FrameNet
Encyclopedia
FrameNet is a project housed at the International Computer Science Institute
in Berkeley, California
which produces an electronic resource based on
semantic frames
. A semantic frame can be thought of as a concept with a script. It is used to describe an object, state or event. The FrameNet lexical database
contains around 10,000 lexical units (a pairing of a word
with a meaning
; polysemous
words are represented by several lexical units), 800 semantic frames and over 120,000 example sentences. FrameNet is largely the creation of Charles J. "Chuck" Fillmore
and Collin F. Baker.
it represents.
(See the FrameNet Annotation Report for born.v.)
International Computer Science Institute
The International Computer Science Institute is an independent, non-profit research organization located in Berkeley, California, USA. Since its founding in 1988, ICSI has maintained an affiliation with the University of California, Berkeley, where several of its members hold faculty appointments...
in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
which produces an electronic resource based on
semantic frames
Frame semantics (linguistics)
Frame semantics is a theory of linguistic meaning that extends Charles J. Fillmore's case grammar. It relates linguistic semantics to encyclopaedic knowledge....
. A semantic frame can be thought of as a concept with a script. It is used to describe an object, state or event. The FrameNet lexical database
Lexical database
A lexical database is a lexical resource which has an associated software environment database which permits access to its contents. The database may be custom-designed for the lexical information or a general-purpose database into which lexical information has been entered.Information typically...
contains around 10,000 lexical units (a pairing of a word
Word
In language, a word is the smallest free form that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content . This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own...
with a meaning
Meaning (linguistics)
In linguistics, meaning is what is expressed by the writer or speaker, and what is conveyed to the reader or listener, provided that they talk about the same thing . In other words if the object and the name of the object and the concepts in their head are the same...
; polysemous
Polysemy
Polysemy is the capacity for a sign or signs to have multiple meanings , i.e., a large semantic field.Charles Fillmore and Beryl Atkins’ definition stipulates three elements: the various senses of a polysemous word have a central origin, the links between these senses form a network, and ...
words are represented by several lexical units), 800 semantic frames and over 120,000 example sentences. FrameNet is largely the creation of Charles J. "Chuck" Fillmore
Charles J. Fillmore
Charles J. Fillmore is an American linguist, and an Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He received his Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Michigan in 1961. Professor Fillmore spent ten years at The Ohio State University before joining Berkeley's...
and Collin F. Baker.
Frames
Examples of frame names are Being_born and Locative_relation. Alongside the name, a frame contains a textual description of the conceptConcept
The word concept is used in ordinary language as well as in almost all academic disciplines. Particularly in philosophy, psychology and cognitive sciences the term is much used and much discussed. WordNet defines concept: "conception, construct ". However, the meaning of the term concept is much...
it represents.
Frame elements
Each frame has a number of core and non-core frame elements which can be thought of as semantic roles. The only core frame element of the Being_born frame is called Child, non-core frame elements being Time, Place, Relatives, etc.Lexical Units
Alongside the frame, each lexical unit is associated with a number of frame elements through annotations.Realizations
FrameNet has shallow data on syntactic roles that frame elements play in the example sentences. For the example sentence above, the frame elements Child and about AD 460 are both noun phrases.Valences
FrameNet also exposes the statistics on the valences of the frames, that is the number and the position of the frame elements within example sentences. The sentence She was BORN about AD 460 falls in the valence pattern NP Ext, INI --, NP Dep which occurs two times in the example sentences.Example sentences
Frames are associated with example sentences and frame elements are marked within the sentences. Thus the sentence She was BORN about AD 460 is associated with the frame Being_born, while She is marked as the frame element Child and about AD 460 is marked as Time.(See the FrameNet Annotation Report for born.v.)