Word formation in LFG-based layered morphology and two-level semantics

This article treats the problem of how the semantics of word formation can be accounted for
in terms of rules and representations. A comprehensive model of multilayered, lfg-based
morphology is proposed. It comprises four layers of representation: phonology, constituent
structure, functional feature structure and lexical semantics. The meaning of derived words is treated in the framework of two-level semantics. It is assumed that rules of word formation derive underspecified semantic forms, parting from which the actual meanings are construed by recourse to conceptual structure. The model is illustrated on the basis of three morphological processes: French é-prefixation, Italian denominal verbs of removal, and noun-to-verb conversion in French. The analyses of é-prefixation and of verbs of removal are taken from the literature; the study on noun-to-verb conversion is original work.