Semantic content & linguistic objects in DM

[Martha McGinnis]

Dear Karim,

You're right, there's no *single* lexicon in DM.  (There's also no
generative lexicon -- all combinatorial operations are syntactic in
nature.)  But actually, DM assumes that linguistic information is
stored in *three* places:

1. the pre-syntactic Lexicon, which contains bundles of
syntactic/semantic features and (content-free) lexical roots that are
selected and manipulated by the syntax.

2. the post-syntactic Vocabulary, which contains (root and non-root)
items that associate phonological strings ("the", "dog", etc) with
syntactic features and/or categories.

3. the post-Vocabulary Encyclopedia, which associates chunks of
syntax and phonology with "encyclopedic" meaning.  The Encyclopedia
lists special meanings not only for lexical roots, but also meanings
for phrasal idioms (which in DM include complex words).

Cheers,
Martha
--
mcginnis at ucalgary.ca