form. We take a close look at verbs of cutting and separation and at the representation of attributes, events, and results in the latest FrameNet version. Our investigation reveals a certain lack of systematicity in the definition of frames and frame relations, which may hinder the derivation of linking generalizations. This situation seems to be partly due to the expectation that a system of frames can be developed on a data-driven, purely bottom-up account. As a possible solution, we argue for a richer frame representation which systematically takes into account the inner structure of an event and thereby inherently captures structural relations between frames.