Noun Inflection

## Definiteness

### Definite identifiability

Definite identifiability is a kind of definiteness which indicates that an expression’s referent(s) is in some way identifiable to both speaker and addressee. The referent is identifiable because of a shared knowledge or situation, including a previous mention of the referent.

### Generic term

A generic term is a noun or noun phrase that refers to a whole class, or any member of a class as a representative of its class.

### Indefiniteness

Indefiniteness is a kind of definiteness indicating that the referent(s) of an expression are not presumed to be identifiable. The referent is not identifiable because of a lack of shared knowledge or situation, including no previous mention of the referent.

### Non-specificity

Nonspecificity is a kind of definiteness, expressed by an interpretation of or grammatical marking on a noun or noun phrase, indicating that the speaker presumably does not know the identity of the referent(s).

### Specificity

Specificity is a kind of definiteness, expressed by the interpretation of or grammatical marking on a noun or noun phrase, indicating that the speaker presumably knows the identity of the referent(s).

## Semantic Role

### Accompaniment

Accompaniment is the semantic role of a thing that participates in close association with an agent, causer, or affected in an event.

### Agent

Agent is the semantic role of a person or thing who is the doer of an event.

### Beneficiary

A beneficiary is the semantic role of a referent which is advantaged or disadvantaged by an event.

### Causer

Causer is the semantic role of the referent which instigates an event rather than actually doing it.

### Counter-agent

A counteragent is the semantic role of a force or resistance against which an action is carried out.

### Dative

Dative is the semantic role of a referent that is conscious of being affected by the state or action identified by the verb.

### Experiencer

Experiencer is the semantic role of an entity (or referent) which receives, accepts, experiences, or undergoes the effect of an action.

### Factitive

Factitive is the semantic role of an referent that results from the action or state identified by a verb.

### Goal

Goal is the semantic role of the place to which something moves, or thing toward which an action is directed.

### Instrument

Instrument is the semantic role of an inanimate thing that an agent uses to implement an event. It is the stimulus or immediate physical cause of an event.

### Locative

Locative is a semantic role which identifies the location or spatial orientation of a state or action. A locative semantic role does not imply motion to, from, or across the location.

### Manner

Manner is a semantic role that notes how the action, experience, or process of an event is carried out.

### Measure

Measure is a semantic role which notes the quantification of an event.

### Path

Path is the semantic role describing the locale(s) transversed in motion or propulsion predications.

### Patient

Patient is a semantic role that is usually the surface object of the verb in a sentence.

### Range

Range is the semantic role of the entity that completes, is a product of, or further specifies an event.

### Result

A result is a semantic role that refers to that which is produced by an event. This role is usually encoded as the surface object of a sentence.

### Source

Source is the semantic role of the following referents:The place of origin (with verbs of motion, locomotion, and propulsion); the entity from which a physical sensation emanates (with verbs of sensation, attention, and speech); The original owner in a transfer (with verbs of acquisition, transfer, and grab)

### Time

Time is the semantic role of the temporal placement of an event.