Lexicon Grammar. The Representation of Compound Words

University Paris 7 I_aboratoire Documentaire ot Linguistigue 1 2, place Jussieu 1-"-75221 Paris CEDEX 05 The essenti~d feature of a lexicon-grammar is that the elementary unit of computation and storage is the simple sentence: snbleet-verb-complement(s).-this type of representation is obviously needed for verbs: limiting a verb to its shape has no meaning other than typographic, ~ir]ce a verb cannot be separated from its subject and essential coreplemenl(s) 2. We have shown (M, Gross 1975) that given a verb, Or equivalently a simple sentence, the set of syntactic properties that describes its variations is unique: in general, no ether verb has an identical syntactic paradigm 3. As a consequence, the properties of each verbal construction must be represented in a texicon-grammar. The lexicon has no significance taken as an isolated component and the gr~rnmar tempera:at, viewed as independent of the lexicon, will have to be limited to certain complex sentences, Since be-Adiective tetras are close to verbs, their description is quite similar, that is, they are considered as sentences. We have apl}lied lexicon-grammar representation not only to the two obvious predicative parts of speech, verb and adjective, but to nouns and adverbs a~; well. In the same way as one adjoins the verb to be tn adjectives, we have ~ystematically introduced support verbs (Vsup) for nouns and adverbs, as in the following examples The text ia in contradiction with the low VSUp =: to h~ve This text has a certain importance for Bob 4 Vsup =: tO occur, etc. Accident8 occur at random The ~4ccident (was, happened, occurred, took place) late at night ~.-'UA-8~I;'Ot-~I;RS.-This research has been partly financed by contract "P[]C Informatique LinggisUque" 1985-86 from the Ministry of Research. 2. The notion of essential complement has been refined through the and a study of adverbials, that is, of nonessential complements (M. Gross 19~6). The subject arKI/or the con'lplements may be transformed and/or omitted through various syntactic operations, in particular, by nominalizing the verb (G. Gross, R. Vivbs 198E;), but the full information can be recovered (Z.S. Harris 1982). 3. A line of '~+'" and ""'" marks in FiGure 1 is such a paradigm. 4. Both examples are not isolated entries of the lexicon=grammar, but rather (Z,S, Harris 1964), transforms of other forms: fhJ~ text <::ontradi/.;ta the law This text is important for Bob $apport verbs are frequerd in technical texts, and may have stylistic variants, as in this last example, …