Digital Humanities

Be ready to discuss the following questions:

1) How does frame semantics differ from traditional semantic theories in its approach to understanding meaning in language?

2) What are the primary components of a semantic frame, and how do they interact to convey meaning in a sentence?

3) Discuss the role of frame elements in frame semantics. How do they help in organizing and interpreting linguistic data?

4) How can frame semantics be applied to the analysis of multilingual texts? What challenges might arise in this context?

5) What is the significance of the "Apply _heat" frame as an example in understanding how frames operate within language?

6) How does the FrameNet project utilize the principles of frame semantics to contribute to computational linguistics and natural language processing?

7) In what ways do frames reflect the cultural, social, and bodily experiences of a speech community?

8) How does Construction Grammar relate to frame semantics, and what does it add to our understanding of linguistic structures?

9) What is the role of frame-to-frame relations in the organization of knowledge within frame semantics? Provide examples of such relationships.

10) Discuss the concept of constructional polysemy in Construction Grammar. How does it allow for flexibility and creativity in language use?

11) How can frame semantics be applied to the analysis of digital texts and corpora within Digital Humanities?

12) What ethical considerations should be taken into account when using frame semantics to analyze cultural or linguistic data?

13) In what ways does frame semantics contribute to the understanding of cross-cultural communication and the interpretation of meaning across different languages?

14) Discuss how semantic frames can be extended or modified to accommodate new concepts or technologies, such as "self-driving cars."

15) How does the structured approach of FrameNet help in developing natural language processing tools, and what impact does it have on the field of Digital Humanities?

Recommended reading

• Pan, Y. (2003). Frame Semantics: The Theory and its Applications.
  Foreign Languages Research.

  • Description: This paper provides an introduction to frame semantics, explaining its foundational concepts and how it is applied in the FrameNet Project to analyze lexical, syntactic, and semantic phenomena. The paper contrasts frame semantics with traditional semantic theories.

• Hirst, G. (1983). A Foundation for Semantic Interpretation.

  • Description: This paper discusses the differences between traditional semantic interpretation methods and frame semantics, exploring how frame semantics provides a more structured and formalized approach to natural language understanding.

• Ziem, A. (2014). Frames of Understanding in Text and Discourse: Theoretical Foundations and Descriptive Applications.

  • Description: The book delves into the theoretical foundations of frame semantics, particularly its role in cognitive linguistics, and how it serves as an alternative to traditional semantics by organizing and understanding meaning through "frames."

• Nerlich, B., & Clarke, D. (2000). Semantic Fields and Frames: Historical Explorations of the Interface between Language, Action, and Cognition.
  Journal of Pragmatics, 32, 125-150.

  • Description: This paper compares the concepts of semantic fields and frames, highlighting how frame semantics provides a more dynamic and context-sensitive understanding of meaning compared to traditional semantic theories.

• Das, D., et al. (2014). Frame-Semantic Parsing.
  Computational Linguistics, 40, 9-56.

  • Description: This paper explores the application of frame semantics in computational linguistics, particularly in parsing. It contrasts frame semantics with traditional parsing methods, showing how frame semantics offers more nuanced interpretations.

• Petruck, M. R. L. (1996). Frame Semantics.

  • Description: This paper offers an overview of frame semantics as a research program in empirical semantics, emphasizing its continuities with human experience and its advantages over traditional semantic theories in explaining word meaning.

• Löbner, S. (2015). Frame Theory with First-Order Comparators: Modeling the Lexical Meaning of Punctual Verbs of Change with Frames.

  • Description: This paper proposes a formal foundation for frame theory, showing how frames can be embedded into a general ontology and compared to traditional semantic approaches, particularly in modeling lexical meaning.

• Chang, N., et al. (2015). Scaling Semantic Frame Annotation.

  • Description: This paper discusses the challenges and methodologies for scaling frame semantic annotation, especially in large-scale linguistic resources like FrameNet, and contrasts it with traditional methods of semantic annotation.

• Gao, L. (2019). Interpreting English Legal Terms by Semantic Frames.
  Journal of Literature and Art Studies.

  • Description: The paper applies frame semantics to the interpretation of English legal terms, demonstrating how this approach provides deeper insights compared to traditional semantic theories, particularly in the context of legal language.

• Ostler, N. (1993). Perception Vocabulary in Five Languages - Towards an Analysis Using Frame Elements.

  • Description: This essay examines perception vocabulary across five languages using frame semantics, highlighting how this approach uncovers cross-linguistic variations more effectively than traditional semantic methods.