Reusing Swedish FrameNet for training semantic roles

AbstractIn this article we present the first experiences of reusing the Swedish FrameNet (SweFN) as a resource for training semantic roles. We give an account of the procedure we used to adapt SweFN to the needs of students of Linguistics in the form of an automatically generated exercise. During this adaptation, the mapping of the fine-grained distinction of roles from SweFN into learner-friendlier coarse-grained roles presented a major challenge. Besides discussing the details of this mapping, we describe the resulting multiple-choice exercise and its graphical user interface. The exercise was made available through Lärka, an online platform for students of Linguistics and learners of Swedish as a second language. We outline also aspects underlying the selection of the incorrect answer options which include semantic as well as frequency-based criteria. Finally, we present our own observations and initial user feedback about the applicability of such a resource in the pedagogical domain. Students’ answers indicated an overall positive experience, the majority found the exercise useful for learning semantic roles.