Storage of Linguistic Knowledge in the Mental Lexicon: an Approach Within Role and Reference Grammar

Abstract

This paper aims to give an account of a theory of a mental lexicon for German verbs of motion within the theory of Role and Reference Grammar [RRG] (cf. Van Valin 2005). The issue of how Aktionsarten in general and particularly verbs of motion, with their various alternations, are structured and how they are stored in an RRG-compatible lexicon is investigated. A time line model for RRG-Aktionsarten based on Reichenbach (1947) is developed to give a description of the structure of events assumed within RRG. Human knowledge is often represented in terms of inheritance networks. In this paper I use a model of inheritance networks to modify the present version of the lexicon in RRG. I will argue that we do not need basic Aktionsarten in the lexicon, if we analyze and decompose Aktionsarten and operators in terms of inheritance networks. I will show furthermore that we do not need multiple lexical entries for verbs like motion verbs that occur in a multitude of contexts with different Aktionsart readings (see example 2.1.1.a, b and 2.1.4), if we accept the idea of inheritance networks. Neither do we need a workshop module and lexical rules as suggested by Van Valin and LaPolla (1997) and Van Valin (2005).