Lexical conceptual structure

Lexical Conceptual Structure is semantic level of representation encoding certain aspects of the meaning of predicates through e.g. decomposition, and linked to predicate-argument structure. Also called lexico-conceptual structure.

Example

the predicator give is taken to be specified at the level of LCS as in (i).

(i) give: [CAUSE (x, [GO (y, [TO (z) ])])]
 

In the specification give is decomposed into the three predicates CAUSE, GO, and TO, according to the intuition that a sentence such as John gave me the book means that John (=x) caused the book (=y) to go to me (=z). An adequate analysis captures semantic relations between sentences. Thus the fact that John gave me the book implies the book went to me, is accounted for by the mere fact that the LCS of the book went to me, i.e. [GO (y, [TO (z)])], is a proper part of (i).

Link

Utrecht Lexicon of Linguistics

References

• Grimshaw, J. 1990. Argument Structure, MIT-press, Cambridge, Mass.
• Jackendoff, R. 1990. Semantic Structures, Cambridge, MIT-Press.