The Semantic Representation of Anglo-Saxon (Ge-)Séon and (Gé-)Lócian: Syntactic Evidence for Meaning

Abstract

This paper explores the syntax and the semantics of the Old English verbs of visual perception (ge)séon and (ge)lócian in the context of the Lexical Constructional Model (Ruiz de Mendoza and Mairal 2006). The notion of construction, defined as a form-meaning pairing (Goldberg 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2006), is central to this approach that seeks to explain the relationship between lexical and syntactic meaning from a non-projectionist perspective. In addition, this model provides a suitable representational system that facilitates a decompositional account of word meaning and the interpretation of the linking processes between lexicon and grammar. The two basic aims of this paper will be to identify some of the relevant constructions that operate within the lexical class of Old English visual perception verbs and to propose lexical representations that formalize essential features of the syntactic and semantic properties of these verbs.