Distributional Semantics and Linguistic Theory
Abstract
Distributional semantics provides multi-dimensional, graded, empirically induced word representations that successfully capture many aspects of meaning in natural languages, as shown in a large body of work in computational linguistics; yet, its impact in theoretical linguistics has so far been limited. This review provides a critical discussion of the literature on distributional semantics, with an emphasis on methods and results that are of relevance for theoretical linguistics, in three areas: semantic change, polysemy and composition, and the grammar-semantics interface (specifically, the interface of semantics with syntax and with derivational morphology). The review aims at fostering greater cross-fertilization of theoretical and computational approaches to language, as a means to advance our collective knowledge of how it works.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1905.01896,
title = {Distributional Semantics and Linguistic Theory},
author = {Gemma Boleda},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1905.01896},
year = {2020}
}
Comments
22 pages, 4 figures; preprint version (minor modifications wrt previous version). When citing this article, please use the journal reference: Boleda, G. 2020. Distributional Semantics and Linguistic Theory. Annu. Rev. Linguist. 6:213-34