What about lexical semantics if syntax is the only generative component of the grammar?

Abstract

This paper explores the semantic consequences of the principle of containment embodied by the popular assumption that word formation is entirely syntactic and that there is no generative lexicon. According to the principle of containment, the analysis and structure of a given form must also be contained within the analysis of any structure derived from that form. The implications of the containment principle for the analysis of word meaning are elucidated with a detailed case study of ambiguous German nominalizations. The resulting analysis of ambiguous German nominalizations is employed as a probe into the structure and analysis of contained constructions to derive novel insights about the syntax and semantics of adjectival participles in German.