Abstract:Semantic role theory is a widely used approach for event representation. Yet, there are multiple indications that semantic role paradigm is necessary but not sufficient to cover all elements of event structure. We conducted an analysis of semantic role representation for events to provide an empirical evidence of insufficiency. The consequence of that is a hybrid role-scalar approach. The results are considered as preliminary in investigation of semantic roles coverage for event representation.
Abstract:Semantic role theory considers roles as a small universal set of unanalyzed entities. It means that formally there are no restrictions on role combinations. We argue that the semantic roles co-occur in verb representations. It means that there are hidden restrictions on role combinations. To demonstrate that a practical and evidence-based approach has been built on in-depth analysis of the largest verb database VerbNet. The consequences of this approach are considered.