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The Algebra of Lexical Semantics

  • Conference paper
The Mathematics of Language (MOL 2009, MOL 2007)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 6149))

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Abstract

The current generative theory of the lexicon relies primarily on tools from formal language theory and mathematical logic. Here we describe how a different formal apparatus, taken from algebra and automata theory, resolves many of the known problems with the generative lexicon. We develop a finite state theory of word meaning based on machines in the sense of Eilenberg [11], a formalism capable of describing discrepancies between syntactic type (lexical category) and semantic type (number of arguments). This mechanism is compared both to the standard linguistic approaches and to the formalisms developed in AI/KR.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institite for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, 1737 Cambridge St, Cambridge, MA, 02138

    András Kornai

  2. Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Computer and Automation Research Institute, 13-17 Kende u, H-1111 Budapest

    András Kornai

Authors
  1. András Kornai
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Linguistics, University of Tuebingen, Wilhelmstrasse 19, 72074, Tuebingen, Germany

    Christian Ebert  & Gerhard Jäger  & 

  2. Faculty of Linguistics and Literary Studies, University of Bielefeld, Postfach 100131, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany

    Jens Michaelis

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Kornai, A. (2010). The Algebra of Lexical Semantics. In: Ebert, C., Jäger, G., Michaelis, J. (eds) The Mathematics of Language. MOL MOL 2009 2007. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 6149. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14322-9_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-14322-9_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-14321-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-14322-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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