Using Ontologies to Model Polysemy in Lexical Resources

In this article we look at how the use of ontologies can assist in analysing polysemy in natural languages. We develop a model, the Lexical-Sense-Ontology model (LSO), to represent the interaction between a lexicon and ontology, based on lemon. We use the LSO model to show how default rules can be used to represent semi-productivity in polysemy as well as discussing the kinds of ontological information that are useful for studying polysemy.