The connection between adjectives and qualities in wordnet

Adjectival semantics is extremely complex and intertwined with the problem of finding an adequate description of antonymy relationship. In this paper, we will give an analysis of WordNet’s treatment of the adjectival semantic and of its main theoretical assumptions, especially its grounding of adjectival semantics on the internal structure of qualities. As we will argue, this hypothesis is extremely insightful for understanding the antonymic organization of adjectives, but in WordNet it rests just a mere assumption, without any reference to the experimental literature on qualities organization at the perceptual level; when compared with it, qualities reveal to be much more articulated and complex than WordNet’s assumptions.