http://www.loc.gov/mods/v3 http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/v3/mods-3-2.xsd
Interpretive Semantics and Combinatorial Strategies in Adjective-Noun Conceptual Combination
University Undergraduate Research Fellow Program.
Conceptual combination is the merging of two separate entities to create an entirely novel concept. Examples range from everyday instances, such as computer desk, to challenging combinations, like upside-down sphere. We study concept combination to achieve a better understanding of language comprehension and extension, and also to investigate theories of concepts and concept interaction, which in tum have major implications for matters of knowledge representation. The present study determines what strategies we use to make sense of concept combinations under certain conditions, varied along the dimensions of relevance and typicality. Also included are oxymoronic (e.g., friendly enemy) and anomalous (e.g., cloudy enemy) combinations. As was expected, the technique of property mapping (attributing a property of one concept to the other concept) was dominant for adjective-noun combinations, but relation linking (exerting a relation between the two concepts) was also used to interpret the phrases. In general, relation linking was shown to occur most frequently under conditions of adjectival irrelevance and atypicality, and also in the anomalous group. In addition, explicit property negation (e.g., pagan marriage = a marriage that doesn't take place in a church) is introduced into the literature, and its suggestion of an interactive feedback process of concept interaction is postulated.
Undergraduate thesis written for Program year: 1996/1997
Digitized from print version held at Pickle Center High Density Storage, barcode 24829706.
University Undergraduate Research Fellow, sponsored by Psychology Department.