Abstract: This paper argues that the underdeveloped notion of semantic similarity in Louw and Nida’s lexicon can be improved by taking account of distributional information. Their use of componential analysis relies on a set of metalinguistic terms, or components, that are ultimately arbitrary. Furthermore, both the polysemy within their semantic domains and the organization of those domains problematize their categories. By con- trast, distributional data provide an empirical measurement of semantic similarity, and lexicogrammatical categorization provides a non-intuition-driven principle of clas- sification. Distributional data is gathered by word embedding, and lexicogrammatical categorization is based largely on a derived metric of abstraction. This argument is tested by considering probable semantic field relationships for a number of Greek lex- emes. Ultimately, this approach provides directions to address some of the critical weaknesses in semantic domain or semantic field theory as applied to the study of Hellenistic Greek, by introducing empirical means of approximating lexical fields.

Keywords: Linguistic modeling, minimalism, traditional grammar, Saussure, Columbia School, semantics.

Get the gist of "Hierarchical and Distributional Lexical Field Theory" with these excerpts

"Louw and Nida’s lexicon has an uncertain future, as it is based on arbitrary sense distinctions and semantic categories." (p. 415)

"Lexical field theory is based on a higher volume of data, with interpretive protocols that more clearly and consistently interface with empirical results. The outcome, I would argue, is a viable approach to modelling the lexicogrammatical structure of Greek, which opens up many new avenues of inquiry." (p. 416)

How to cite "Hierarchical and Distributional Lexical Field Theory"

Wishart, Ryder A. “Hierarchical and Distributional Lexical Field Theory: A Critical and Empirical Development of Louw and Nida’s Semantic Domain Model.” International Journal of Lexicography31 (2018) 394–419, DOI: 10.1093/ijl/ecy015.

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