Verb collocations and phraseology in EcoLexicon

Abstract

To satisfy the expectations of specialized audiences, translators are not only concerned with knowledge transfer, but also with the use of suitable terminological and phraseological units. Specialized resources with conceptual and linguistic information on a subject field are thus essential. This paper illustrates the treatment of verb collocations in Frame-based Terminology and the EcoLexicon knowledge base. Verbs are analyzed by studying their activation in texts and are classified in lexical domains and subdomains, according to the premises of the Lexical Grammar Model. Arguments are classified in sets of conceptual categories, along with their semantic roles and macro roles. Finally, verb-argument patterns associated with a specific category and domain are encoded in phraseological entries in EcoLexicon. English and Spanish verb collocations belonging to the extreme event and the category natural hazards are used to illustrate the process.