Compositional Semantics - Computational Linguistics and Talking Robots - page 122

In function word absorption, content may be absorbed from the content
word proplet into the function word proplet or vice versa. For example, in
a determiner-noun combination, the relevant properties of the content pro-
plet (noun) are copied into the function proplet (determiner), after which the
content proplet (noun) is discarded. Conversely, the relevant properties of the
function word proplet (full stop) are copied into the content proplet (verb) in
a verb-full stop combination, after which the function word proplet (full stop)
is discarded.
The analysis of function words as lexical proplets has to deal with ambiguity,
as shown by the following examples:

7.2.1 F UNCTION WORDS WITH DIFFERENT LEXICAL READINGS
1a. Mary has a house by the lake.
1b. The topic was read by Mary.
2a. Mary moved to Paris.
2b. Mary tried to sleep.
The function words in the (a) variants contribute attributes and values to the
proplet resulting from the absorption which are different from those in the (b)
variants. This may be handled by providing these function words with more
than one lexical analysis (as an exception to Surface Compositionality).
As a consequence of function word absorption, a noun may be phrasal at the
surface level, but elementary at the level of content, depending on the number
of content words in the surface - and similarly for the other function word
constructions. Consider the following examples:

7.2.2 C ORRELATING ELEMENTARY / PHRASAL SURFACES AND CONTENTS
elementary surface phrasal surface phrasal surface

Julia the girl the little girl

elementary content elementary content phrasal content

⎡
⎣

⎤
⎦

⎡
⎣

⎤
⎦

⎡
⎣

⎤
⎦

⎡
⎣

⎤
⎦

noun: Julia
cat: nm
sem: sg
fnc: sleep
mdr:
prn: 1

noun: girl
cat: snp
sem: def sg
fnc: sleep
mdr:
prn: 2

noun: girl
cat: snp
sem: def sg
fnc: sleep
mdr: little
prn: 3

noun: little
cat: adn
sem: psv
mdd: girl
nc:
prn: 3

While Julia (elementary surface) and the girl (phrasal surface) are each rep-
resented by a single proplet (elementary content), the little girl is represented
by two proplets, connected by the proposition number 3 and the modifier-
modified relation, coded by the mdr and mdd values of the two proplets.
Function word absorption is integrated into the strictly surface composi-
tional, strictly time-linear derivation order of the DBS hear mode. Consider
the following example: