lexical representation language

A model used in SEMANTICS to REPRESENT basic LEXICAL entries and characterize systematic lexical processes. A notion of ‘types’ is used to structure lexical entries, which are represented as FEATURE structures (a ‘typed feature structure language’), and specify how they combine by means of GRAMMAR rules, or CONSTRAINTS on PHRASAL types. The types are organized in a conceptual HIERARCHY as a LATTICE framework, with the top being the most general type and the bottom indicating inconsistency. The model is not restricted to lexical representation (despite its name), being also used for SYNTAGMATIC description.