Multi-word Unit Expressions
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Idioms, along with all other multi-word unit expressions, can be defined as semantically motivated expressions (Nunberg et. el., 1999).
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Why are MWE’s hard for NLP?
Non-compositional MWEs pose tough challenges for automatic analysis because their interpretation cannot be achieved by directly combining the semantics of their constituents, thereby causing the “pain in the neck of NLP” (Sag et al. 2002; Rayson 2010).
Additionally, parsers sometimes still have errors with certain fixed expressions such as “in line” due to lack of determiners (Sag et. al., 2002).
What’s an Example of an Idiom?
Compositional example: Hit the nail on the head = be exactly right
Non-compositional example: Kick the bucket = To die
Are Idioms Compositional?
The short answer: Yes and no!
Idioms can be compositional, also referred to as semantically combining expressions, but they can be non-compositional as well, often refered to as phrasal idioms (Nunberg, et. al., 1999). Idioms are scalar in terms of opaqueness and transparacy; some idioms are easy to understand through their individal parts, and some are not.
Try it: How would you define these MWE’s?
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Expression 1: It’s raining cats and dogs!(e.g., idiom, compound noun…)
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This is an example of an idiomatic expression. Cats and dogs are not literary falling from the sky, but the phrase does offer a bit of compositionality due to the expression relating to a heavy downpour, so one could easily guess its meaning in context to its surronding words.
Expression 2: I’ll take the next flight out (e.g., phrasal verb..)
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This is an example of a light verb because it uses a verb + noun, where the verb is taking on a new meaning to support the meaning of the noun (Sag et. al., 2002).
Expression 3: On the other hand… Lys (2024) argues for better education systems.(e.g., collocation, compound…)
Show your analysis
This is an example of a lexical bundle, because this string of words “on the other hand” can only be used in academic papers, and is known to function as a transitional phrase.
References
- <-- Sag et. al., (2002) -->
- <-- Nunberg et. al., (1999) >
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