Frame-semantic issues in building a bilingual lexicographic resource

This paper discusses the issues that emerged from applying frame semantics to the development of a small-scale bilingual database for Greek and English motion verbs. Proposing an alternative to current lexicography in Greece, the database exploits available corpora and query systems, and carries out a (manual) frame-semantic analysis of the extracted data. The most important theoretical implication of the database is that by combining frame semantics with conceptual metaphor theory and corpus-based information on usage patterns, we can make precise (monolingual) descriptions and effective (cross-linguistic) comparisons. From a practical perspective, the database complements existing English FrameNet and contributes to the creation of a new resource, i.e. a FrameNet for Greek.