Lexical Encoding of Verbs in English and Bulgarian : An empirical study of lexically encoded information and its formal representation

This book investigates the mapping of elements from the semantic representation of verbs onto overt syntactic realization and how this information might be lexically encoded cross-linguistically. The research explores various phenomena arising on the interface of conceptual structure and syntax. The analysis is based on empirical data and experimental evidence from two languages - English and Bulgarian. The introductory chapters include a shortcut to Bulgarian syntax; a discussion on current relevant linguistic theories which acknowledge the interconnection between verb meaning and the verb's morpho-syntactic realization; and an outline of the theoretical background. The book presents the grouping of the examined verbs according to the type of events they can lexicalize and the respective lexical representations suggested for each group. It also reports on the psycholinguistics experiments designed to test the adequacy of the proposed format. The book sheds light on the information which is lexically encoded in verbs, and should be especially useful to professionals in lexical semantics and natural language processing and those interested in the formal description of verb meaning.