Seeing clearly: Frame Semantic, Psycholinguistic, and Cross ...

CHAPTER 2. A FRAME SEMANTIC ANALYSIS 71
Frame consultation with authority
type event
roles:
restr:
2
3
6Consulterhuman
7
6
7
6
7
6Consultant
6
human 7
6
7
6
6Problem
7
4
5
Purpose
2
3
6authority(Consultant)
7
4
5
a ects(Problem,Consulter)
(35) a. He went to the doctor for his back pain.
b. I think you should consult a specialist.
c. You should ask John about your transmission.
d. Iwant tocheck with someone at the consulate about renewing my visa.
e. You should see someone about your cough/tax problems/parking ticket.
f. The Parties agree to consult with each other before taking any action which
might a ectthevalue of the Property.
Words that use this frame include see, consult, talk (with/to), ask, and check
(with). The Problem is typically realized as PP[about], sometimes PP[for] in a medical
context (Ex. (35-a)); it is often inferred from context (called \de nite null instatiation"
(DNI) in Construction Grammar) as in (Ex. (35-b)) or via metonymy (Ex. (35-c)). The
Consultant includes not only doctors and lawyers, but also political leaders and anyone in
a gate-keeping position (Ex. (35-d)). The Consultant cannot be DNI, but can be expressed
by an inde nite pronoun, relying on discourse context (Ex. (35-e)). Note that the verb
consult itself can also be used in situations of equality, such as Ex. (35-f), which isnot
an example of this frame. In naming the roles, we are implying a situation of inequality,
calling the authority the consultant and the person seeking help the consulter.