GermaNet - Verb Semantic Fields
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Semantic Fields for Verbs in GermaNet
The GermaNet verb classification into semantic fields follows the WordNet classes in the top categories. However, within a field, the structure of GermaNet deviates widely from WordNet. The classification follows Levin (1993) wherever possible. Even though some English verb classes are different from German ones in various points, the classes are still mostly parallel.
- Verbs of Possession (Besitz)
- Verbs of Location (Lokation)
- Verbs of Emotion (Gefuehl)
- Social Verbs (Gesellschaft)
- Verbs of Body (Koerperfunktion)
- Verbs of Cognition (Kognition)
- Verbs of Communication (Kommunikation)
- Verbs of Competition (Konkurrenz)
- Verbs of Contact (Kontakt)
- Verbs of natural Phenomenon (natPhaenomen)
- Verbs of Creation (Schoepfung)
- Verbs of Change (Veraenderung)
- Verbs of Consumption (Verbrauch)
- Verbs of Perception (Perzeption)
- Stative Verbs (Allgemein)
The semantic field Location is used as an example in the following description.
Verbs of Location (Lokation)
Basic verbs of motion and position are hierarchically structured as follows in GermaNet, following in parts Maienborn (1990).Note that this classification only classifies the verbs themselves and does not make any assumptions concerning the status of the local argument, neither with respect to its facultativity nor to its semantic contribution. This question has been extensively discussed in the literature (apart from Maienborn (1990), see for example Wunderlich (1991)) to which the reader is referred for further information. It suffices to point out that either view is compatible with the hierarchy presented in GermaNet.
At top-level verbs of location have the verbal hyponyms verbs involving motion and verbs of position, a terminology taken from Maienborn (1990). The two classes are distinguished in the following way: verbs of position specify the mode of position further, whereas verbs involving motion specify the path, either with respect to direction, mode or both.
- Verbs of position have the hyponyms causative verbs of position and intransitive verbs of position. Note that many causative and intransitive verbs of position are semantically related, for example stellen causes a theme to stehen and legen causes a theme to liegen. This is explicitly coded in GermaNet by an additional causative relation between both verbs.
- Causative verbs of position are transitive verbs which refer to an action an agent takes in positioning a theme. Agent and theme can either refer to the same ("reflexive") or different persons. Examples are verbs such as stellen, setzen, legen.
- Intransitive verbs of position specify the mode by which a theme is positioned, examples of which are verbs such as sitzen, stehen, liegen.
- Verbs involving motion have the hyponyms in GermaNet: changement of location, motion on the spot and verbs of transportation.
- Motion on the spot involves verbs such as zucken, zappeln and wackeln where the motion only involves part of the object and the object itself is not moved and verbs, which classify a motion as being repetitive, such as for example pendeln, flattern. (This class is relatively small.)
- Verbs of changement of location are intransitive verbs of changement of direction, examples are gehen, rennen, tippeln
In addition to the class to which a verb belongs, there are other semantic components of location verbs that can be specified additionally, for example:
- Noise emission: This refers to verbs of location which combine motion with a particular noise emission. Typically, these are verbs of sound which are used to express motion. Examples are donnern, knallen.
- Manner of motion: This feature helps to identify the particular theme of which the manner of location is indicated by the verb. Three different modes of realization can be distinguished. In order to be as general and compatible with other theories as possible, the manner-specification does not refer to the thematic roles of verbal arguments but to their syntactic surface complements.
- Manner of subject: This mode is typical for "verbs of motion" and for all intransitive verbs. As we refer to the syntactic surface position of the complement and not the semantic argument, unaccusatives and unergatives can both be subsumed under this class. It also applies to many verbs of transportation. Examples are schubsen, jagen, stürzen, schleppen.
- Manner of object: This mode applies to all causative verbs of location and some verbs of transportation. Examples are stapeln, schichten, legen.
- Manner of group: Some verbs can only be used appropriately with reference to a group as moved object. Examples are stieben, schwärmen, tummeln.
- Speed of motion: This mode applies to verbs which specify the particular speed of motion. It can be distinguished between verbs which involve fast motion, which are hyponyms of eilen and verbs involving slow motion and thus being hyponyms of trödeln. Examples are rasen, bummeln.
- Direction of motion: This feature distinguishes verbs which involve deictic motion or motion in the verticle. For deictic motion, verbs can by hyponyms of kommen which involves motion towards the deictic centre, or of gehen if they involve motion away from the deictic centre. In the vertical direction verbs can involve a downwards motion, e.g. sinken, rieseln, or an upwards motion, e.g. hochheben, aufheben.
- Instrument: These verbs specify the instrument used for motion further.
- Instrument as Vehicle: Examples are karren, kutschen, kutschieren.
- Instrument causes Motion: Examples are schippen, harken, hebeln.