Semantic Analysis of the Verb “Goftan” (to Tell) Based on Frame Semantics Theory: A Corpus Based Study

The movement of  “Cognitive Semantics” appears against the independence of the syntax from lexical domain and calls into question the semantics being peripheral as it is mentioned in Chomsky's (1982) “Generative theory”. In this regard, Fillmore's (1982) “Frame Semantics theory” is one of the major achievements of cognitive semantics. In this theory Fillmore states that understanding the meanings of words is possible through frames that each word calls for. He also maintains that “Semantic Frames” display sections of an event used for connecting a group of words to a set of meanings and the meanings of words are perceived within a system of knowledge arising from the human's social and cultural experience. In fact, the difference between Frame Semantics with other lexico semantic hypotheses is its emphasis on the background knowledge based on which the meaning of words can be interpreted (Fillmore & Atkins, 1992, 1994, 2000; Fillmore & Baker, 2010). Also, the “FrameNet Project” is a Corpus-based study based on Fillmore's theory (Fillmore, et al., 2003). It is a lexicographic research project housed and administered at the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, California.  In this system, the meaning of words can be understood on the basis of semantic frames that are mental concepts. On the other hand, verbs are present as the most important element in most of the situations of an event and play significant role in the interpretation of the meaning; thus, working on it is a useful idea.
        The purpose of this study is to present a quantitative and corpus-based analysis in order to recognize the semantic domains and frames of the verb “Goftan” (to Tell) in Persian and sketch its main frame within the framework of Frame Semantics theory and the fact-finding model of FrameNet lexicography. In fact, it attempts to investigate what Fillmore and his colleagues did in English FrameNet and others in different languages as well as in the domain of Frame Semantics to be considered in Persian too. So, the main questions of this study are:
What are the semantic domains and frames of the verb “Goftan” (to Tell) in Persian based on the major concepts of Frame Semantics theory and FrameNet?
 Is it possible to design the main semantic frame of the verb “Goftan” (to Tell) in Persian?

To answer these questions, the authors investigate the background of studies and introduce Frame semantics theory and FrameNet lexicography. Then, they tried to be familiar with the verb “Goftan” and it’s frequency in Persian based on Persian Language Database (PLDB). To this end, 44 semantic domains and frames of the verb “Goftan” were recognized using encyclopedias, Persian contemporary corpora and FrameNet database. Then, the concept of “bar zabân Ɂâvardan va bayân kardan” (to express) was determined as the main meaning and prototype of this verb and for the first time its “Radial category” the authors sketched. Finally, the main frame of “Goftan” was created using principles and concepts proposed in Fillmore's Frame Semantics theory