A generic framework for Arabic to English machine ... - Acsu Buffalo

3.4. LEXICAL REPRESENTATIONS FOR VERBS
Hence the same representations are used for all languages (where appropriate), e.g. the
logical structure for Arabic and English ‘die’ (intransitive) would be BECOME dead’(x).
The elements in all capitals, INGR and BECOME, are modifiers of the predicate in the
logical structure; their function will be explained below. The variables are filled by lexi-
cal items from the language being analysed; for example, the English sentence The dog
died would have the logical structure BECOME dead’ (dog), while the correspond-
ing Arabic sentence ālklb māt . “The dog died” would have the logical
structure BECOME dead’ (ālklb) should be this sentence start with the verb
māt ālklb. States are represented as simple predicates, e.g. broken’ (x),
be-at’(x,y), and see’(x,y). There is no special formal indicator that a predicate
is stative.
The logical structure, be’(x,[pred’] ) is for identificational constructions, e.g.
Omar is a student, and attributive constructions, such as The watch is broken require a
different logical structure. In this logical structure the second argument is the attribute or
identificational NP, e.g. be’ (Ayesha, [tall’]), be’(Omar,[student’]).
The primary criteria for distinguishing between attributive constructions and result state
constructions is whether the attribute is inherent, e.g. Coal is black (be’ (coal,
[black’])), or whether it is the result of some kind of process, e.g. The fire black-
ened the wood (... BECOME black’(wood)) (Van Valin and LaPolla 1997).
3.4.1 Agents, effectors, instruments and forces
In ‘Zaid is cutting the bread with a knife’, an EFFECTOR, typically human, manipulates
a knife and brings it into contact with the bread, whereupon the interaction of the knife
with the bread brings about the result that the bread becomes cut. This may be represented
as in (3.3). (The main CLAUSE in the logical structure is italicized.)
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