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WordNet: An On-line Lexical Database

Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990))

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Adjectives in WordNet

  1. What are the two major classes of adjectives in WordNet?
    Descriptive adjectives (big, heavy, interesting), which ascribe a value of an attribute to a noun (heavy: WEIGHT(package) = heavy), and relational adjectives (presidential, nuclear), which relate to a noun and are cross-referenced to the noun files.
    • Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990)), Adjectives in WordNet
  2. What is the basic semantic relation among descriptive adjectives, and why?
    Antonymy: most attributes are bipolar, and antonymous adjectives express opposing values of an attribute (heavy/light for WEIGHT). WordNet also links descriptive adjectives to the noun lexicalizing their attribute.
    • Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990)), Adjectives in WordNet
  3. Distinguish direct and indirect antonyms. How are adjectives organized around them?
    Direct antonyms are lexically paired opposites (wet/dry); indirect antonyms are conceptual opposites reached through similarity (moist → wet → dry). Adjectives form bipolar clusters: two focal antonyms, each surrounded by similar adjectives (satellites).
    wetdrymoistdampsoggyaridparchedsereantonym
    Dashed: similarity; moist’s indirect antonym is dry
    • Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990)), Adjectives in WordNet
  4. Why do many descriptive adjectives lack direct antonyms?
    Direct antonymy is a lexical association between particular words, typically frequent (mostly Anglo-Saxon) adjectives learned together; less common near-synonyms (ponderous, weightless) get their opposition indirectly through the focal pair.
    • Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990)), Adjectives in WordNet
  5. How does WordNet handle a gradable but non-bipolar attribute like anger?
    With a special cluster headed by angry/not angry, since such attributes have degrees (from no anger to fury) but no lexicalized opposite pole.
    • Miller et al., 1990, Five Papers on WordNet (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990)), Adjectives in WordNet

Source

  • George A. Miller, Richard Beckwith, Christiane Fellbaum, Derek Gross and Katherine Miller. 1990. Five Papers on WordNet. In Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton University (revised 1993; first published in International Journal of Lexicography 3(4), 1990). https://wordnetcode.cs.princeton.edu/5papers.pdf