SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr.
Najib Ismail Jarad
Chapter 4: Semantic Roles
Sentence vs. utterance vs proposition
A sentence contains certain information, but the information can be presented in different sentences
and in parts of sentences. The information presented is called a proposition.
A proposition can be seen as consisting of a predicate and various noun phrase (referring
expressions), each of which has a different role.
A sentence could be generated by the grammatical rules of a language. For example:
1. You’re studying the difference between utterance, sentence, and different proposition.
(Grammatically correct).
2. Your between utterance, sentence and proposition difference the studying. (Violate English
Grammar).
A traditional definition of a sentence says that "a sentence is something that expresses a complete
thought".
Compare the following:
3. We walk in the park.
4. *Our walk in the park.
5. *For us to walk in the park.
3 is a complete sentence but 4 and 5 are not. But all three expressions have the same semantic
content. The difference between them is grammatical. 3 makes a statement, but 4 and 5 can be parts
of sentences, as in:
4. We enjoyed our walk in the park.
5. It’s not too late for us to walk in the park.
The formal differences among the three expressions are a matter of grammar, not semantics. The
semantic content shared by the three expressions is a proposition.
A simple statement such as “We walk in the park” expresses a single proposition.
The following sentences convey the same message- they express the same proposition:
6. Richard wrote the report
7. Richard is the one who wrote the report
8. The report was written by Richard
9. It is the report that Richard wrote.
10. The report is what Richard wrote.
11. What Richard did was write the report.
1
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
The above sentences express a single proposition, but they differ in focus. This means that a
proposition can be realized in several different sentences.
Consider the following example:
12. Richard wrote the paper and Helen did, too.
The above sentence contains two propositions, the first is expressed in a full sentence while the
second (Helen did, too) expresses another proposition through the function words “did” & “too”.
A preposition is something abstract but meaningful. It can be expressed in different sentences and
in parts of sentences but with different syntactic focus.
An utterance, on the other hand, is the use of a particular piece of language by a particular speaker
in a particular context, it expresses the speaker’s intention, as in:
13. Goodbye
14. Please open the window
15. Mary applauded John
16. Mary applauded John because she admired him.
Utterance meaning is defined in terms of the speaker’s intentions-what speaker intended to
convey by making that utterance.
The description of a sentence is a syntactic analysis, while the description of a proposition is a
semantic analysis.
The meaning of sentences is compositional (the meaning of the whole sentence is composed or
made up of the meaning of the individual words/lexemes in a sentence, plus the
function/grammatical words).
For example: “John broke a window” = the meaning is clear
Most Idioms have non-compositional meaning; For example, “John spilled the beans” = disclose a
secret.
2
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
Syntactic Analysis of sentences
Subject Predicate Object Adverbial
A window broke - -
Tom broke a window - (yesterday)
Our dog is - under the table
Jessica put marmalade on her toast
Tyler sends emails to his friends
sent
Subject Predicate Complement Adverbial
I am thirsty --
Hector is afraid of the dark
Semantic Analysis deals with meaning; the proposition expressed in a sentence, not necessarily
with all the function words.
When inflection is separated from proposition, we see that the forms of the verb “be” (am, is, was,
were) have no meaning.
In semantic Analysis every proposition contains one predicate and a varying number of refereeing
expressions (noun phrase), but they’re technically called arguments. The predicate can be a (verb,
adj, preposition, or a noun phrase).
Argument Structure:
17. [break, a window] = A window broke.
18. [break, Tom, a window] = Tom broke a window.
Tom broke a window (subj, direct obj)
Passive; A window was broken by John.
A window broke.
The order; [verb, subj, referring expression]
19. [under, our dog, the table] = Our dog is under the table.
20. [put on, Jessica, marmalade, Jessica’s toast] = Jessica put marmalade on her toast.
21. [send, Tyler, email, Tyler’s friends] = Tyler sends emails to his friends.
22. [thirsty, I] = I am thirsty.
23. [afraid of, Hector, the dark] = Hector is afraid of the dark
3
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
Types of verbs:
1. Zero-argument predicates: weather verbs: [Begin with ‘Dummy it’ = no semantic
content]; (p.47)
It is sunny
It is snowing
It is raining
It is hot
It is freezing
It is chilly…
2. One argument predicate consist of what are traditionally known as intransitive
verbs, (verbs that do not take an object):
The birds flew away = [fly, the birds]
The child choked = [choke, the child]
The child is sleeping = [sleep, the child]
Janet became a lawyer
He arrived early
She sneazes
He always yawns
Mary burned the cake (DO) = [burn, Mary, the cake]
The cake burned = [burn, the cake]
3. Two-argument predicates consist of transitive verbs: (break, send, write, teach…etc)
The news surprised us = [surprise, news, us]
He wrote a letter = [write, he, a letter]
Diana left the gym = [leave, Diana, the gym]
John took a vacation = [take, John, a vacation]
4. Three-argument predicates include ditransitive verbs: (give, offer, grant, award,
tell….)
The traffic police gave me a ticket = [give, the traffic police, me, a ticket]
The university offered Mary a scholarship = [offer, the university, Mary, a
scholarship]
4
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
4.2.1 Semantic Roles (p.48):
Weather verbs (valency 0); The verbs take the dummy pronoun “it”
It is raining = [rain, 0]
It snowed last week = [snow, 0]
It has been thundering = [thunder, 0]
Rain, drizzle, pour, freeze, thunder, snow, bucket, etc..
It is misty
It is foggy
Grammatical Relations versus Semantic (Thematic) Roles;
a) Mary slapped John
b) A dog bit John
c) John was bitten by a dog
d) John underwent major heart surgery
The term ‘subject’ is defined as the doer of the action, while the term ‘object’ is the person or
thing acted upon by the doer.
The subject is not always the agent, and the object is called “Patient/Affected”.
Grammatical Relations DO NOT always mirror Semantic/Thematic Roles; there is NO one-
to-one relationship between the grammatical relation and the semantic role.
Agent is generally expressed as the subject of an active sentence or in the by-phrase if a passive
sentence and only rarely as object
4.2 Semantic Roles (p.47);
Tom broke a window = [break, Tom, a window]; Tom = Agent, A window; Patient/Affected
A window broke = [break, a window]; A window; Patient/Affected
A rope broke = [break, a rope]; A rope = Patient/Affected
A plate broke = [break, a plate]; A plate = Patient/Affected
5
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
Inventory of Semantic Roles
AGENT: the initiator of some action, capable of action with volition (will, desire, wish):
David cooked the meat.
The fox jumped out of the ditch.
PATIENT: the entity undergoing the effect of some action, often undergoing some change of state:
John cuts back the bushes.
The sun melted the ice.
The ice melted.
THEME: the entity which is moved by an action, or whose location is described:
Roberto passed the ball wide.
The book is in the library.
EXPERINCER: the entity which is aware of the action or state described by the predicate, but
which is not in control of the action or state (predicate the describe emotions; fear, love, hate):
Kevin fell ill.
Mary saw the lion.
Bill heard the door shut.
John fears dogs.
BENEFICIARY/BENEFACTIVE: the semantic role of a participant (argument), usually human
or animate, for whose benefit the action was performed:
Robert filled in the form for his grandmother.
They baked me a cake.
They baked a cake for me.
I bought my mother a present.
I bought a present for my mother.
INSTRUMENT: the means by which an action is performed, or something comes about:
Mary cleaned the wound with an antiseptic wipe.
They signed the treaty with the same pen.
John cuts the meat with a sharp knife.
LOCATION: the place in which something is situated:
The monster was hiding under the bed.
The band played in the new theater.
6
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
GOAL: the entity towards which something moves, either literally or metaphorically:
Sheila handed her license to the policeman.
Bill told the joke to his friends.
SOURCE: the entity from which something moves, either literally or metaphorically:
The plane came back from London.
We got the idea from a French magazine.
RECIPEINT: animate entity which acquires something or describes changes of possession:
Bill received the letter.
Mary sent the letter to Bill.
Mary sent Bill the letter.
The university offered Mary a scholarship.
The university offered a scholarship to Mary.
*The hamburger ate the man. [anomalous sentence]
*My saucepan is pregnant. [anomalous sentence]
Practice: What is the semantic role of the underlined expressions:
1) The boy kicked the ball. [AGENT]
2) My mother wrote a letter. [AGENT]
3) John opened the door with the key. [AGENT, THEME, INSTRUMENT]
4) The boy feels sad. [EXPERINCER]
5) The news please me. [EXPERINCER]
6) The boy ran from the house. [SOURCE]
7) The boy walked to school. [GOAL]
8) Vancouver is a rain city. [LOCATION]
9) John found me a nice flat in Dubai. [BENEFICIARY/BENEFACTIVE]
10) I paid my landlord the rent. [RECIPEINT]
11) Gina raised the car with a jack. [Raise, AGENT, THEME, INSTRUMENT]
[Syntax; Gina=sub, the car, direct obj, a jack = prepositional phrase]
12) The jack raised the car. [Raise, INSTRUMENT, THEME]
13) We saw Gina raise the car with a jack. [EXPERIENCE]
7
SEMANTICS, Fall 2021/2022 Dr. Najib Ismail Jarad
Exercise:
1. Tony pushed the cart to the wall. [Push, AGENT, THEME, GOAL]
2. John gave a ring to his girlfriend. [Give, AGENT, THEME, RECIPIENT]
3. Helen was freed from the prison. [THEME, SOURCE]
4. Josh stirs the soup with a wooden spoon. [AGENT, PATIENT, INSTRUMENT]
5. The smell of fried onion filled Sam’s nostrils. [THEME, EXPERIENCER]
6. John baked the chicken. [PATIENT]
7. The chicken was baked by John. [PATIENT]
8. The chicken baked in the oven. [PATIENT, LOCATION]
9. They saw the star with a telescope. [EXPERINCER, THEME, INSTRUMENT]
10. I like Indian food. [EXPERINCER]
11. I returned from Russia. [SOURCE]
12. John answered the phone for Mary. [BENEFICIARY/BENEFACTIVE]
13. John paid me the money. [RECIPEINT, THEME]
John paid the money to me. (to = recipient)
John baked me a cake.
John baked a cake for me. (for = beneficiary)
