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    Types of Semantic Roles

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    Jimmy Guerrero
    Here are the semantic roles for the given sentences: 1. S. Holmes heard a piercing scream. Experiencer: S. Holmes Stimulus: a piercing scream 2. John enjoyed the novel. Experiencer: John Stimulus: the novel 3. We put the box on the shelf. Agent: We Theme: the box Location: the shelf 4. Mike drove to Jackie’s house. Agent: Mike Goal: Jackie’s house 5. The burglar entered through the window. Agent: The burglar Manner: through the window

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    Types of Semantic Roles

    Uploaded by

    Jimmy Guerrero
    58 views18 pages
    Here are the semantic roles for the given sentences: 1. S. Holmes heard a piercing scream. Experiencer: S. Holmes Stimulus: a piercing scream 2. John enjoyed the novel. Experiencer: John Stimulus: the novel 3. We put the box on the shelf. Agent: We Theme: the box Location: the shelf 4. Mike drove to Jackie’s house. Agent: Mike Goal: Jackie’s house 5. The burglar entered through the window. Agent: The burglar Manner: through the window

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    Types of semantic roles

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    Here are the semantic roles for the given sentences: 1. S. Holmes heard a piercing scream. Experiencer: S. Holmes Stimulus: a piercing scream 2. John enjoyed the novel. Experiencer: John Stimulus: the novel 3. We put the box on the shelf. Agent: We Theme: the box Location: the shelf 4. Mike drove to Jackie’s house. Agent: Mike Goal: Jackie’s house 5. The burglar entered through the window. Agent: The burglar Manner: through the window

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    58 views18 pages

    Types of Semantic Roles

    Uploaded by

    Jimmy Guerrero
    Here are the semantic roles for the given sentences: 1. S. Holmes heard a piercing scream. Experiencer: S. Holmes Stimulus: a piercing scream 2. John enjoyed the novel. Experiencer: John Stimulus: the novel 3. We put the box on the shelf. Agent: We Theme: the box Location: the shelf 4. Mike drove to Jackie’s house. Agent: Mike Goal: Jackie’s house 5. The burglar entered through the window. Agent: The burglar Manner: through the window

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 18

    TYPES OF SEMANTIC

    ROLES
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • AGENT: animate and volitional initiator of any action/event.


    The butler killed the maid

    • CAUSER: inanimate or non-volitional entity which is directly


    involved in the causation of an event.
    The rain ruined the crop
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • PATIENT: entity which is acted upon, affected, or


    created; or of which a change of state is
    predicated.

    The ice melted / Peter melted the ice


    He prepared a paella
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • THEME:
    ▪ entity which undergoes a change of location or
    possession, or whose location is being specified (i.e.
    Something or someone located in a place or seen as
    moving from one place to another)
    The ball is in the park / We put the box on
    the shelf
    ▪ entity about which something is being predicated
    (DEPICTIVE)
    The key is mine / She was happy
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • ATTRIBUTE
    She was happy
    They felt exhausted
    This topic seems interesting
    Kevin is my brother
    She is in pain
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • EXPERIENCER: animate entity which perceives a stimulus or


    registers a particular mental or emotional process or state.
    It appears with psychological verbs or verbs of perception
    (e.g. see, understand, hear, taste, frighten, etc.)

    John understood the problem


    Types of Semantic Roles

    • Stimulus: object of perception, cognition, or emotion; entity which


    is seen, heard, known, remembered, loved, hated, etc. (i.e., what
    arouses the feeling or is perceived);
    The situation scares me.
    The jury heard his testimony.
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • INSTRUMENT: inanimate entity used by an agent to perform some


    action
    The key opened the lock
    We employ a PC for our calculations
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • RECIPIENT: animate entity which receives or acquires something.


    John gave Mary a book

    • BENEFICIARY: usually animate entity that something is obtained for


    or done for.I baked a cake for my daughter
    You poured me a drink laced with arsenic
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • LOCATION: spatial (and temporal) reference point of the


    event.
    They stayed at the village
    The meeting is at noon
    • Subtypes: SOURCE, GOAL, PATH
    Types of Semantic Roles

    • She ran [from the post-office]SOURCE [via the railway


    station]PATH [to the bus-stop.]GOAL

    • Jenny walked [from school]source

    • Walter drove [home]GOAL

    • The coin rolled [across the floor]PATH


    Types of Semantic Roles

    • STATE OF AFFAIRS (SOA): We use it with Non-finite VPs (X-


    Complements). It refers to situations, events, etc.

    John saw Liz take the chocolate cookie


    Types of Semantic Roles

    • PROPOSITIONS (Props): propositional content of


    clauses.

    John thinks that Mary is coming to dinner.


    Verb-specific Semantic Roles & θ Roles

    Thinker
    Giver Believer
    Runner Knower
    Killer Agent Presumer
    Speaker Hearer Experiencer
    Dancer Smeller
    Feeler
    Taster
    Liker
    Lover
    Hater

    Van Valin Jr, R., 2001. An Introduction to Syntax. CUP


    Verb-specific Semantic Roles & θ Roles

    Given to Located
    Sent to Recipient Moved Theme
    Handed to Given

    Seen Broken
    Heard Destroyed Patient
    Liked Stimulus Killed
    Enjoyed

    Adapted from Van Valin Jr, R., 2001. An Introduction to Syntax. CUP
    Semantic Roles

    EXAMPLES
    1. [John] gave [Mary] [a bouquet of roses]
    Agent Recipient Theme

    2. [John] baked [Mary] [a chocolate cake]


    Agent Beneficiary Patient

    3. [The key] opened [the lock]


    Instrument Patient
    Semantic Roles
    EXERCISES

    • S. Holmes heard a piercing scream.


    • John enjoyed the novel.
    • We put the box on the shelf.
    • Mike drove to Jackie’s house.
    • The burglar entered through the window.
    EXERCISE:
    -Semantic Roles
    -Semantic Roles
    (Subject/Object)
    -Identify the
    Semantic Role

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