# Distributional Semantics and Linguistic Theory

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.01896 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.01896/

## Key facts

- Cited by 53 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 6 May 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 53)

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- [A comparative evaluation and analysis of three generations of Distributional Semantic Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2105.09825/) (2021)
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- [Dynamic Epistemic Friction in Dialogue](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.10934/) (2025)
- [A Multidimensional Framework for Evaluating Lexical Semantic Change with Social Science Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.06052/) (2024)
- [Are LLMs Models of Distributional Semantics? A Case Study on Quantifiers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.13984/) (2024)
- [Grover's Algorithm for Question Answering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.05299/) (2021)
- [Semantic properties of English nominal pluralization: Insights from word embeddings](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15424/) (2022)
- [Making sense of spoken plurals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.01947/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Distributional semantics provides multi-dimensional, graded, empirically induced word representations that successfully capture many aspects of meaning in natural languages, as shown in a large body of work in computational linguistics; yet, its impact in theoretical linguistics has so far been limited. This review provides a critical discussion of the literature on distributional semantics, with an emphasis on methods and results that are of relevance for theoretical linguistics, in three areas: semantic change, polysemy and composition, and the grammar-semantics interface (specifically, the interface of semantics with syntax and with derivational morphology). The review aims at fostering greater cross-fertilization of theoretical and computational approaches to language, as a means to advance our collective knowledge of how it works.