Differing design decisions – comparing Swedish FrameNet to FrameNet

Abstract Creation of framenets for languages other than English based on Berkeley FrameNet has tested the hypothesis that semantic frames, to a certain extent, are language independent. This working hypothesis facilitated reuse of frames for new framenets, defining language specific frame evoking lemmas and annotating language specific sentences. The caveat is the bias towards creating what is possible, rather than typical, in a language. The reuse of frames allowed developing SweFN in a relatively short period of time. However, the goal to build a typical, not a possible Swedish framenet, necessitated some frame modifications. This chapter provides a comparison between the English and Swedish framenets regarding semantic annotation and representation, and socio-cultural factors, including how differences forced modification of the original structure.