Rahele Gandomkar
Abstract
Format-based semantics was first proposed by Charles Fillmore after putting forward the notion of ‘format’ (1977a, 1977b, 1985, 1987) as a perspective in the framework of semantics. Fillmore, in this lexical approach, uses the term format as a method for semantically analyzing natural language. ...
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Format-based semantics was first proposed by Charles Fillmore after putting forward the notion of ‘format’ (1977a, 1977b, 1985, 1987) as a perspective in the framework of semantics. Fillmore, in this lexical approach, uses the term format as a method for semantically analyzing natural language. The author of the present paper, using many examples of standard Persian, evaluates efficiency of this theory in Persianto determine its comprehensiveness with a language which has not been the subject of Fillmore’s research. The results from this evaluation show that Fillmore, contrary to the original claim of cognitive semantic scholars, has sought representative image formation in proposing his theory. Not only most Persian verbs have not been predicted in many of the instances of Fillmore’s formats, many formats have been merged. The lack of efficiency of this theory, at least in Persian , results from neglecting the fact that when we see something in the outside world, we enter it into Persian based on how we have understood it. Our understanding of the representations around us determine what sentences we bring into the language. It does not seem suitable nor correct to reach a specific format based on a few elements in a given image.
