Underspecification in the semantics of word-formation : the case of denominal verbs of removal in Italian

Abstract

This paper analyzes a case of Italian word-formation, in which the semantics of the derived words appears to contain mutually exclusive ambiguities. Italian productively derives verbs of removal from nouns. These verbs have the general semantic form A removes X from Y. However, there are two subtypes that differ in whether the nominal base of the derived verb is taken to be the FIGURE or the GROUND: scremare to skim ; (crema cream ) is a FIGURE-verb, and stanare to make come out of the burrow (tana burrow ) is a GROUND-verb. Traditional approaches are at a loss to give a uniform account for the semantics of derivational processes of these two kinds. In this paper, a uniform analysis is proposed. It is based upon the model of lexical semantics known as two-level semantics. Two-level semantics makes a distinction between a layer of meaning which is defined by grammar, and a level of interpretation, which is based upon conceptual knowledge. We propose that the derivation of Italian denominal verbs of removal of both types starts from a single underspecified representation, which is then specified at the conceptual level; depending on the concept type of the base, the denominal verb is either a FIGURE-verb or a GROUND-verb. In general, this paper argues that the two-level approach to semantics can be fruitfully improved by combining it with the notion of underspecification. And on a more general level, it is an example of how language specific semantics may be embedded in cognitive structure.