MKR 2025

Presentation

Natural language understanding systems require a knowledge base provided with formal representations reflecting the structure of human beings' cognitive system. Although surface semantics can be sufficient in some other systems, the construction of a robust knowledge base guarantees its use in most natural language processing applications, thus consolidating the concept of resource reuse. This conference deals with meaning and knowledge representation in the context of natural language understanding from the perspective of theoretical linguistics, computational linguistics, cognitive science, knowledge engineering, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, text analytics or linked data and semantic web technologies.

Following the success of previous editions, the 12th International Conference on Meaning and Knowledge Representation (MKR 2025) will take place in Logroño (Spain), July 9, 10 and 11, 2025, organized by University of La Rioja.

The MKR 2025 conference is a hybrid event, combining in-person and virtual attendance. However, face-to-face proposals will be prioritised.

This event is part of the R&D&I projects PID2023-146582NB-I00 and PID2023-147137NB-I00, funded by MICIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF, EU.

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Call for Papers

We invite 20-minute (plus 10-minute discussion) presentation proposals on the following general and/or specific topics:

General topics

At the crossroads between functionalist, cognitivist and/or constructionist approaches
Division of labour of lexical semantics and constructional semantics
Role of figurative language in meaning construction and grammar.
Relationship between semantics, pragmatics and discourse in meaning construction and/or meaning representation
Cognitive modelling and construal
Linked data and semantic web technologies
Knowledge representation and conversational agents
Artificial Intelligence and natural language processing (NLP)
Functional-cognitive approaches to language aware software
Human Language Technologies

Text analytics, mining, and NLP

Sentiment Analysis
Social-Media Text Processing
Web Content Mining
Information Extraction
Linked Data Development/Applications
Parsing, NER, POS tagging
Deep Learning on Unstructured Data
Topic Modelling and Detection
Lexicon Application and Generation
Natural Language Generation

Lexical Constructional Model (LCM) and FunGramKB specific topics

Meaning construction and meaning representation in the LCM
Methodological tools in the LCM (e.g. equipollence)
Syntactic representation in the LCM
The form of lexical and constructional templates in the LCM
Connections between the LCM and FunGramKB
Lexico-grammatical knowledge in FunGramKB
Terminology in FunGramKB
Conceptual representation in FunGramKB
Reasoning in FunGramKB
NLP applications of FunGramKB

Guidelines for submissions

Submissions should include the following information:

Author's name
Affiliation
E-mail address
Paper title
An abstract with a maximum of 500 words, excluding references

The official language of the conference is English. All paper proposals are assumed to represent original and unpublished work.

A maximum of two proposals per author may be submitted; in this case, one proposal should be as a sole author and the other as a co-author.

Abstracts must conform to the following guidelines.

Abstract submission deadline: May 12, 2025

Email for abstract submission: mkr2025@unirioja.es

You can download this call for papers in PDF format.

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Committees

Organising Committee

Chair

Mª Sandra Peña Cervel (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)

Committee members

Mª Asunción Barreras Gómez (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
María Enriqueta Cortés de los Ríos (Universidad de Almería, Spain)
Salma Errami Fennane (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
Ángel Miguel Felices Lago (Universidad de Granada, Spain)
Francisco Gonzálvez García (Universidad de Almería, Spain)
Rocío Jiménez Briones (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain)
Fredy Núñez Torres (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile)
Carla Ovejas Ramírez (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
M. Beatriz Pérez Cabello de Alba (UNED, Spain)
Carlos Periñán-Pascual (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)
Andreea Rosca (Universitat de València, Spain)
Francisco José Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
Ismael Iván Teomiro García (UNED, Spain)

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Scientific Committee

Francisco Arcas Túnez (Universidad Católica San Antonio, Spain)
Annalisa Baicchi (Università di Pavia, Italy)
Hans C. Boas (University of Texas at Austin, USA)
Chris Butler (Swansea University, UK)
Francisco Cortés Rodríguez (Universidad de La Laguna, Spain)
Elke Diedrichsen (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Ireland)
Ángel Felices Lago (Universidad de Granada, Spain)
Carlos González Vergara (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile)
Francisco Gonzálvez García (Universidad de Almería, Spain)
Markus Hofmann (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Ireland)
Rocío Jiménez Briones (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain)
Ricardo Mairal Usón (UNED, Spain)
Brian Nolan (Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Ireland)
Klaus-Uwe Panther (Universität Hamburg, Germany)
María Beatriz Pérez Cabello de Alba (UNED, Spain)
Sandra Peña Cervel (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
Carlos Periñán-Pascual (Universitat Politècnica de València, Spain)
Francisco Ruiz de Mendoza Ibáñez (Universidad de La Rioja, Spain)
Robert D. Van Valin, Jr. (University at Buffalo. The State University of New York, USA)

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Programme

You can download the conference programme and the book of abstracts.

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Plenary speakers

Augusto Soares da Silva
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Braga, Portugal

Cognitive modelling and construal in (lexical/constructional) meaning variation and change
This presentation outlines a framework for an approach to lexical and constructional meaning variation and change that, descriptively speaking, integrates a semasiological and an onomasiological perspective and that, theoretically speaking, explores the impact of cognitive linguistics on meaning variation and change. The framework will be illustrated with case studies focusing on prototypicality effects, construal operations that differentiate meanings, and metonymic and metaphorical patterns. In addition, recent methodological developments that exploit computational distributional methods for modelling semantic variation and change will be addressed.
Semasiological variation and change encompass (synchronic) prototypicality and polysemy as well as (diachronic) shifts within and between senses. Onomasiological variation and change, on the other hand, involve (synchronic) denotational synonyms and near-synonyms as well as (diachronic) shifts between forms and senses. These two structuring dimensions, i.e., semasiology vs. onomasiology and concepts vs. referents give rise to four types of variation and change in the lexicon (see Geeraerts et al. 2023). Extending these four types of lexical variation and change to constructional variation and change raises the issue of formal onomasiological variation in grammatical constructions, i.e., alternate constructions without differences in meaning. Furthermore, prototypicality (e.g., Geeraerts 1997), entrenchment (e.g., Schmid 2020), metonymic and metaphorical figurativity (e.g., Diaz-Vera 2015), and lectal variation play a fundamental role not only in lexical variation and change but also in constructional variation and change. Conversely, construal (and construal operations) (e.g., Langacker 2008) and (inter)subjectification (e.g., Traugott 2003, 2010, Davidse et al. 2010, Brems et al. 2014) are crucial not only for constructional variation and change but also for lexical variation and change. It is essential to distinguish between the (cognitive and social) mechanisms, (external) motivations, and tendencies driving lexical and constructional variation and change. Another key issue is understanding how lexical and constructional variation and change interact. A tentative hypothesis is that new meanings emerge from both an abstract constructional schema, which provides a template, and concrete constructional and lexical uses, which serve as models.
Illustrative case studies will be drawn primarily from Portuguese and will cover different categories of lexical and constructional variation, such as emotion concepts, the diachronic development of letting causation, the recent emergence of discourse marker uses for the adjective pronto 'ready, quick', and se constructions (presence vs. absence of the clitic). Methodologically, research on semantic variation and change benefits from a multifactorial quantitative perspective and advanced statistical techniques of a token-based distributional semantic approach. Multifactorial usage-feature analysis (Glynn 2014), the behavioural profile approach (Gries 2006) and vector space modelling (Geeraerts et al. 2023) enable the detection of semantic variation and change, the interplay of semasiological and onomasiological variation and change and the productivity of mechanisms driving semantic variation and change.

María Beatriz Pérez Cabello de Alba
Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Madrid, Spain

Automated Language Analysis for the Early Detection of Cognitive Decline Signals. Identification of linguistic patterns as biomarkers
This multidisciplinary study, related to Natural Language Processing, Linguistics, and Neuroscience, addresses a major challenge in the field of healthcare: the identification of early signals of cognitive decline.
The diagnosis of cognitive decline has traditionally been carried out by means of manually administered screening tests by psychologists in the hospital or clinic. They test orientation, memory, attention, concentration, naming, repetition, writing and comprehension. Some of the most commonly used tests are the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) (Cockrell and Folstein, 2002), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) (Nasreddine et al., 2005), the Mini Cognitive Assessment (Mini-Cog) (Borson et al., 2003) and the Boston Naming Test (Kaplan, Goodglass, and Weintraub, 2001).
In the recent years, language, and in particular speech production, has generated a great interest in cognitive screening and some automated screening tests initiatives have appeared. In this regard, our aim is to create a tool for the assessment of language production and comprehension through automatic speech recognition, considering grammatical, phonological, and cognitive indicators. Those indicators will help to assess signs of cognitive impairment by bringing subjects on a scale related to Reisberg´s Global Deterioration Scale. We will use participant tasks from traditional cognitive tests, automatic speech recognition, Role and Reference Grammar (RRG) manipulations (Van Valin, 2005) and AI.
We have developed a linguistic evaluation model based on RRG linguistic model (Panesar and Pérez, 2023), and it is designed to analyze and represent the structure and meaning of statements through a set of linguistic and cognition parameters. The model has been trained with a dataset from DementiaBank, which includes cognitive decline markers aligned with the Global Deterioration Scale. We applied a hybrid approach of qualitative linguistic analysis and quantitative scoring, achieved by mapping participants' oral production with RRG phenomena. It uses a scoring system based on metrics with quantitative scores and qualitative indicators as the result of the test.
The design of the model comprises: (i) Devise the language and cognition tasks (LC) as per two strands (MMSE tasks) and interview task using the DementiaBank dataset; (ii) create a RRG Mapping for LC tasks, scoring and GDS based matrix (iii) conduct the task and strand assessments; (iv) conduct the strand scoring, and the merging of the strand analysis; (v) present the participant dashboard.
This model will be used in a conversational assessment platform for the early detection of cognitive decline which combines NLP tools and machine learning algorithms to analyze linguistic patterns in natural language data with the goal of detecting specific indicators of cognitive decline such as grammatical errors, decreased syntactic complexity, alterations in vocabulary, and changes in verbal fluency. The system extracts key linguistic features and uses them to train predictive models capable of classifying users into different risk levels.
This methodology for cognitive decline detection has advantages over traditional diagnostic methods, such as faster evaluation, lower cost, and the potential for remote implementation, thus facilitating its application in broader populations.

Elisa Mattiello
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

English lexical blending and meaning representation
Blending has long been regarded as an irregular and unpredictable mechanism in word-formation studies (Aronoff 1976; Bauer 1983), often dismissed as outside the scope of regular morphology (e.g., Dressler 2000), and relegated to extra-grammatical word-creation (Ronneberger-Sibold 2010). However, recent work has challenged this view by demonstrating that blending exhibits regularities in both its formal and semantic properties (Kemmer 2003; Gries 2004). Studies of English lexical blends show that these formations follow systematic rules not only in their prosodic structure (Bat-El and Cohen 2012; Arndt-Lappe and Plag 2013; Mattiello 2013), but also in their semantic and cognitive organization (Beliaeva 2014; Peña-Cervel 2022; Mattiello 2023). Unlike other extra-grammatical operations, such as clipping or acronyms, lexical blending plays a key role in linguistic innovation and lexicalization (Milroy 1992; Brinton and Traugott 2005), creating entirely new words (e.g., phablet ? phone + tablet, 'a very large smartphone with a tablet-like touch screen') rather than merely alternatives to existing words (cf. the clipped compound blog ? (we)b log).
This talk explores the motivations behind lexical blending in English, with particular emphasis on the semantic features that govern the formation of blends and their meaning representation. Drawing from a dataset of 488 English lexical blends (1398-2025) extracted from the Oxford English Dictionary, this presentation reassesses the role of blending in lexical innovation, with a focus on how meaning is represented through the blending process. The talk examines how semantic relations between the source words (SWs) in blends are key to understanding their function and categorization.
From a semantic viewpoint, blends are divided into two main categories: coordinate and attributive blends. Coordinate blends can display different semantic relations (Renner 2006; Bauer 2012), ranging from hybridity (e.g., gasohol ? gasoline + alcohol) to tautology (e.g., chillax ? chill + relax). Some blends, like Clintonomics (? Clinton + economics), evolve analogically, mimicking other successful blends in form and meaning. Over time, such blends may give rise to schemas with regular 'splinters', such as -nomics to denote 'a leader's economic policy'. This reflects the dynamic nature of blending and its transitional character towards the emergence of modern combining forms (Mattiello 2017, 2022).
In contrast, attributive blends are determinative blends, where one SW modifies the other (e.g., glam-ma ? glamour + grandma). In these blends, one element typically functions as a defining characteristic of the other, producing a modifier-head structure common to many endocentric compounds. Sometimes the head or the modifier are used metaphorically, as in bromance (? bro + romance) 'intimate friendship between men', or metonymically, as in screenager (? screen + teenager), where screen stands for 'television, computer or smartphone' (part-for-whole metonymy in Ruiz de Mendoza and Galera 2014), thus obstructing meaning accessibility.
Within Natural Morphology (Dressler et al. 1987), blending adheres to the principle of iconicity, where the formal amalgamation of words mirrors the fusion of their meanings. This principle explains why blends are often used to name alloys (gasohol), cross-breeds (puggle), mixed garments (skort), or hybrid music styles (seggae).
By emphasizing semantic regularities in blending, this talk argues that lexical blends are not only creative but also productive forms of word-formation, reflecting the evolving nature of language and lexical innovation.

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Important dates

Abstract submission deadline: May 12, 2025
Notification of acceptance: May 26, 2025
Early-bird registration: until June 4, 2025
Registration deadline: June 16, 2025

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Fees and Registration

Author (face-to-face): 200 euros early birds /225 euros late birds

Author (online): 125 euros early birds /150 euros late birds

Non-author: 60 euros early birds / 80 euros late birds

Non-author student: 20 euros early birds / 25 euros late birds

Early-bird registration: until June 3, 2025

Late-bird registration: until June 14, 2025

OBSERVATIONS:

- Registration fees include conference admission, abstracts book, coffee breaks and lunches.

- In the case of multi-authored papers, registration is requested for every author.

- We regret we cannot provide refunds for registrations.

Click the following button for registration:

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Useful information

Conference venue

Sala de Grados
Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Industrial
Universidad de La Rioja
Edificio Politécnico
C/ Luis de Ulloa, 4
26004 Logroño. La Rioja. España

Campus location

Campus map

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Accommodation

Gran Vía Hotel ****

Address: Gran Vía Rey Juan Carlos I 71, Logroño (La Rioja)
Email: granvia@hotelgranvialogrono.com
Phone: +34 941 28 78 50