The Results of Development of
the Cognitive Model of Russian Verb
(on example of motion verb)
Vladimir
N. Polyakov
http://geocities/SiliconValley/Campus/7926/Polyakov/Polyakov.htm
vladimir_polyakov@yahoo.com
The
verb is a grammatical form, which semantics combines a number of cognitive
phenomena and structures. Perhaps, no other part of speech can compete with the
verb on the variety of forms and inflexion models, on diversity and complexity
of the description. Therefore, the author conceives that the cognitive model of
the verb (CMV) plays the dominant part in the description of comprehension
mechanisms of natural language texts. Besides, the development of such a model
might shed light on the semantic nature of other contiguous language phenomena,
give a push to solving some other tasks in computational linguistics and
artificial intelligence. This research is an experience of complex description
of semantics of a verb (first of all v Russian), based on up-to-date
achievements in a number of scientific trends, which are recently referred to
cognitive science[1].
The research is carried out on the examples taken from the novel ?Master and
Margaret¦ by M. Bulgakhov.
The
article [1] presents basic elements of the cognitive model of the verb, which
includes a cognitive mechanism of identification of the aspect of meaning, and
logical and mathematical interpretation of semantic phenomena set by each
meaning: interpretation, word-formation paradigm, regular word-formation forms,
word combinations, synonymic parametrical groups, description of meaning in
terms of the model actionvchange. Besides, the model includes a
cognitive mechanism of development of aspect-tense form of a complex of
relations set by a word combination. The cognitive model of the verb is
developed in the context of the comprehension model named as semiotic text
comprehension model, which was advanced by the author in [2]. The basic
theses of the model are illustrated on the example of the verbs bezhat-,
begat- (run). As a basis for the development of CMV the information from
dictionaries and the results of the analysis of sample usage of these verbs in
texts were used. Predicative logic was employed as a basic tools for cognitive
modeling of the verb semantics. The explanation of interpretation, verb pattern
and word-formation models in the research has a common logical and mathematical
nature. The analysis of the examples has revealed a number of restrictions
inherent in the interpretation as a form of description of the language
semantics. The principles of a new grammar analysis mechanism focused on the
cognitive model of the verb, were advanced. The bases for semantic
classification of verbs were offered.
The
article [3] deals with the results of a cognitive experiment in testing of the
theory: dependence of the use of a verb of motion from the value of angular
velocity of object dislocation from the standpoint of the viewer. A comparative
analysis of a number of Russian verbs with the meaning ?to move at some
speed¦ was carried out. To such verbs were referred: polzti (to creep
in the meaning "to move very slowly"), idti (to walk/go in the
meaning "to move slowly"), bezhat- (to run in the meaning
"to move fast"), letet- (to fly in the meaning "to move
very fast"), nestis- (to rush in the meaning "to move very
fast"), mtchatsja (to dash in the meaning "to move at a great
speed"). The results of the cognitive experiment have proved the fact
of presupposed dependence. Besides, it was found out that the human perception
of the dislocation speed of an object is not of a linear but that of a
logarithmic character. With the help of experimental data it was possible to
develop fuzzy functions of attribute, to define
the ranges of angular velocity for each of the verbs of motion. The synonymy of
the verbs letet- (to fly) and nestis- (to rush) in the meaning of
? to move very fast¦ was experimentally determined.
In
the article [1] there is stated a presupposition that one of the aspectual
meanings of a verb is cause-action aspect. It was also pointed out that this
part of meaning has a considerable independence, and together with
propositional and temporal aspects, can be submitted as an independent semantic
structure[2].
Article [4] holds an attempt of detailed examination of structure and content
of a part of verb meaning, which describes relations of cause and action
(cause-action aspect of meaning). As a cognitive basis for the description of
cause-action aspect the description of meaning in terms of ?action-change¦
model was offered. If the principle of unified stock of semantic primitives in
the knowledge model and language model is to be followed, the description of
cause-action aspect should include together with the above mentioned
?action-change¦ model ?object-property¦ relation model and ?cause-effect¦
relation model. The fact that these knowledge models are still far from being
complete represents certain difficulties. Another problem to complicate this
research is that the traces of cognitive elements of causal structure are
lacking in vocabulary interpretation, and the means of its description are: on
the one hand v introspection, and on the other hand v a bulk of texts.
[1] V.N. Polyakov. To a
Cognitive Model of a Russian Verb. Text Processing and Cognitive
Technologies. Paper Collection. N 4. (Edited by R.K. Potapova, V.D.
Solovyev, V.N. Polyakov) v Moscow, MISA. 2000. v p. 271-314. (In Russian)
[2] V.N. Polyakov. Problems of
Representation, Acquisition and Usage of Knowledge from the Point of
Natural-language Processing. Proceedings of N.I. Lomonosov's
mathematical center. V.4. Workshop-school "Computer Linguistics".
Kazan. October, 20-24, 1999. Publ. Unipress. Kazan. 1999. p.93-110. (In
Russian)
[3] V.N. Polyakov. The Influence of the Angular Velocity
of Object Dislocation from the Standpoint of the Viewer on the Verb Usage). The
First Annual Conference on Cognitive Slavic Linguistics. November, 3-4,
2000.
http://www.unc.edu/depts/seelrc/
(Conference program)
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Campus/7926/Polyakov/Articles/Bez_full.html
(Text In Russian)
[4] V.N. Polyakov. Cognitive
model of verb: cause-action aspect) Text Processing and Cognitive
Technologies. Paper Collection. N 5. v Moscow, MISA. 2000. v
(Printed. In Russian)