Cover not available
Article published In:
Terminology
Vol. 26:1 (2020) ► pp.7–32

Using lexical functions to describe adjectives in terminography

 | Università di Verona
The status of adjectives as independent terms has been demonstrated in recent studies. However, their treatment in current terminography practice is not entirely satisfactory. This paper addresses the description of adjectives in term banks of French adjectives related to the field of renewable energy. Our goals were to conduct a corpus-driven semantic analysis of a sample of significant adjectives in this domain and to highlight some properties that should be taken into account in terminography. In particular, we used lexical functions developed within the framework of Explanatory and Combinatorial Lexicology. Our analysis shows that lexical functions are a powerful tool that can accurately define these adjectives, by showing their subtle semantic distinctions. They are also able to capture the relations between the adjective and the noun that it co-occurs with as well as systematically describe the paradigmatic and syntagmatic relations of adjectival terminological units.
Keywords: adjective, adjectival term, lexical function, paradigmatic relation, polysemy, specialised collocation, syntagmatic relation, term banks
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Recognising the status of adjectives in terminology
  • 3.Data and method
    • 3.1The corpus for analysis
    • 3.2Term extraction and preliminary data obtained
    • 3.3Adjectives in term banks
  • 4.Describing adjectives through lexical functions
    • 4.1Semantic derivation
      • 4.1.1Pure conversion
      • 4.1.2Potential actantial semantic derivatives
      • 4.1.3Hyperonymy, hyponymy and co-hyponymy
      • 4.1.4Synonymy
      • 4.1.5Antonymy
    • 4.2Specialised collocations
  • 5.The semantic behaviour of adjectives
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 12 June 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/term.00040.bon
References (43)
References
Bartning, Inge. 1980. Remarques sur la syntaxe et la sémantique des pseudo-adjectifs dénominaux en français, Vol. 101, Romanica Stockholmiensia. Stockhölm: Almquist & Wiksell International.Google Scholar
Berrozpe, Gil, Juan Carlos, Pilar León Araúz, and Pamela Faber. 2016. “Subtypes of Hyponymy in the Environmental Domain: Entities and Processes”. In Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Terminology & Ontology: Theories and Applications (TOTh 2016), ed. by Christophe Roche, 39–54. Chambéry: Éditions de l’Université Savoie Mont Blanc.Google Scholar
Bosredon, Alain. 1988. “Un adjectif de trop : l’adjectif de relation”. L’information grammaticale 371: 3–7. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bowker, Lynne, and Jennifer Pearson. 2002. Working with Specialized Language: A Practical Guide to Using Corpora. London/New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cabré, Maria Teresa. 1998. La terminologie. Théorie, méthode et applications, translated by Monique Cormier, and John Humbley. Ottawa: Presses de l’Université d’Ottawa (Regards sur la traduction) and Paris: Armand Colin (U – Linguistique).Google Scholar
Campos, Araceli Alonso, and Sergi Torner Castells. 2010. “Adjectives and Collocations in Specialized Texts: Lexicographical Implications”. In Proceedings of the XIV Euralex Internationl Congress, ed. by Anne Dykstra, and Tanneke Schoonheim, 872–881. Ljouwert: Fryske Akademy.Google Scholar
Cohen, Betty. 1986. Lexique de cooccurrents – Bourse et conjoncture économique, Brossard (Québec): Linguatech.Google Scholar
Cortès, Colette. 2004. “Terminologie et syntaxe de la classifiance.” In Des fondements théoriques de la terminologie, ed. by Colette Cortès, 135–161. Paris: Cahiers du C.I.E.L.Google Scholar
Daille, Béatrice. 2001. “Qualitative Terminology Extraction: Identifying Relational Adjectives.” In Recent Advances in Computational Terminology, ed. by Didier Bourigault, Christian Jacquemin, and Marie-Claude L’Homme, 149–166. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dancette, Jeanne, and Marie-Claude L’Homme. 2004. “Building Specialized Dictionaries Using Lexical Functions.” Linguistica Antverpiensia 31: 113–131.Google Scholar
Deléger, Louise, and Bruno Cartoni. 2010. “Adjectifs relationnels et langue de spécialité : vérification d’une hypothèse linguistique en corpus comparable médical.” In TALN 2010 – Session Posters Montréal, 19–23. ([URL]). Accessed December 2016.
de Santiago González, Paula, and Larisa Grcic Simeunovic. 2017. “The Polymorphic Behaviour of Adjectives in Terminography.” Meta 62(1): 201–222. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Drouin, Patrick. 2003. “Term Extraction Using Non-technical Corpora as a Point of Leverage”. Terminology 9(1): 99–115. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fontenelle, Thierry. 1997. Turning a bilingual dictionary into a lexical semantic database. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Frassi, Paolo. 2018. L’adjectif en français et sa définition lexicographique. Bern / Berlin / Bruxelles / New York / Oxford / Warszawa / Wien: Peter Lang. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gelbukh, Alexander, and Olga Kolesnikova. 2013. Semantic Analysis of Verbal Collocations with Lexical Functions. Berlin: Springer and Heidelberg: Verlag. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goes, Jan. 1993. “À la recherche d’une définition de l’adjectif.” L’information grammaticale 581: 11–13. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Grimes, Joseph. 1990. “Inverse Lexical Functions”. In Meaning-Text Theory: Linguistics, Lexicography and Implications, ed. by James Steele, 350–364. Ottawa: Ottawa University Press.Google Scholar
Kleiber, Georges, and Irène Tamba. 1990. “L’hyponymie revisitée : inclusion et hiérarchie”. Langages 98, L’hyponymie et l’hyperonymie: 7–32. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lelubre, Xavier. 2005. “Le statut de l’adjectif en langue de spécialité”. hal-00377777 ([URL]). Accessed December 2016.
L’Homme, Marie-Claude. 2002. “Fonctions lexicales pour représenter les relations sémantiques entre termes.” Traitement automatique de la langue (TAL) 43(1): 19–41.Google Scholar
. 2004. “Adjectifs dérivés sémantiques (ADS) dans la structuration des terminologies.” In Journée d’études Terminologie, Ontologie et représentation des connaissances. ([URL]). Accessed January 2019.
. 2007. “Using Explanatory and Combinatorial Lexicology to Describe Terms.” In Selected Lexical and Grammatical Issues in the Meaning–Text Theory: In honour of Igor Mel’čuk, ed. by Leo Wanner, 167–202. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Maniez, François. 2002. “Distinguer les termes des collocations: étude sur corpus du patron < Adjectif-Nom > en anglais médical.” In Actes du colloque TALN de Nancy, 24–27 juin 2002, Tome 11, 345–350. ([URL]). Accessed January 2019.
. 2009. “L’adjectif dénominal en langue de spécialité : étude du domaine de la médecine.” Revue française de linguistique appliquée 21: 117–130. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mel’cuk, Igor. 2006. “Explanatory Combinatorial Dictionary”. In Open problems in Linguistic and lexicography, ed. by Giandomenico Sica, 225–355. Monza (Italy): Polimetrica.Google Scholar
Mel’cuk, Igor, André Clas, and Alain Polguère. 1995. Introduction à la lexicologie explicative et combinatoire. Louvain-la-Neuve: AUPELF-UREF / Duculot.Google Scholar
Noailly, Michèle. 1999. L’adjectif en français. Paris: Ophrys.Google Scholar
Paissa, Paola. 2008. “Parasynonymes et euphémismes dans la médiatisation de quelques notions de l’économie de l’environnement. Le cas de développement durable/soutenable.” In La Sinonimia tra langue e parole nei codici francese e italiano, Atti del Convegno Università Cattolica 24–27 ottobre 2007, ed. by Sergio Cigada, and Marisa Verna, 551–572. Milano: Vita e Pensiero.Google Scholar
Pitkänen-Heikkilä, Kaarina. 2015. “Adjectives as terms”. Terminology 21(1): 76–101. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Polguère, Alain. 2018. “Traitement lexicographique des collocations à collocatif actanciel.” In La phraséologie entre fixité et congruence, Hommage à Salah Mejri, ed. by Inès Sfar, and Pierre-André Buvet, 265–287. Paris: Academia / l’Harmattan.Google Scholar
Riegel, Martin. 1993. “Grammaire et référence : à propos du statut sémantique de l’adjectif qualificatif.” L’information grammaticale 581: 5–10. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sager, Juan C. 1990. A Practical Course in Terminology Processing, Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saint Robert de, Marie-Josée. 2018. “Le concept de développement durable”. Oral communication at the 2018 TOTh workshop Organisations et entreprises. Perspectives terminologiques . Marseille, Kedge Business School.
Wierzbicka, Anna. 1988. “What’s in a Noun? (or: How do Nouns Differ in Meaning from Adjectives?)”. In The Semantics of Grammar, ed. by Anna Wierzbicka, 463–497. Amsterdam: Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sites
Anthony, L. AntConc (Version 3.4.4w) [Windows], Waseda University, Tokyo 2014. ([URL]). Accessed January 2018.
Drouin, P. TermoStat. Université de Montréal. ([URL]). Accessed January 2018.
FAO, FAO Term Portal ([URL]). Accessed November 2018.
Lexalytics Intelligence Platform, Sentiment Analysis, ([URL]). Accessed August 2019.
Office québécois de la langue française. Grand Dictionnaire Terminologique. ([URL]). Accessed November 2018.
Government of Canada. TermiumPlus. ([URL]). Accessed November 2018.
Observatoire de Linguistique Sens-Texte. DiCoEnviro Le Dictionnaire fondamental de l’environnement. Université de Montréal. ([URL]). Accessed November 2018.
Observatoire de Linguistique Sens-Texte-Recherche appliquée en linguistique informatique. EcoRessources. Ressources terminologiques en environnement. Université de Montréal. ([URL]). Accessed June 2019.
Cited by (3)

Cited by three other publications

ZOLLO, Silvia Domenica
2024. LEXIQUES ET CORPUS AU SERVICE DE LA LITTÉRATIE OCÉANIQUE : PROPRIÉTÉS ET RELATIONS LEXICALES DANS LE DOMAINE DE LA FAUNE MARINE. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Philologia ► pp. 227 ff. DOI logo
Du, Jiali, Christina Alexantris & Pingfang Yu
2021. Towards Chinese Terminology Application of TERMONLINE. In Advances in Artificial Intelligence, Software and Systems Engineering [Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, 271], ► pp. 190 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2022. Theoretical Perspectives on Terminology [Terminology and Lexicography Research and Practice, 23], DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 30 december 2024. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.