Showing papers on "Natural language published in 1980"

Formal Principles of Language Acquisition

Abstract: The question of language learnability is central to modern linguistics. Yet, despite its importance, research into the problems of language learnability has rarely gone beyond the informal, commonsense intuitions that currently prevail among linguists and psychologists.By focusing their inquiry on formal language learnability theory--the interface of formal mathematical linguistics, linguistic theory and cognitive psychology--the authors of this book have developed a rigorous and unified theory that opens the study of language learnability to discoveries about the mechanisms of language acquisition in human beings. Their research has important implications for linguistic theory, child language research, and the philosophy of language."Formal Principles of Language Acquisition" develops rigorous mathematical methods for demonstrating the learnability of classes of grammars. It adapts the well-developed theories of transformational grammar to establish psychological motivation for a set of formal constraints on grammars sufficient for learnability. In addition, the research deals with such matters as the complex interaction between the mechanism of language learning and the learning environment, the empirical adequacy of the learnability constraints, feasibility and attainability of classes of grammars, the role of semantics in language learnability, and the adequacy of transformational grammars as models of human linguistic competence.This first serious and extended development of a formal and precise theory of language learnability will interest researchers in psychology and linguistics, and is recommended for use in graduate courses in language acquisition, linguistic theory, psycholinguistics, and mathematical linguistics, as well as interdisciplinary courses that deal with language learning, use, and philosophy.Contents: Methodological Considerations; Foundations of a Theory of Learnability; A Learnability Result for Transformational Grammar; Degree-2 Learnability; Linguistic Evidence for the Learnability Constraints; Function, Performance and Explanations; Further Issues: Linguistic Interaction, Invariance Principle, Open Problems; Notes, Bibliography, Index.

Theory of Syntactic Recognition for Natural Languages

Abstract: "A Theory of Syntactic Recognition for Natural Language" makes use of the hypothesis that the syntax of any natural language can be parsed by a mechanism which operates "strictly deterministically" in that it does not simulate a nondeterministic machine. Basing his research strictly on English, Marcus sets forth some principles of processing that interact to offer explanations for some fundamental properties of language. He shows that language should have a certain design in order to be efficiently processed by the system he has constructed; specifically, rules should have certain locality properties, left-right asymmetries, and hierarchic structures that enter into rule types in special ways.Included in this volume are sections on the Determinism Hypothesis, Historical Perspective, the Grammar Interpreter, Structure of Grammar, Capturing Linguistic Generalizations, The Grammar Interpreter and Chomsky's Constraints, Parsing Relative Clauses, Parsing Noun Phrases, Differential Diagnosis and Garden Path Sentences, and the Necessity of Some Semantic/Syntactic Interactions.

Practical English Usage

Abstract: Practical English usage , Practical English usage , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

A general system for coding taxonomic descriptions

Abstract: Summary A generalized system for the concise representation and manipulation of taxonomic descriptions is described. The system is versatile, easy to understand, and designed to minimise coding errors. The descriptions can replace natural-language descriptions both at the time of recording and in publications. The descriptions are also computer-readable, and a program is available for translation into natural language and into the formats required by some key-generation and numerical-classification programs.

American Sign Language: A Teacher's Resource Text on Grammar and Culture

Abstract: Best known as the Green Books, the American Sign Language books provide teachers and students of American Sign Language (ASL) with the complete means for learning about the culture, community, and the native language of Deaf people. A group of 15 ASL teachers and linguists reviewed all five books to ensure that they were accurate and easy to comprehend. This volume of the American Sign Language series explains in depth the grammar and structure of ASL while also presenting a description of the Deaf community in the United States. Written for teachers with minimal training in linguistics, it includes many illustrations, examples, and dialogues that also focus on specific aspects of the Deaf community.

Children's language and learning

Abstract: Children's language and learning / , Children's language and learning / , مرکز اسناد، مدارک علمی و کتابخانه دانشگاه گیلان

Programming Environments Based on Structured Editors: The MENTOR Experience,

Abstract: : This note discusses the MENTOR program manipulation system, from the following points of view: the main design decisions made in MENTOR; the authors' experience with building and using a PASCAL programming environment based on MENTOR; and the authors' vision of a complete programming environment.

An approach to acquiring and applying knowledge

Abstract: The problem addressed in this paper is how to enable a computer system to acquire facts about new domains from tutors who are experts in their respective fields, but who have little or no training in computer science. The information to be acquired is that needed to support question-answering activities. The basic acquisition approach is "learning by being told." We have been especially interested in exploring the notion of simultaneously learning not only new concepts, but also the linguistic constructions used to express those concepts. As a research vehicle we have developed a system that is preprogrammed with deductive algorithms and a fixed set of syntactic/semantic rules covering a small subset of English. It has been endowed with sufficient seed concepts and seed vocabulary to support effective tutorial interaction. Furthermore, the system is capable of learning new concepts and vocabulary, and can apply its acquired knowledge in a prescribed range of problem-solving situations.

Sociolinguistic variation and style shifting in second language acquisition 1

Abstract: This paper presents empirical data (collected from nine Thai ESL learners) to support the claim that there is sociolinguistic variation and style shifting in interlanguage phonology, just as there is in the phonology of any natural language. The study addresses several theoretical questions: 1. Is interlanguage more permeable to a superordinate rule system in formal than in informal situations? 2. If it is more permeable, does the native language or the target language act as the superordinate rule system? 3. Does phonological transfer follow the sociolinguistic rules of the native language? 4. Does Monitoring operate on a continuum, increasing in formal contexts, and thereby producing a style shift? The findings are consistent with the point of view that interlanguage becomes permeable to a superordinate rule system in formal situations. In these data, the target language (English) acted as the superordinate rule system when the variable examined had no social meaning in the native language (Thai), but when the variable was in fact strongly marked for social value in Thai, the native language (Thai) was adopted as the superordinate rule system. The latter style shifting involved transfer of a socially appropriate variant. Finally, it was found that monitoring (attention to speech) and conscious Monitoring with a learned phonological rule operated on a sliding scale, increasing in formal contexts, and resulting in a style shift.

The Structure of the Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary

Abstract: The structure of a dictionary, in this case the Merriam-Webster Pocket Dictionary (1970 edition), has been revealed through a series of computational operations augmented with human interpretation. The following dissertation will attempt to describe the details of this investigation, its procedures, and conclusions with regard to lexical structure. The structural description of the dictionary as a natural language artifact requires both an appreciation of the lexicogragher's design for the dictionary and the less apparent underlying organization which the dictionary suggests for the English lexicon. The dictionary is neither a purely formal description of the language, nor a casual assemblage of textual definitions. It has structure both as an artifact of the lexicographer's art, and more importantly as a result of the lexicographer's shared semantic and pragmatic knowledge of the world used in writing definitions. Because definitions posses a somewhat formal syntax they are capable of human analysis. Because there are tens of thousands of definitions involved it becomes necessary to use computational techniques to augment this human analysis. This might serve as an informal definition of computational lexicology, i.e. the application of computational techniques to facilitate human analysis of the structure of the dictionary. The dictionary is shown to have a fundamentally taxonomic organization for nouns and verbs. Because the dictionary is a closed system, i.e. words used in definitions are themselves elsewhere defined in the dictionary, definitions naturally terminate in circular clusters. These clusters constitute the primitive concepts of the language and the exposition of their existence and members provides insights into Enlgish language semantics. The dictionary is an acyclic semi-lattice once allowance for these primitive terminal clusters is made. A maximal depth of less than 20 and widths of a few hundred senses are present. The dictionary is seen as a profitable subject for future exploration and potentially useful in a multitude of tasks in computational linguistics, artificial intelligence and cognitive science. Techniques for providing detailed descriptions of semantic domains of nouns and verbs are described together with case studies of the verbs of motion and the vehicle nouns. The potential use of dictionary data for automatic disambiguation is discussed.

T-Unit Analysis in Second Language Research: Applications, Problems and Limitations.

Abstract: T-unit analysis has been widely applied to measure the overall syntactic complexity of speech and writing samples. It has been used both in crosssectional descriptive studies and in experimental studies to measure the effect of sentence-combining as a curricular activity designed to enhance normal developmental trends in syntactic maturity. The claim that mean T-unit length is a valid measure of overall syntactic complexity is well supported. In recent years, T-unit analysis has been applied in studies of second language learning to characterize the syntactic nature of linguistic input and to assess the syntactic maturity of learners' written production. In all studies, T-unit analysis was seen to provide an objective and reliable method of determining the overall syntactic complexity of language samples. Nevertheless, the validity of the T-unit as a measure and the significance of overall syntactic complexity as a variable have been questioned. The present paper is a critical review of arguments for and against T-unit analysis in second language research; suggestions are made about the validity, usefulness, and limitations of this and other measures of overall syntactic complexity.

The natural language of interactive systems

Abstract: The work reported here stems from our deep belief that improved human engineering can add significantly to the acceptance and use of computer technology.In particular, this report describes an experiment to test the hypothesis that certain features of natural language provide a useful guide for the human engineering of interactive command languages. The goal was to establish that a syntax employing familiar, descriptive, everyday words and well-formed English phrases contributes to a language that can be easily and effectively used. Users with varying degrees of interactive computing experience used two versions of an interactive text editor; one with an English-based command syntax in the sense described above, the other with a more notational syntax. Performance differences strongly favored the English-based editor.

Natural language production as a process of decision-making under constraints

Abstract: 1,102,701. Locating conductors. TATEISI ELECTRONICS CO. June 16, 1965 [June 24, 1964], No. 25467/65. Heading G1N. To compensate for the effect of supply voltage fluctuations on an electromagnetic detector, the output amplifier has a D. C. reference voltage varying with the mains supply. As shown the sensing head comprises a primary 2 and opposed secondaries 3, 4 (for detecting a conductor 9). The output is applied through an amplifier 14 to a common emitter trigger comprising transistors 17, 18 to operate a switching circuit 23. The switching circuit and transistors are energized from constant voltage supplies, but the emitter "reference" bias is derived from the current through a resistor 28 in series with a Zener diode 29 and hence varies with the A. C. supply to the sensing head.

Slot grammars

Abstract: This paper presents an approach to natural language grammars and parsing in which slots and rules for filling them play a major role. The system described provides a natural way of handling a wide variety of grammatical phenomena, such as WH-movement, verb dependencies, and agreement.

Flexible Parsing

Abstract: When people use natural language in natural settings, they often use it ungrammatically, missing out or repeating words, breaking-off and restarting, speaking in fragments, etc., Their human listeners are usually able to cope with these deviations with little difficulty. If a computer system wishes to accept natural language input from its users on a routine basis, it must display a similar indifference. In this paper, we outline a set of parsing flexibilities that such a system should provide. We go on to describe FlexP. a bottom-up pattern-matching parser that we have designed and implemented to provide these flexibilities for restricted natural language input to a limited-domain computer system.

Using Objective Methods of Attained Writing Proficiency to Discriminate among Holistic Evaluations.

Abstract: Ten objective measures of writing proficiency were used to evaluate compositions written by advanced ESL students. Only those objective measures which take the absence of errors into account discriminated among holistic evaluations of the compositions by experienced ESL teachers. A standardized objective writing test failed to discriminate among the holistic evaluations as well as the error-free objective measures did.

A D-Ladder User's Guide

Abstract: : D-LADDER (DIAMOND-based Language Access to Distributed Data with Error Recovery) is a computer system designed to provide answers to questions posed at the terminal in a subset of natural language regarding a distributed data base of naval command and control information. The system accepts natural-language questions about the data. For each question D-LADDER plans a sequence of appropriate queries to the data base management system, determines on which machines the queries are to be processed, establishes links to those machines over the ARPANET, monitors the processing of the queries and recovers from certain errors in execution, and prepares a relevant answer to the original question. This user's guide is intended for the person who knows how to log in to the host operating system, as well as how to enter and edit a line of text. It does not explain how D-LADDER works, but rather how to use it on a demonstration basis.

Responding intelligently to unparsable inputs

Abstract: All natural language systems are likely to receive inputs for which they are unprepared The system must be able to respond to such inputs by explicitly indicating the reasons the input could not be understood, so that the user will have precise information for trying to rephrase the input If natural language communication to data bases, to expert consultant systems, or to any other practical system is to be accepted by other than computer personnel, this is an absolute necessityThis paper presents several ideas for dealing with parts of this broad problem One is the use of presupposition to detect user assumptions The second is relaxation of tests while parsing The third is a general technique for responding intelligently when no parse can be found All of these ideas have been implemented and tested in one of two natural language systems Some of the ideas are heuristics that might be employed by humans; others are engineering solutions for the problem of practical natural language systems

Modifiers and Quantifiers in Natural Language

Abstract: This paper has two parts. In part I, I review two older accounts of the logical forms of modifiers (adjectives, adverbs and prepositional phrases), and suggest that they may be combined with each other so as to yield a theory that is better than either of its parts taken singly. Part of this theory involves the idea that certain sentences refer to events, states, or processes; Part II of this paper shows how to use this idea to account for tenses and temporal adverbials, and offers a new account of ordinary language quantification.

Language Acquisition and the Discovery of Phrase Structure.

Abstract: A computer program intended as a step towards an empirically adequate theory of first-language acquisition by children is presented. It has been tested on a sample of English transcribed as a sequence of word classes. The structures formed by the program correspond in many cases with recognized structures in English, and there is a significant correspondence between a parsing of the sample by the program and conventional surface-structure analysis. Anomalies in the program's performance are discussed.

Linguistic analysis of natural language communication with computers

Abstract: Interaction with computers in natural language requires a language that is flexible and suited to the task. This study of natural dialogue was undertaken to reveal those characteristics which can make computer English more natural. Experiments were made in three modes of communication: face-to-face, terminal-to-terminal and human-to-computer, involving over 80 subjects, over 80,000 words and over 50 hours. They showed some striking similarities, especially in sentence length and proportion of words in sentences. The three modes also share the use of fragments, typical of dialogue. Detailed statistical analysis and comparisons are given. The nature and relative frequency of fragments, which have been classified into twelve categories, is shown in all modes. Special characteristics of the face-to-face mode are due largely to these fragments (which include phatics employed to keep the channel of communication open). Special characteristics of the computational mode include other fragments, namely definitions, which are absent from other modes. Inclusion of fragments in computational grammar is considered a major factor in improving computer naturalness. The majority of experiments involved a real life task of loading Navy cargo ships. The peculiarities of face-to-face mode were similar in this task to results of earlier experiments involving another task. It was found that in task oriented situations the syntax of interactions is influenced in all modes by this context in the direction of simplification, resulting in short sentences (about 7 words long). Users seek to maximize efficiency In solving the problem. When given a chance, in the computational mode, to utilize special devices facilitating the solution of the problem, they all resort to them. Analyses of the special characteristics of the computational mode, including the analysis of the subjects" errors, provide guidance for the improvement of the habitability of such systems. The availability of the REL System, a high performance natural language system, made the experiments possible and meaningful. The indicated improvements in habitability are now being embodied in the POL (Problem Oriented Language) System, a successor to REL.

Toward natural language computation

Abstract: A computer programming system called the "Natural Language Computer" (NLC) is described which allows a user to type English commands while watching them executed on sample data appearing on a display screen. Direct visual feedback enables the user to detect most misinterpretation errors as they are made so that incorrect or ambiguous commands can be retyped or clarified immediately. A sequence of correctly executed commands may be given a name and used as a subroutine, thus extending the set of available operations and allowing larger English-language programs to be constructed hierarchically. In addition to discussing the transition network syntax and procedural semantics of the system, special attention is devoted to the following topics: the nature of imperative sentences in the matrix domain; the processing of non-trivial noun phrases; conjunction; pronominals; and programming constructs such as "if", "repeat", and procedure definition.

Analogical generalization in natural language syntax

Abstract: Thesis. 1980. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Linguistics and Philosophy.