Documentation

Linglib.Semantics.Verb.Defs

Verb entry — core type #

Framework-agnostic types for verb semantics: the selectional/inflectional enums (VoiceType, SenseTag, …; complementation enums live in Features/Complementation.lean) and the Verb structure that bundles the semantic fields shared across languages.

Verb is the semantic spine of a verb entry. Its fields are organised into facet structures under the Verb namespace — Verb.ArgStructure, Verb.Aspect, Verb.Presupposition, Verb.Causation, Verb.Attitude — which Verb composes via extends. Flat field access (v.frames, v.attitude, …) is preserved by extends-flattening, and language fragments extend Verb with their own inflectional paradigms. Complement selection is a list of typed Frames (Syntax/Clause/Frame.lean); frame-conditioned attitude/opacity/control lives on Verb.Reading rows; the legacy flat readers (v.complementType, v.controlType, …) are derived accessors over frames/readings.

Verb classification (factive, causative, attitude, …) is DERIVED from these primitive fields in Semantics/Verb/Basic.lean, not stipulated as an enum.

Main declarations #

Design #

[BS26a] [Day25] [Hei92] [Ica12] [Ken07] [Mai15] [QOR+25] [RHL24] [SB24] [RHL98]

Selectional and inflectional enums #

inductive VoiceType :

Framework-neutral voice type for deriving argument structure properties.

Captures the external-argument dimension of the verb's syntactic frame without committing to a specific syntactic framework. Maps to Minimalist.VoiceFlavor via bridge theorems in interface files.

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    @[implicit_reducible]
    instance instDecidableEqVoiceType :
    DecidableEq VoiceType
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    def instReprVoiceType.repr :
    VoiceTypeStd.Format
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      @[implicit_reducible]
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      Does this voice type introduce an external argument?

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        Presupposition trigger type ([TBRS13] classification).

        • Hard triggers: Always project (too, again, also)
        • Soft triggers: Context-sensitive projection (stop, know)
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            Is this trigger locally accommodatable (soft)? Both factive and prerequisite triggers are soft.

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              Complement presupposition projection behavior ([Kar73]).

              Orthogonal to PresupTriggerType (whether the verb triggers presuppositions): this classifies what the verb does with presuppositions of its complement.

              • plug: blocks all complement presuppositions (say, tell, promise)
              • hole: lets all complement presuppositions project (know, regret, stop)
              • filter: conditionally cancels some complement presuppositions (if...then, and, or)
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                  inductive SenseTag :

                  Disambiguates polysemous verb entries that share a citation form.

                  When a verb has multiple lexical entries (e.g., "remember" as implicative vs. "remember" as factive question-embedding), the SenseTag records why multiple entries exist:

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                    @[implicit_reducible]
                    instance instDecidableEqSenseTag :
                    DecidableEq SenseTag
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                    def instReprSenseTag.repr :
                    SenseTagStd.Format
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                      @[implicit_reducible]
                      instance instReprSenseTag :
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                      inductive ImplicitInterp :

                      Interpretation of an implicit (unexpressed) argument.

                      Cross-linguistic: applies to any argument position where the verb allows the argument to be absent. The distinction captures whether the missing referent must be pragmatically recoverable (definite) or can be unspecified (indefinite). [Bru21], [Fil86].

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                        @[implicit_reducible]
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                        def instReprImplicitInterp.repr :
                        ImplicitInterpStd.Format
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                          Field facets #

                          Each facet groups a concern's fields; Verb composes them via extends, so flat access (v.complementType) is preserved.

                          Argument structure and realization: complement selection, control, proto-role entailments, voice, and implicit arguments.

                          • frames : List Frame

                            Complement frames, citation frame first. [] for intransitives. The legacy ComplementType cells are the Frame.np, Frame.finiteClause, … smart constructors (Syntax/Clause/Frame.lean).

                          • subjectEntailments : Option ArgumentStructure.EntailmentProfile

                            Proto-role entailment profile for the subject (external argument). The authoritative representation of argument semantics ([Dow91], [Gri11], [Lev19]). Convenience role labels can be derived via EntailmentProfile.toRole.

                          • objectEntailments : Option ArgumentStructure.EntailmentProfile

                            Proto-role entailment profile for the first object (internal argument).

                          • unaccusative : Bool

                            Is the verb unaccusative? (subject is underlying object) When voiceType is present, prefer derivedUnaccusative which derives this from Voice selection ([Kra96]).

                          • voiceType : Option VoiceType

                            Framework-neutral voice type: determines whether an external argument is introduced. When set, derivedUnaccusative derives unaccusativity from this field, connecting the Fragment entry to Voice theory.

                          • passivizable : Bool

                            Can the verb passivize?

                          • implicitObj : Option ImplicitInterp

                            Can the direct object (theme/patient) be left unexpressed? Applies to monotransitives (eat vs devour) and the theme of ditransitives. none = object always required. [Bru21]

                          • implicitGoal : Option ImplicitInterp

                            Can the goal/recipient argument be left unexpressed? Applies to the IO of double object constructions and the PP of dative frames. none = goal always required.

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                            @[implicit_reducible]
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                            def Verb.instReprArgStructure.repr :
                            ArgStructureStd.Format
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                                structure Verb.Aspect :

                                Aspectual class: Vendler class, degree-achievement scale, incrementality, and change-of-state type.

                                • vendlerClass : Option Features.VendlerClass

                                  [Ven57] aspectual class of the verb's base VP. For verbs whose class depends on the object NP (eat apples = activity, eat two apples = accomplishment), record the class with a quantized (bounded) object. none for verbs where Vendler class is inapplicable (e.g., clause-embedding verbs).

                                • For degree achievements: the scale structure from which default vendlerClass is derived. When present, vendlerClass should agree with degreeAchievementScale.defaultVendlerClass.

                                • [Kri98] incrementality class of the object/theme role. .sinc = strictly incremental (eat, build); .inc = incremental with backups (read); .cumOnly = cumulative only (push, carry). none for intransitives and clause-embedding verbs.

                                • For CoS verbs: which type (cessation, inception, continuation)?

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                                  def Verb.instReprAspect.repr :
                                  AspectStd.Format
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                                      Presupposition profile: trigger type and complement-projection behavior.

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                                            structure Verb.Causation :

                                            Causal/implicative semantics: implicative polarity, causative mechanism, and psych-causative source.

                                            • implicative : Option Features.Implicative

                                              For implicative verbs: complement entailment polarity (links to compositional semantics).

                                            • causative : Option Features.Causative

                                              For causative verbs: force-dynamic mechanism (links to compositional semantics).

                                            • causalSource : Option Causation.Psych.CausalSource

                                              Source of causation for psych causatives ([Kim24] UPH). .external = mind-external percept, .internal = mind-internal representation.

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                                              @[implicit_reducible]
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                                              def Verb.instReprCausation.repr :
                                              CausationStd.Format
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                                                  structure Verb.Reading :

                                                  One frame-conditioned reading of a verb ([Bon22] §4.4.3 hanaxa; Greek thimame): per-frame overrides of the lexeme-level attitude and opacity (none = inherit Verb.attitude / Verb.opaqueContext), and the frame's control type.

                                                  • frame : Frame

                                                    The frame this reading is conditioned on (one of the verb's frames; Verb.readingsWF).

                                                  • attitude : Option Features.Attitude

                                                    Frame-conditioned attitude override.

                                                  • opaqueContext : Option Bool

                                                    Frame-conditioned opacity override.

                                                  • control : Option ControlType

                                                    Control type for this frame.

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                                                    def Verb.instDecidableEqReading.decEq (x✝ x✝¹ : Reading) :
                                                    Decidable (x✝ = x✝¹)
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                                                      @[implicit_reducible]
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                                                      def Verb.instReprReading.repr :
                                                      ReadingStd.Format
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                                                        structure Verb.Attitude :

                                                        Attitudinal and intensional properties: attitude classification, opacity, question-embedding, and complement monotonicity.

                                                        • opaqueContext : Bool

                                                          Does the verb create an opaque context for its complement?

                                                        • attitude : Option Features.Attitude

                                                          Unified attitude classification covering doxastic and preferential attitudes. Theoretical properties (C-distributivity, parasitic, etc.) are DERIVED.

                                                        • readings : List Reading

                                                          Frame-conditioned readings ([Bon22] §4.4.3): per-frame attitude/opacity overrides and control, keyed to frames entries.

                                                        • takesQuestionBase : Bool

                                                          For non-preferential question-embedding verbs (know, wonder, ask)

                                                        • complementSig : Option NaturalLogic.EntailmentSig

                                                          Entailment signature of the complement position. Classifies this verb's monotonicity w.r.t. its clausal complement. .mono = upward monotone: the report is closed under entailment of the complement, as in Hintikka-style doxastic semantics ([Hin62]). Set only where the classification is textbook consensus (believe, think, know); preferential attitudes (want, hope) are contested ([Hei92]) and stay none.

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                                                          def Verb.instReprAttitude.repr :
                                                          AttitudeStd.Format
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                                                              Cross-linguistic verb core: all semantic fields shared across languages.

                                                              Composes the Verb.* facets (argument structure, aspect, presupposition, causation, attitude, root) plus the citation form, speech-act status, and a polysemy disambiguator. Language-specific fragments extend this with morphological fields appropriate to their inflectional system.

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                                                                @[implicit_reducible]
                                                                instance instReprVerb :
                                                                Repr Verb
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                                                                def instReprVerb.repr :
                                                                VerbStd.Format
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                                                                  def instBEqVerb.beq :
                                                                  VerbVerbBool
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                                                                  • instBEqVerb.beq x✝¹ x✝ = false
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                                                                    @[implicit_reducible]
                                                                    instance instBEqVerb :
                                                                    BEq Verb
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                                                                    Frame accessors #

                                                                    Flat readers over Verb.frames/Verb.readings, preserving the legacy enum-based call syntax: the citation frame's complement/control type and the alternate frame's, when present.

                                                                    The citation (first) frame's legacy ComplementType cell.

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                                                                      The alternate (second) frame's legacy ComplementType cell.

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                                                                        The control type of the reading keyed to the citation frame.

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                                                                          The control type of the reading keyed to the alternate frame.

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                                                                            def Verb.attitudeOn (v : Verb) (fr : Frame) :

                                                                            The effective attitude on frame fr: reading override, else lexeme default.

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                                                                              Every reading is keyed to one of the verb's frames.

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                                                                                All [Noo07] codings across the verb's frames.

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                                                                                  Some frame of the verb records clause form cf.

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