Multiple same-numbered arguments

[timjogorman]

I've gotten a number of questions at the PIRE workshop about having multiple instances of the same numbered argument from the same predicate. Since we check for it under the predicate, I've mostly just seen this with ARGn-of -- and normally in contexts where a I'd rather have a repeated predicate. A simplified example would be: enable them to obtain the needed education and experience

(e / enable-01
      :ARG1 (o / obtain-01
            :ARG0 (t / they
                  :ARG1 (a / and
                        :op1 (e2 / educate-01
                              :ARG1 t
                              :ARG1-of (n / need-01))
                        :op2 (e3 / experience-01
                              :ARG0 t
                              :ARG1-of n))))
      :ARG2 t)

Personally I'd love to just ban multiple instances of the same numbered argument off the same predicate, and was wondering if others would agree. The two examples of this that I've found in the data both seem to not really need the coreference, as they are generally just attributing a general characteristics to things. So I'd rather have:

(e / enable-01
      :ARG1 (o / obtain-01
            :ARG0 (t / they
                  :ARG1 (a / and
                        :op1 (e2 / educate-01
                              :ARG1 t
                              :ARG1-of (n / need-01))
                        :op2 (e3 / experience-01
                              :ARG0 t
                              :ARG1 (n2 / need-01)))))
      :ARG2 t)

Any thoughts?

Real examples: (look at c5) From now on , the two countries would explore and utilize the advantageous conditions of the two countries more fully , act according to rules of economy , guarantee that bilateral benefits , continuously enrich the shape of cooperation and improve the level and class of the trade of the two countries .

(a / and
      :op1 (a2 / and
            :op1 (e / explore-01
                  :ARG0 (c / country :quant 2)
                  :ARG1 (c2 / condition
                        :mod (a3 / advantage)
                        :poss c))
            :op2 (u / utilize-01
                  :ARG0 c
                  :ARG1 c2)
            :manner (f / full
                  :degree (m / more)))
      :op2 (a4 / act-01
            :ARG0 c
            :manner (c6 / conform-01
                  :ARG2 (r / rule
                        :mod (e2 / economy))))
      :op3 (g / guarantee-01
            :ARG0 c
            :ARG1 (a5 / and
                  :op1 (e3 / enrich-01
                        :ARG0 (b / benefit
                              :mod (b2 / bilateral)
                              :mod (t2 / that))
                        :ARG1 (s / shape
                              :poss (c3 / cooperate-01))
                        :ARG1-of (c5 / continue-01))
                  :op2 (i / improve-01
                        :ARG0 b
                        :ARG1 (a6 / and
                              :op1 (l / level)
                              :op2 (c4 / class)
                              :poss (t / trade-01
                                    :ARG0 c))
                        :ARG1-of c5)))
      :time (f2 / from
            :op1 (n / now)))

Xinhua News Agency , Beijing , January 16th , by reporters Xingtang Xu and Yuhong Qian (look at r)

(b / byline-91
      :ARG0 (p3 / publication :name (n / name :op1 "Xinhua" :op2 "News" :op3 "Agency"))
      :ARG1 (a / and
            :op1 (p / person :name (n2 / name :op1 "Xingtang" :op2 "Xu")
                  :ARG0-of (r / report-01))
            :op2 (p2 / person :name (n3 / name :op1 "Yuhong" :op2 "Qian")
                  :ARG0-of r))
      :time (d / date-entity :month 1 :day 16)
      :location (c / city :name (n4 / name :op1 "Beijing")))

[uhermjakob]

At the phone meeting we agreed with Tim that we generally don't want to have multiple :ARGx, including for the specific examples above. Conceivably, in some cases, an :ARGx-of might apply to an and as in:

# enable them to obtain the needed education and experience
(e / enable-01
  :ARG1 (o / obtain-01
          :ARG0 (t / they)
          :ARG1 (a / and
                 :op1 (e2 / educate-01
                        :ARG1 t)
                 :op2 (e3 / experience-01
                        :ARG0 t)
                 :ARG1-of (n / need-01)))
  :ARG2 t)

In the current PropBank frames, there are a few cases where multiple :ARGxs are normal, e.g. multiple :ARG1 for attach-01, but these cases are exceptional.

[nschneid]

I like @ulfulf's solution above for "needed education and experience".

For the byline example, it seems odd to treat two reporters as sharing the same reporting event—because this event is not really a particular act of reporting, it is a "person who reports (as a profession)" construct. So I'd prefer:

#Xinhua News Agency , Beijing , January 16th , by reporters Xingtang Xu and Yuhong Qian
(b / byline-91
      :ARG0 (p3 / publication :name (n / name :op1 "Xinhua" :op2 "News" :op3 "Agency"))
      :ARG1 (a / and
            :op1 (p / person :name (n2 / name :op1 "Xingtang" :op2 "Xu")
                  :ARG0-of (r / report-01))
            :op2 (p2 / person :name (n3 / name :op1 "Yuhong" :op2 "Qian")
                  :ARG0-of (r2 / report-01)))
      :time (d / date-entity :month 1 :day 16)
      :location (c / city :name (n4 / name :op1 "Beijing")))